Dutch Republic

3 Pages 707 Words

Essay: Dutch Republic

There were many challenges that the Dutch Republic faced and had to try to overcome between 1650 and 1713. Unity wasn’t at it highest point during this time period either because of some problems that they faced. Prosperity was very vital to them because they needed money to fund the actions that they were planning. They had many security concerns that needed to be dealt with, including some foreign problems. The Dutch had many problems that they had to face but they eventually overcame them.
Unity was a main concern but the Dutch seemed to fall short at their attempt. The French monarchs had helped the Dutch a lot of times but they also betrayed them as well. One of the many ways is how the French tried to stop and take over the trade and navigation of the merchants that were shipping for the Dutch Republic. (Doc-7) In a government document of the Dutch Republic, it says that there were problems with an election for a new king; do to the variations between the Dutch provinces. (Doc-9) With this being written by the Dutch Republic it must have been an accurate report stating some of the problems they had. There were many problems regarding unity that the Dutch had to face and were challenged by.
Prosperity was at an extremely low point for the Dutch Republic because of poor decisions that were made. Sir George Downing, an English ambassador, wrote a letter to the English Government that stated that Holland would be stuck with the financial burden of all the other provinces in the event of a war. (Doc-4) With Downing being an ambassador he had experience and would know what was going to happen and he stated his opinion. A Colonial Administrator of the Dutch Republic wrote a letter stating, profits of our East Indian trade have turned into losses and the java trade is declining. With an Administrator stating this it shows that the Dutch were in a mess because of the wars that were happening and...