Political history of the Netherlands
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The political history of the Netherlands covers the history of political movements and systems of government in the nation of the Netherlands, from the earliest stages of the history of the Netherlands until the present day.
The start of Dutch democracy was marked by the 1781 pamphlet Aan het Volk van Nederland (To the people of the Netherlands).[1] The democratisation process unfolded in three phases: the creation of a sovereign state with a constitution and parliament (1780–1830), the formation of a parliamentary system (1848–1868), and the expansion of voting rights to the entire adult population (1887–1919).[2]
Early history
[edit]Early forms of government in the current territory of the Netherlands included water boards in the Middle Ages, which were necessitated because of common flooding.[3] The area became part of the Holy Roman Empire, and it was divided into provinces, ruled by counts and dukes. When it came under power of the dukes of Burgundy in the 15th century, the provinces continued to exercise a significant degree of self-government. The Burgundian Netherlands transitioned into the Habsburg Netherlands, and its ruler, though more occupied with ruling other territories, bore the title Lord of the Netherlands.[4] The Dutch parliament, the States General, first convened in 1464, but it had limited authority under the king's rule.[5]
Opposed to King Philip II's consolidation of power and limiting of religious freedoms for Protestants, Dutch political elites attempted to halt these changes through petitions. A violent revolt ensued when their demands were not met, leading to the start of the Eighty Years' War in 1568. The Dutch rebellion was led by William the Silent, the stadtholder (king's deputy) of several provinces. The States General approved the Act of Abjuration in 1581, declaring that the Netherlands was no longer subjugated to the rule of Phillip II due to his tyrannical behaviour.[6]
Dutch Republic
[edit]The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was founded in 1588 as a confederation the provinces of Groningen, Guelders, Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, and Zeeland.[5] The provinces kept their autonomy in the new state, and they were each governed by a parliament, called the States, in which cities and the nobility were represented. The Dutch Republic was an oligarchy, where the countryside was administered by the nobility and the cities were run by regenten from prominent families.[2][7] The power of the cities and the nobility were mostly balanced in the States, except in the wealthiest and most powerful province, Holland, where parliament was dominated by the cities.[2] The provinces became responsible for appointing their stadtholder, which was often filled by the bearer of the title Prince of Orange.[2][8] The stadtholder had several roles, including commander-in-chief of the armed forces.[9] William the Silent, who held the title, stayed on in his position. Several provinces chose William the Silent's son, Maurice of Orange, to succeed him after he was murdered in 1584.[10] Friesland and Groningen would select its stadtholders from the descendants of William the Silent’s brother, Johann VI.[11]
The Twelve Years' Truce was reached in 1609 in the war against Spain. Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was as grand pensionary the most powerful official in the States of Holland and West Friesland. He was in favour of the ceasefire and believed that the autonomy of the provinces should be increased, while Maurice of Orange was in opposition and wanted to centralise power. Maurice of Orange had Van Oldenbarnevelt brought to trial, and he was convicted of high treason. Van Oldenbarnevelt was beheaded in 1619 in front of the Ridderzaal. The truce ended in 1621, and Maurice of Orange died in 1625. He was succeeded as stadtholder by his brother Frederick Henry, who ruled from 1625 until 1647, and his nephew William II, who ruled from 1647 until 1650. The Eighty Years’ War concluded with the 1648 Peace of Münster, which made the Dutch Republic an internationally recognised state.[12]
William III was born a week after the death of William II, and the Netherlands entered the First Stadtholderless Period.[13] Power of the regenten increased, and Grand Pensionary of Holland Johan de Witt, who believed local autonomy should be reinforced, became the most prominent leader in the Dutch Republic.[13][14] Discontent with De Witt grew when the Netherlands was attacked by France and England in 1672, known was the Disaster Year. He had tried to establish friendly relations with both nations. De Witt was lynched at the Gevangenpoort in The Hague along with his brother on 20 August 1672. William III subsequently assumed power as stadtholder.[15] He married Mary II, the Protestant daughter of the English king, and they ruled over England after dethroning Mary II’s Catholic father in 1688. William III died in 1702 without offspring, leaving no male heirs to William the Silent. This marked the beginning of the Second Stadtholderless Period, and the title of Prince of Orange was transferred to the descendants of William the Silent’s brother, Johann VI.[16]
In the 1747 Orangist revolution, William IV was made stadtholder of all provinces, when the Dutch Republic was invaded by France after it chose to support Austria in the War of the Austrian Succession.[17] The Dutch Republic adopted a monarchical character, with the stadtholder assuming a king-like role.[14] The three-year-old William V succeeded his father when he died in 1751. Until he reached maturity, his mother and the Duke of Brunswick acted as his regents. His rule ended in 1795, and he was the last stadtholder.[17]
Patriot Revolt
[edit]Influenced by the Age of Enlightenment, associations were established in the Dutch Republic where government was discussed, and new ideas appeared in pamphlets and periodicals. The country was considered in decline after the Dutch Golden Age, which some blamed on decadence and lust of power by the stadtholder and ruling elite. Support existed in the Dutch Republic for the American Revolution, causing Great Britain to declare the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War.[18] An anonymous pamphlet in September 1781 called Aan het Volk van Nederland (To the people of the Netherlands) blamed the country's problems on the tyrannical rule of William V. It called for a revolt and argued that sovereignty over the country belonged to its citizenry. It became known 100 years later that the pamphlet had been written by nobleman Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol, who had been removed from the States of Overijssel.[19][20] Special militias were formed in opposition to the stadtholder by so-called Patriots, and they demanded in 1785 that city administrations should be chosen by citizens. A large number of cities came under control of the Patriots until the Prussian king supported William V with a military force in 1787.[19]
French period
[edit]After the French Revolution, the Patriots received support from the French army, who helped end the rule of the stadtholders in 1795. The Batavian Republic was established, and the States General were replaced by the National Assembly. The first constitution of the Netherlands went into effect in 1798, and it increased the national government's power, along with enshrining civil rights and equality between citizens.[20]
References
[edit]- ^ Slotboom & Verkuil 2010, p. 7.
- ^ a b c d Slotboom & Verkuil 2010, p. 9.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, p. 33.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, pp. 33–34.
- ^ a b Habben Jansen 2021, p. 35.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, p. 34.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, p. 37.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, pp. 36.
- ^ Slotboom & Verkuil 2010, p. 9–10.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, pp. 36–37.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, pp. 37, 39–40.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, pp. 37–38.
- ^ a b Habben Jansen 2021, p. 38.
- ^ a b Slotboom & Verkuil 2010, p. 10.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, pp. 38–39.
- ^ Habben Jansen 2021, p. 39.
- ^ a b Habben Jansen 2021, p. 40.
- ^ Slotboom & Verkuil 2010, pp. 10–11.
- ^ a b Slotboom & Verkuil 2010, p. 11.
- ^ a b Habben Jansen 2021, p. 41.
Bibliography
[edit]- Habben Jansen, Eddy (2021). Nederlandse politiek voor Dummies [Dutch politics for dummies] (in Dutch) (2nd ed.). Amersfoort: BBNC Uitgevers. ISBN 978-90-453-5791-1.
- Slotboom, Ruud; Verkuil, Dik (2010). De Nederlandse politiek in een notendop [Dutch politics in a nutshell] (in Dutch). Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Bert Bakker. ISBN 978-90-351-3561-1.