Samenvatting

This article presents a short historical introduction of the Dutch radical movement in the 1840s. What kind of people were these radical-democrats? Where did they come from? And what did they want? Moreover, this case study shows how government framed these radicals, and what actions were taken against them. It becomes clear, that from a historical perspective the continuity and similarities between the 1840s and the present are at least as remarkable as the differences.