This four-volume history explains the lead up to the 1609 Treaty of Antwerp, which recognized Holland's independence from Spanish rule.

The volumes in this set, originally published between 1953 and 1992, discuss the causes and conditions which allowed the French Revolution to happen and its impact on wider European politics and society. As well as charting key events in the revolution, the conclusion discusses the significance of the French Revolution in the context of other revolutions in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. One of the volumes discusses whether the French Revolution is part of Germany’s progressive tradition, whilst others trace the growth of English radicalism and the growth of the French Press, showing the importance of the emergence of provincial newspapers, and examining the relationship of journalism with political power.