This is the first book to examine the history of the country in a way that connects global processes to local developments. Taking account of social, political and economic dynamics over the last thousand years, the book addresses key questions that get to the heart of the Netherlands- role in the world, both historically and in more recent times:- Why did the -West- become such a significant actor in the world, and what part did the Netherlands play?- What were the driving forces in state-formation, and in what respects and why did the Netherlands take a different path to most of Europe?- How did globalisation impact economic structures and socio-cultural life, and how did the Netherlands react to these new challenges?- How did this very Christian and bourgeois nation develop into a flagship for liberal tolerance?The book carefully balances a wider investigation of these issues with close inspections of how ordinary people experienced the changes they prompted. It also provide a convi
