The Merchant Republics Amsterdam, Anterp, and Hamburg, 1648}}}1790 [Paperback]

This book analyzes the ways in which Amsterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg developed dual identities as 'communities of commerce' and republics.The Merchant Republics analyzes the ways in which three major economic powerhouses  Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg  developed dual identities as communities of commerce and republics over the course of the long eighteenth century (c. 16481790).The Merchant Republics analyzes the ways in which three major economic powerhouses  Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg  developed dual identities as communities of commerce and republics over the course of the long eighteenth century (c. 16481790).The Merchant Republics analyzes the ways in which three major economic powerhouses  Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg  developed dual identities as communities of commerce and as republics over the course of the long eighteenth century (c. 16481790). In addition to discussing the qualities that made these three cities alike, this volume also considers the very real differences that derived from their dissimilar histories, political structures, economic fates, and cultural expectations. While all valued both their republicanism and their merchant identities, each presented a different face to the world and each made the transition from an early modern republic to a modern city in a different manner.Introduction: a tale of three cities; 1. A topographical perspective; 2. Political dynamics and dilemmas; 3. Discord; 4. Merchants and republicans; 5. Virtuous commerce; 6. Virtue bankrupt; Conclusion. The Merchant Republics expands outward from the most prominent North German commercial center, Hamburg, and presents it alongside Antwerp in the Southern Netherlands and Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic as part of an innovative and comparative study of three leading European commercial centers. Comparative history of this kind is a very difficult genre to produce, but Mary Lindemann has succeeded to a remarkable extent. This book is far more than tl38