Back cover text: The Dutch revolt against Spain in the late sixteenth century overthrew the hegemony of a major European power and established a republican government in the great age of monarchies. In this book, Professor Haley fives us a lively portrait of Dutch society from the foundation of he republic in 1570 to the beginning of its eighteenth-century "decline": he reveals its political and religious tolerance, its cultural vitality, its concern for learning and the humane treatment of the poor. Granting a special position to the princes of Orange, the nation based its political institutions on a pragmatic solution of the conflict between demands for local autonomy and the need for some form of centralized authority. This vigorous good sense was reflected in the basis of Dutch strength - a prosperous world-wide trade, backed by merchants of acumen and initiative. A remarkable collection of contemporary illustrations supports this cogent survey of a country which, in little more than a century, developed from a group of disunited provinces into a power of world significance.