Historians have studied the regime change of 1813 in the Netherlands mainly from a national perspective, as the invented new beginning of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, research on... Show moreHistorians have studied the regime change of 1813 in the Netherlands mainly from a national perspective, as the invented new beginning of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, research on Northern Germany has shown that an urban perspective on the regime change of 1813 reveals continuities with the early modern period. The civic initiatives to preserve urban security remind of the civic commitment found in early modern corporate society. Students of the history of The Netherlands generally assume that urban citizenship withered away soon after the introduction of national citizenship in 1795 and so did the civic discourse on the importance of urban society and the civic commitment to the urban community. But did this really disappear together with the early modern political system? This article takes an urban perspective on the regime change of 1813 and studies the appearance of voluntary civic militias in Haarlem and Groningen. Their actions remind of practices and traditions of early modern civic republicanism. Was ‘1813’ a final upsurge of practices of civic republicanism and local authority or just one example of a broader persistence of urban civic traditions in the nineteenth century? Show less
After his ascension to the throne in 1813, William Frederick was quickly accepted as a father-monarch who united the various factions previously vying for power in the Dutch Republic. When in 1815... Show moreAfter his ascension to the throne in 1813, William Frederick was quickly accepted as a father-monarch who united the various factions previously vying for power in the Dutch Republic. When in 1815 the Sovereign Principality of the Netherlands merged with the former Austrian Netherlands to form the United Kingdom, the new Southern subjects were far less inclined to accept William I as father of the nation. So goes the prevailing interpretation in the historiography, based as it is on politically and culturally elite sources. In this article, we investigate how ordinary folk imagined the new monarch. We examine the identification strategies and monarchical imagery they employed in writing pauper letters, comparing the restoration monarchy with the various regimes that came before it. Ultimately, we conclude that, despite the officially sanctioned imagery, in both North and South, perceptions of the new monarch represented a less distinct rupture with the past than has been thought. Show less
For half a century, historians of the Low Countries have studied the decades around 1800 as a period of radical transition. By way of historiographical introduction to this special issue, this... Show moreFor half a century, historians of the Low Countries have studied the decades around 1800 as a period of radical transition. By way of historiographical introduction to this special issue, this article surveys both the national and international origins of this approach, assesses its consequences for our understanding of citizenship in the period, and argues for the need to add another perspective, that of continuity.This article is part of the special issue 'Political Change and Civic Continuities in the Age of Revolutions'. Show less
From Filament Bulb to Agneta Park: Dutch Capitalism in the Twentieth CenturyIn this review article, Jeroen Touwen discusses a series of seven books published between 2008 and 2015 under the title... Show moreFrom Filament Bulb to Agneta Park: Dutch Capitalism in the Twentieth CenturyIn this review article, Jeroen Touwen discusses a series of seven books published between 2008 and 2015 under the title Bedrijfsleven in Nederland in de Twintigste Eeuw (Business in the Netherlands in the Twentieth Century), and the edited volume in English that contains the major conclusions and has some further reflections on the characteristics of Dutch capitalism. To which extent does the series meet recent demands of business history? Is the narrative connected with the characteristics of the national business system and the origins and development of economic growth? And does this business history transcend the microeconomic history of the individual company? This review article positions the series, with its wide and colourful range of facts and events, in the context of recent literature on business history. It particularly examines the conclusions on comparative capitalism. Show less
What were the major developments in thinking about Dutch empire from the early modern period to the twenty-first century? What moral, political, legal and economic arguments have been put forth to... Show moreWhat were the major developments in thinking about Dutch empire from the early modern period to the twenty-first century? What moral, political, legal and economic arguments have been put forth to justify, criticize or reform empire? How and under what circumstances did these visions and arguments change or remain the same? This article outlines a research agenda that addresses these questions. It argues for an approach that includes a long-term perspective from the early modern period to the postcolonial situation, which sees ‘Dutch’ history broadly, moving beyond national borders, and instead explicitly informed by influences and actors from across the globe. This implies a transnational and transimperial approach that can highlight these global connections as well as tensions; and finally, an approach that understands intellectual history as going beyond the big names of systemic thinkers, and includes visions of empire as negotiated in (day-to-day) practice. Show less
