The 17th century Dutch Republic had seven provinces, that all maintained a steadfast and strong independence. The middle class was dominant and its trade and banking topped that of the rest of Europe. The merchant class supported the arts and considered art to be a profession learned through apprenticeship. The Dutch did not live lavishly, which was good for them. The Dutch outplayed many of their fellow European counterparts because of how they lived and how they ran their government.
With the middle class as dominant forces, things would be more equal for everyone. In each province was a chief executive, who would help out and claim more power in times of need and military threats, but the rest of the time, they would just keep the peace and equality throughout the land. There was a man by the name of William of Orange, who was elected by six provinces to be the chief executive. He tried to consolidate power, but the provinces would not allow this to happen, because if that happened like the other European monarchs, the rights of the people would cease to exist.
Religious refugees also liked the Dutch Republic in the Netherlands. Since Jews, Christians, Arminians, Huguenots, and others were protected from persecution, there were many who took refuge there. However, Calvinists had the most rights of any religious groups in the Netherlands. They were the majority religious group in the Netherlands at the time. In effect, the Dutch gained some more knowledge in the economic world and culture of their country.
The very successful trade and shipping that the Dutch controlled caused some conflicts with the British trade and shipping. Because of the Navigation Act the British passed, the Dutch came into a few feuds with the British, since they did not follow the Navigation Act very well. These conflicts caused the republic to tire out. However, when William, of Orange became king of England, the conflicts ended. The Dutch continued to trade all around the world, which helped out their economy, but they never created a colonial empire. This was because no one was very excited about moving to a different colony that could be located far away from where they lived.
In conclusion, the Dutch had a better off society than that of the other European countries. The people had more of an equal say in what happened, instead of the King just giving all the orders like in England and France. Also, more religions were free from persecution, since the people's home countries did not, they would move to the Netherlands. The Dutch government was different from other European countries because they did not follow a monarchy, which allowed for more equality making people happier. So it makes sense that the Dutch Republic would be successful.
