The Dutch revolt, the military revolution, and the global context : Interpretations of the Dutch revolt ; The military revolution, its societal impact and global repercussions ; Warfare, territorial state formation and capital accumulation
1. Military events: from the Dutch revolt to "la guerre de Hollande", c.1570-c.1680 : The Dutch revolt and the struggle for survival, 1570s to 1580s ; Respite and consolidation in the 1590s ; Stalemate and truce, 1600-1621 ; Frederick Henry's counter-offensive and the renewed stalemate, 1620s to 1640s ; Independence, the stadholderless period and the wars with England and Münster ; 1672: the year of disaster and its aftermath ; The different strategies of the belligerents
2. The making of a professional army : From beggars and landsknechts to professional standing army ; Pay, mustering, medical care and prisoners of war ; Officers and men ; Decreasing professionalization after 1648 ; Civilian control over the army
3. The Dutch "schoole of war": drill, tactics and siege warfare : Increasing standardization and the proportion of firearms ; Regular exercises and new formations ; Fortresses and fortifications ; The art of siege warfare ; Tactical limits, provisioning and army size ; The model of a disciplined army
4. Garrisons and urban communities: strengthening the local bonds : The difficult early decades of the revolt ; Civic militia and the urgan community ; The economic benefits of garrisons ; Housing the soldiers ; Fortifications: cost and payments ; The strength of the urban community
5. Warfare in the countryside and the threat to farming communities : The vulnerability of the peasantry ; The lasting burden of inundations ; Scorched earth campaigns ; Increasing financial burdens ; Village institutions and the urban connection ; The subordination of peasants' interests
6. Admiralties, privateers and the colonial connection : The precocious efficiency of the Dutch navy ; Naval shipbuilding and its economic impact ; Commercial prohibitions and trade with the enemy ; Privateering: costs and benefits ; The role of colonial warfare ; The fruits of maritime warfare
7. Warfare and the strength of Dutch public finance : Sources of Holland's financial power ; War budgets and the mobilization of funds ; Taxation: burden and compliance ; Safety-valves: domestic investors and military solicitors ; Fault lines in tax compliance ; Public finance and its positive distributional effects
8. Warfare's new economic opportunities : Rapid and sustained recovery in the maritime west ; The decline of inland commerce ; Agrarian production and proto-industry during the war ; Prosperous dealers in death ; Wartime protection of capital accumulation
The advantages of military discipline and commercialized warfare.
