“To the People of Netherland”
Centrum 1795 would like to welcome you to the exhibition “To the People of Netherland”.
Revolution portrayed
Exhibition “To the People of Netherland” tells about the events at the end of the 18th century, which were the prelude to modern Netherland.
By the means of a unique collection of more than 150 historical prints and objects, the exhibition portrays the events of the Netherland Revolution, which led to the emergence of Netherland as a democracy and modern society.
The exhibition can be viewed every Friday to Sunday in Oosterhout in North-Brabant. Reservations are possible via the website!
In the second half of the 18th century, Europe and America gained momentum. Under the influence of a changing mentality of the people, the revolutionary ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity became widespread. The 'struggle for freedom' culminated in the democratic revolutions of the late 18th century.
First National Assembly. On 1 March 1796, there was a first: for the first time in the history of the Netherlands, a national and democratically elected representation met in The Hague. From now on, 'Netherland' was represented by a single parliament.
The story
With the beginning of the ‘Batavian Revolution’ in 1795 and the proclamation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the new era of Netherland democracy had begun.
Freedom and especially ‘equality’ were the revolutionary basic principles on which society should be based. The innovation was major and had never been seen before: a national parliament, a Constitution, a separation of church and state, voting right, equal civil rights and fundamental rights, such as freedom of religion and expression.
Foundations of the modern Netherland and the democratic constitutional state, to which we have become accustomed. They are considered to be nothing more than self-evident. But they were not so self-evident before 1795. The origins of our democracy and citizenship lie in a time marked by struggle.
The Netherland Revolution
The period from 1781 to 1815 is a piece of turbulent history:
a turbulent struggle between patriots and orangists in the following years, which resulted in a civil war in the Netherlands
1786
a Batavian-French invasion that led to the flee of stadtholder William V van Orange-Nassau to England
1795
the beginning of the 'Batavian Revolution' and the proclamation of the Holland Declaration of Human and Civil Rights
1795
the creation of the first Netherland Constitution and thereby the official introduction of the 'unitary state': the Netherlands became Netherland
1798
Exhibition “To the People of Netherland” tells you the story about the development of Netherland democracy, along the most important events in the first period of the origins of ‘modern’ Netherland.
European cultural change and freedom struggle
All of this within the framework of a major European power game. In the Netherlands, a definitive follow-up was given to the modernization process of Europe, which had already lasted for three centuries at the time.
The story takes place against the background of a major European cultural change and freedom struggle, in which Western Europeans slowly broke away from the traditional power thinking of the classical Middle Ages from around 1500 onwards and prepared themselves for the democratic constitutional state of the modern time.
