Republicans: Essays on Eighteenth-Century Dutch Political Thought

The notion of being freeborn republicans bound the eighteenth-century Dutch together and constituted a significant part of their sense of national identity. Yet beneath this general label, many fundamental differences existed. Republicanism could stand for anti-monarchism, but it could also be a moral doctrine emphasizing the importance of the exercise of virtue, or refer to a certain way of life. During the revolutionary years of the late eighteenth century, it came to mean the permanent and active sovereignty of the people. This book explores the many varieties of eighteenth-century Dutch republicanism from a number of different methodological perspectives. It thereby significantly contributes to our understanding of a crucial period in the development of Dutch political thought.