"Was the seventeenth century the historical high point of Dutch development? To how many inhabitants of the Netherlands was the seventeenth century a golden age? More than the newly famous one percent? How Dutch, in European and global context, were the Golden Age and its art? To what extent was Dutch society defined by burghers rather than farmers, peasants, soldiers, aristocrats? How tolerant were the Dutch, how Calvinist, how peace-loving, how democratic, how republican? Do present day values concerning social justice, gender equality, and ecology affect our view of the Dutch Golden Age?" -- Page 7. |