Access Denied: The Institutional Depoliticisation of Representative Government during the Dutch Revolution, 1780–1801

Like all revolutions, the Dutch Revolution of the late eighteenth century was a period of extreme politicisation. The public sphere was also highly polarised, with two factions contending for power and taking turns in controlling the Dutch Republic. After 1795, the revolutionaries were in charge, introducing representative government and elections, debating constitutional drafts, and establishing a free press, enabling citizens to inform and express themselves on political matters. However, the party struggle and experiments with democratic politics ended after 1800, when the public sphere became depoliticised. Contrary to existing scholarship, this chapter argues that the depoliticisation of the period after 1800 was not only the result of political disenchantment and apathy but was also enforced through government measures that denied specific categories of people access to the political sphere. Moreover, while these measures targeted progressively wider groups after 1800, attempts to deny citizens access to political decision-making venues had been present since the start of the revolution in the 1780s and were initially pursued by progressive reformers and radical democrats. The chapter therefore underlines that politicisation and depoliticisation often occur simultaneously—even in the midst of revolution—and that depoliticisation can be actively pursued and enforced by political actors.