In contrast to events in France, revolutionary changes in the Netherlands occurred comparatively peacefully. The country had been a republic for two centuries and had few nobles. The guillotine was not necessary. The old Republic had been a very archaic and ineffective political construction. Decision-making had proceeded very slowly and sometimes did not happen at all. The Provinces had so much power that they blocked many sensible innovations. The Batavian Republic marked the transition to a more centralised and functional government. Many of its innovations were retained in later times.
The new Republic took its name from the Batavii, a tribe that lived in the Netherlands in Roman times and which was considered to be the ancestor of the Dutch nation.
Again in contrast to France the new Republic did not experience a terror regime or lapse into dictatorship. Changes were imposed from outside after Napoleon Bonaparte's rise to power. In 1806, the country was renamed Kingdom of Holland, and Napoleon's brother Louis Bonaparte became King.
See also: Batavia
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