, ▁it ▁was ▁only ▁with ▁the ▁common ▁goal ▁of ▁fighting ▁for ▁Netherlands ▁libert ies ▁and ▁fre ed oms , ▁and ▁not ▁for ▁the ▁recognition ▁of ▁the ▁Dutch ▁national ity . ▁ ▁Dutch ▁Republic ▁In ▁ 1 5 7 9 , ▁the ▁Tre aty ▁of ▁U tre cht ▁was ▁signed ▁un ifying ▁the ▁northern ▁provinces ▁of ▁the ▁Netherlands . ▁An ▁outcome ▁of ▁the ▁Dutch ▁Revol t , ▁the ▁republic ▁was ▁not ▁yet ▁intern ation ally ▁recognized , ▁but ▁soon ▁gained ▁that ▁status ▁with ▁the ▁Peace ▁of ▁West phal ia ▁in ▁ 1 6 4 8 . ▁The ▁idea ▁of ▁patri ot ism ▁was ▁w ides p read ▁but ▁was ▁not ▁a ▁strong ▁force . ▁Similarly , ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁the ▁‘ father land ’ ▁was ▁also ▁general ▁but ▁created ▁both ▁unity ▁and ▁dis unity ▁within ▁the ▁population ▁in asm uch ▁as ▁it ▁was ▁a ▁deb ated ▁concept . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 7 8 0 s ▁the ▁national ▁conscious ness ▁present ▁for ▁centuries ▁was ▁converted ▁to ▁modern ▁national ism . ▁ ▁Social ▁rights ▁Even ▁though ▁urban ▁govern ments ▁showed ▁rare ▁signs ▁of ▁dem ocracy ▁they ▁were ▁primarily ▁an ▁o lig arch ic ▁system ▁marked ▁by ▁an ▁exclusive ▁hierarchy . ▁Class ▁divisions , ▁however ▁were ▁not ▁as ▁deep ▁as ▁in ▁other ▁European ▁states , ▁and ▁the ▁rights ▁that ▁the ▁common ▁class ▁possessed ▁did ▁not ▁differ ▁much ▁from ▁what ▁the ▁intellect uals ▁could ▁practice . ▁There ▁was ▁a ▁cultural ▁harm ony ▁and ▁it ▁prevent ed ▁the ▁formation ▁of ▁two ▁completely ▁divided ▁classes ▁and ▁allowed ▁for ▁a