Rich and Tragic History

History

The Dutch were a colonial power back in the day, they conquered the Indonesian peninsula and some territories in the Americas and Africa. You know the Dutch East India Company and stuff, the Indonesians should be well versed in this type of history.

The Dutch Navy in the 1800s

You see, the Dutch has a very rich history even as far as the 13th century, but I'm not very interested in that kind of old school history. What I love is the history in recent times. mainly in the World Wars. I feel bad for the Dutch honestly. They've been invaded by the Germans to bypass the Maginot line and invade France WW2. They weren't even the main target. So basically the Netherlands was a stepping stone for the Germans. Anyway, I'm going to get into it. World War 1 The Netherlands didn't want any part in World War 1 because they did not have the military advantage. Maybe they could defend the country from an invasion, but launch an offensive? No, at least not alone. The German Schliefen plan was executed with the Netherlands having no part in it.

German Troops Marching Toward France

The Netherlands remained neutral during World War I. This stance arose partly from a strict policy of neutrality in international affairs that started in 1830 with the secession of Belgium from the north. Dutch neutrality was not guaranteed by the major powers in Europe, nor was it a part of the Dutch constitution. The country's neutrality was based on the belief that its strategic position between the German Empire, German-occupied Belgium, and the British guaranteed its safety. Though some violations were made by the Germans and British, like a German U-Boat mistaking a Dutch fishing boat for a French convoy and the British placing mines where the Dutch fishermen fished.

Docked German U-Boat

So basically WW1 did not have a major affect on the Netherlands. This would all change in World War 2 however. World War 2 In this World War, the Netherlands wanted to do what they did in WW1 and stay neutral. This was not possible however as Nazi Germany was determined to conquer all of Europe.

This is What the Germans Wanted

The order to invade the Netherlands was given out by Adolf Hitler on the 10th of May 1940. On 15 May 1940, one day after the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces surrendered. The Dutch government and the royal family saved themselves by fleeing to London.

German occupation took a severe toll on the country as 70% of all Jews in the Netherlands were killed and the country was forced to contribute to the war effort. Drastically lowering living standards and made resources like fuel scarce and expensive. Most of the south of the country was liberated in the second half of 1944. The rest, especially the west and north of the country still under occupation, suffered from a famine at the end of 1944, known as the "Hunger Winter". On 5 May 1945, the whole country was finally liberated by the total surrender of all German forces, after almost 5 years of occupation.
After WW2, the Netherlands managed to get back on their feet after basically raped by Nazi Germany. This was only due to the Marshall Plan that was carried out by the US of A. This plan was the only thing preventing the Netherlands from turmoil. Rebuilding the Nation took a lot of effort, slowly but surely they got to where they are right now, one of the most developed countries in the world.