Under Philip II’s reign as the king of Spain, 7 northern provinces declared their independence as the Dutch Republic. The conflict between Spain and the 7 provinces is commonly known as the Dutch Revolt.
As king, Philip adopted militant Catholicism. All the citizens of Spain were forced to participate in religious conformity, including Protestants and Muslims alike. Even though the Low Countries were already largely Catholic, this policy had immense negative side effects, garnering the displeasure of Catholics who disfavored militant conversion and state prosecution for heresy. As a result of this unpopularity, the Duchess, Margaret of Parma, successfully persuaded Philip to stop the Inquisition.
In 1556, Protestants had a large public gathering that they attended armed. Some of the Protestants committed vandalism at this gathering, causing Philip to send 10,000 troops under the command of the Duke of Alba. The Duke completely ignored the rule of law when prosecuting Protestants and tolerant Catholics, often throwing people into prison without a trial. When he imposed a 10 percent sales tax on the population, revolts broke out, and Margaret resigned.
Willian the Silent led the Dutch Revolt as a Catholic protester against Philip’s actions towards the nonconformists. Through the 1580s, English ships aided the revolt by harassing Spanish ships. In response, Philip sent out 130 ships in the Spanish Armada to deal a decisive blow to England, but he was defeated, and the English continued supporting the Dutch Revolt.
By 1648, seven of the northern provinces officially achieved their independence and formed the Dutch Republic. This nation became a bastion of liberty, granting religious toleration and protecting the rights of private property, unlike Spain. As a result, the nation prospered. Seeing this prosperity, other nations like England emulated the policies of the Dutch Republic hoping to see similar prosperity, and this positive example is known as the demonstration effect.
Asher Sisneros 