Netherlands Tourism
Recent History
During the First World War (1914-18), the Netherlands remained neutral. It continued to pursue a policy of strict neutrality until the Second World War, but was invaded by Germany in May 1940 and occupied for five years. Queen Wilhelmina spent the war years in England, playing a vital role as the symbol of resistance against the occupying forces. She abdicated in 1948, after a reign of 50 years, in favour of her daughter Juliana. Queen Juliana abdicated in turn on 30 April 1980 to be succeeded by her eldest daughter, the present Queen Beatrix.
The Netherlands was a major colonial power until the Second World War, but after 1945 its two largest colonies, Indonesia and Suriname, gained independence. Today, the Dutch Antilles and Aruba still form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Longer Historical Perspective
Until the early 5th century, the area south of the Rhine was part of the Roman Empire. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Netherlands consisted of many separate feudal entities, which were eventually united, under Emperor Charles V (1500-1558), with the rest of the 'Low Countries' (present-day Belgium and Luxembourg) as part of the Holy Roman Empire.
But Charles V’s son, King Philip II of Spain, caused widespread resentment by restricting religious freedom and aspiring to absolute power. So in 1568, some of the northern Dutch provinces revolted under Prince William of Orange, starting what the Dutch call the Eighty Years’ War. This ended in 1648 with the Treaty of Münster, which recognised the Republic of the United Provinces (the seven sovereign provinces of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Friesland, Groningen, Overijssel and Gelderland) as an independent state.
During the 17th century, the Netherlands' 'Golden Age', the Republic became very prosperous thanks largely to the Dutch East Indies Company, which could be described as the world’s first multinational. This company had interests along the coasts of Africa and Asia, with bases in present-day Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Around the same time, the Dutch West Indies Company (WIC) was trading with West Africa and the Americas, and from 1625 to 1664 it administered New Amsterdam, which later became New York.
Conflicting trading interests led to several wars with England, but the ties with that country were close. The Stadtholders, William II and his son William III both married English princesses, and in 1689, William III was asked by the English Parliament to share the English crown with his wife, Mary II.
The French Revolution signalled the end of the Republic of the United Provinces, which was invaded and occupied by French revolutionary forces in 1795. In 1813, the French Empire collapsed and the Low Countries regained their independence. In the northern Netherlands, there was a power struggle between republicans and monarchists, which was won by the latter. Willem Frederik, Prince of Orange-Nassau, returned from exile in England. The government moved to The Hague, although Amsterdam remained the official capital. In 1815, the northern and southern Netherlands - today’s Netherlands and Belgium - were combined to form the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with Willem Frederik as King William I. This marked the introduction of the Dutch hereditary monarchy.
The constitution was radically revised in 1848, making ministers accountable to an elected parliament rather than the monarch. The new constitution was the basis for a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. In 1830, the southern Netherlands seceded from the Kingdom to form the independent state of Belgium.
