The First Anglo-Dutch War ran from May 1652 to April 1654 while both countries had republican governments, although neither was a modern mass democracy. Dutch commercial elites relied on negotiation and defended mercantile or free-trade principles when those served their interests, with Calvinism shaping much of the republic's middle-class political culture. England's rulers had emerged from civil wars fought across England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the surrounding seas. They were accustomed to using force, accepting losses, and returning to the contest. That contrast is offered as one explanation for why long-running trade disputes escalated into naval war.
Chapter · 2:57-6:50
Why the First Anglo-Dutch War began
Commercial rivalry escalated because Dutch merchant elites preferred negotiation while England's postwar rulers were accustomed to pursuing political aims by force.