G. J. Renier

First published in 1944, The Dutch Nation gives more than the mere history of the Dutch nation. The author studies not only the origin of national consciousness among his compatriots, but also the development of the national character of the Dutch, the birth of parties in their State, and the rise of the House of Orange from the leadership of one party to the unchallenged position of a symbol of national unity. The class realities underlying artificial differences are vividly described, and the merchant oligarchs of the days of John De Witt become creatures of flesh and blood in this book which is based upon a wealth of hitherto unpublished material. This book will be of interest to students of history, political science and sociology.

First published in 1944, The Dutch Nation gives more than the mere history of the Dutch nation. The author studies not only the origin of national consciousness among his compatriots, but also the development of the national character of the Dutch, the birth of parties in their State, and the rise of the House of Orange from the leadership of one party to the unchallenged position of a symbol of national unity. The class realities underlying artificial differences are vividly described, and the merchant oligarchs of the days of John De Witt become creatures of flesh and blood in this book which is based upon a wealth of hitherto unpublished material. This book will be of interest to students of history, political science and sociology.

This treatise of historical methodology, originally published in 1950 is based upon a liberal conception of history which excludes no narrator of past events from the ranks of historians. It defines history as the accurate story which preserves the memory of the past experiences of human societies. The functionof history determines its method and provides the answer to the question: how secure is our knowledge of the past? In the author’s view, history is empirical and its results are for ever provisional. The relative merits of dogmatism and scepticism are examined and several interpretations among English historians are scrutinized.

This treatise of historical methodology, originally published in 1950 is based upon a liberal conception of history which excludes no narrator of past events from the ranks of historians. It defines history as the accurate story which preserves the memory of the past experiences of human societies. The functionof history determines its method and provides the answer to the question: how secure is our knowledge of the past? In the author’s view, history is empirical and its results are for ever provisional. The relative merits of dogmatism and scepticism are examined and several interpretations among English historians are scrutinized.