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The Netherlands, officially the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is a country in Western Europe. It borders Germany to the east and Flanders-Wallonia to the south. It holds colonial authority over Insulindia, Suriname, and various Caribbean islands. While the country has been officially neutral since 1830, after it had lost Belgium (Now called Flanders-Wallonia) in the Belgian Revolution, it is part of Mitteleuropa and as such is seen as an German ally.
History[]
While preserving European neutrality, declaring the struggle against Belgium an internal conflict, the Netherlands faced all the fiercer challenges in their colonies. In 1830 an uprising in Java had to be subdued by force. A war against the Sultanate Ateh, joined by various local princes, erupted on Sumatra in 1873 and could only be ended in 1904. The Cape Province, Ceylon, and the Gold Coast had been lost to Great Britain.
In domestic policies, an agreement was reached between the crown and the growing liberal movement in 1848. William II, under influence by Liberal leader Jan Rudolf Thorbecke, installed a liberal constitution which transformed the country into a parliamentary monarchy. Thorbecke became the first prime minister and fortified the - by the time's standards - modern system of government.
Internally, the Netherlands stabilized herself permanently, with only the census-based suffrage being a major point of conflict until universal and equal suffrage was introduced in 1917. Only in 1894, a Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) was formed and, unlike her European cousins of the time, it aimed at reforms and not revolutions. Their strict neutrality qualified the Netherlands as host for the great congresses of 1899 and 1905, during which, among other things, the Den Haag Convention with Respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land was agreed upon. After the country had preserved its neutrality during the Weltkrieg, Netherlands improved its relationships with Germany, becoming a valuable economic partner, even becoming part of Mitteleuropa, though they are not part of the Reichspakt.
The rising economic problems in Germany, if they extend to the Low Countries, may break an emotional barrier in the heart of the Dutch people and break Dutch democracy as both far right and left parties fight for power.
Politics[]
Laws and Government:
Conscription Law: Volunteer only
Economic Law: Civilian Economy
Trade Law: Export Focus
Head of Government: Hendricus Colijn
Foreign Minister: Jacobus Patijn
Economy Minister: Pieter Oud
Security Minister: Wilhelmus Andriessen
Military[]
Army[]
The Royal Netherlands Army is surprisingly large for such a small country. Eight infantry divisions are stationed in the Netherlands proper while an additional nine infantry divisions are positioned in the Dutch East Indies.
[]
The small yet capable Royal Netherlands Navy consists of 1 carrier, 4 battleships, 3 battlecruisers, 1 heavy cruiser, 7 light cruisers, 20 destroyers, and 21 submarines. The majority of its sea assets are assigned to the Netherlands East Indies Fleet operating out of Batavia, with only a small contingent guarding the homeland.
Air Force[]
Dutch air assets are under the control of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. While the smallest of the three service branches, a few dozen fighters, and naval bombers are located in both the Netherlands and the Netherlands East Indies.
Foreign Relations[]
The Netherlands has cordial relations with Germany, being a member of Mitteleuropa.
the Netherlands has hostile relations with the Commune of France
Colonies and Dependencies[]
The Dutch posess a small colonial empire, with posessions in South America and the Carribean. their most prized colony however, is the Dutch East Indies, whose bountiful resources are shipped across the world.
Industry[]
The Netherlands has one of the wealthiest economies in the world. It suffered a refugee crisis and a food shortage during the weltkrieg, but rebounded with the end of hostilities and acession to Mitteleuropa.
- dockyards
- Convoys
tree:
- Factories
- Factories
- Dockyards
included):
- steel
- aluminium
- oil
Culture[]
The culture of the Netherlands is diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the foreign influences built up by centuries of the Dutch people's mercantile and explorative spirit.
The dominant religion of the Netherlands is Reformed Christianity, although there is a large Roman Catholic minority in the southern provinces of Limburg and North Brabant.