ABSTRACT
The French onrush was stemmed in 1672 before the whole territory of the Republic was occupied. The traditional monarchism of the majority of the population must have undergone a modification under the influence of the republican doctrines which inspired the leaders of the States party. In the same way the republican tradition of the oligarchs was beginning to be part of the national patrimony and to affect even the orangists. The year 1674 shows that even the proletariat of the province of Holland attached importance to its republican freedom. The position of primacy in an oligarchic republic corresponded more closely to William’s instinct than a sovereignty rooted in popular support. Every one of his actions showed that he was not a man of the people. The dictatorship of the upper middle class was for him the only acceptable regime, and he never displayed any sympathy with the political and social aspirations of the lesser men.
