Dutch Republic

Dutch Republic The decline of naval and trading superiority experienced by the Dutch began because of the lack of strong leadership after William III died and because there wasn’t another strong stadholder, the wars with France and England, the lost of technological advances once the British caught up, the domestic industries losing in the competition with British merchants, and the reality that the Dutch couldn’t compete in overseas markets with larger powers such …

…and England were in an effort to preserve their economic vitality. In this effort to preserve their economy they plunged into debt. In 1688 the debt was 30 million and by 1713 it had risen to 148 million (document 12). The Dutch no longer are the only nation with a technologically advanced navy they loose to competition at home and abroad, their size, amount of resources and lack of unity keep them from ever regaining the economic power they had.