The Power of the Individual

The Revolt of the Netherlands was the most successful of all uprisings in early modern Europe and had far reaching effects on the course of Dutch and European history. In accounting for its outcome recent research has emphasized the significance of impersonal forces of political, economic or religious nature rather than the part played by prominent individuals.

Yet in some critical phases of the revolt the quality of leadership, either on the side of the revolutionaries or on that of the established government was a factor of the utmost importance.

This pamphlet examines the role of William the Silent, the only member of the high nobility who fully committed himself to the cause of the revolt. He is portrayed as a highly practical statesman who possessed an unsurpassed talent for cooperating with the bourgeoisie and displayed remarkable perseverance in the face of adversity.

Although not a leader who was ever in perfect control of the course of events, he was one of those rare individuals of whom it can be said that their actions were decisive at a critical stage of history.