Freedom of the press
No one in the Republic could be persecuted for his or her religious beliefs, abhorrence of the Spanish Inquisition persisted. Tolerance in the Netherlands was practical as well as fundamental. Practical because the civil authorities realised that it was economically more favourable to tolerate dissidents. The degree of toleration and freedom differed in each city and region. In large urban centres with an internationally-orientated economy printing establishments and bookshops flourished. Holy books for various faiths were printed in various languages. Even works by radical philosophers such as Spinoza rolled off the press. Government censure was not effective: urban, regional and national authorities hampered each other. Fear of social unrest, however, sometimes led to effective bans.
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