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- <text id=93CT1798>
- <title>
- Netherlands Antilles--History
- </title>
- <title>
- Aruba--History
- </title>
- <history>
- Compact ALMANAC--CIA Factbook
- Caribbean
- Netherlands Antilles
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>CIA World Factbook</source>
- <hdr>
- History
- </hdr>
- <body>
- <p> Julius Caesar found the Netherlands inhabited by Germanic
- tribes, one of which, the Batavi, did not submit to Rome until
- 13 B.C., and then only as an ally. A part of Charlemagne's
- empire in the 8th century A.D., the area later passed into the
- hands of the House of Burgundy and the Austrian Hapsburgs.
- Falling under harsh Spanish rule in the 16th century, the Dutch
- revolted in 1558, under the leadership of Willem of Orange. By
- virtue of the Union of Utrecht in 1579, the seven northern
- Dutch provinces became the Republic of the United Netherlands.
- </p>
- <p> During the 17th century, considered its "golden era," the
- Netherlands became a great sea and colonial power. Its
- importance declined, however, after wars with Spain and France
- in the 18th century. In 1795, French troops ousted Willem V of
- Orange, the Stadhouder under the Dutch Republic and head of the
- House of Orange.
- </p>
- <p> Following Napoleon's defeat in 1813, the Netherlands and
- Belgium became the "Kingdom of the United Netherlands" under
- King Willem I, son of Willem V or Orange. The Belgians withdrew
- from the union in 1830 to form their own kingdom. Willem I
- abdicated in favor of Willem II in 1840, Willem II was largely
- responsible for the liberalizing revision of the constitution in
- 1848.
- </p>
- <p> The Netherlands prospered during the long reign of Willem III
- (1849-90). At the time of his death, his daughter, Wilhelmina,
- was 10 years old. Her mother, Queen Emma, reigned as regent
- until 1898 when Wilhelmina reached the age of 18 and became the
- monarch.
- </p>
- <p> Although the Netherlands was neutral during World War I and
- again proclaimed neutrality at the start of World War II, German
- troops overran the country in May 1940. Queen Wilhelmina, Crown
- Princess Juliana, and their families fled to London and
- established a government-in-exile; Crown Princess Juliana and
- her daughters continued on to Canada where they remained until
- 1945. In September 1944, U.S. forces participated in the
- liberation of the southern Netherlands. However, the German
- Army in the rest of the Netherlands did not surrender until May
- 5, 1945. The Queen and Crown Princess returned to the
- Netherlands shortly thereafter. Queen Juliana succeeded to the
- throne in 1948 upon her mother's abdication. In April 1980,
- Queen Juliana abdicated in favor of her daughter, who is now
- Queen Beatrix.
- </p>
- <p> The Netherlands' once far-flung empire has been granted full
- independence or nearly complete autonomy since the end of World
- War II. Indonesia formally gained its independence from the
- Netherlands in 1949. Suriname became independent in 1975. The
- five islands of the Netherlands Antilles (Curacao, Bonair, Saba,
- St. Eustatius, and a part of St. Maarten) are integral parts of
- the Netherlands realm but enjoy a large degree of autonomy. On
- January 1, 1986, Aruba, which had been a part of the Netherlands
- Antilles, was granted a separate status within the Kingdom on
- par with but apart from the other five islands. (For more
- information, see Background Notes on Netherlands Antilles.)
- </p>
- <p>Current Political Conditions
- </p>
- <p> Four principal groups--Catholics, Protestants, Labor, and
- Liberals--form the historical basis for the three main
- political parties. Because of the Dutch system of proportional
- representation, no one party has gained an absolute majority in
- Parliament in recent times. This has resulted in coalition
- governments that pursue generally centrist policies, although
- there are swings in political approach depending on whether a
- center-left or center-right government is in power.
- </p>
- <p> From the end of World War II until December 1958, the
- Netherlands was governed by a series of coalitions built on a
- Labor-Catholic base. Since 1958, governments have been formed
- primarily from a center-right coalition of the Christian
- Democrats (or the one Catholic and two Protestant parties from
- which the Christian Democrats were formed) and the Liberals. The
- social democratic-oriented Labor Party generally has been in
- opposition, except between 1973-77 and twice briefly (April 1965
- to October 1966 and September 1981 to May 1982).
- </p>
- <p> The current government formed in July 1986 is a center-right
- coalition of the Christian Democratic (CDA) and Liberal (VVD)
- parties headed by Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers of the CDA. The
- government has the support of 81 of the 150 members of the
- Second Chamber. Nine political parties are currently
- represented in the Second Chamber, with the four largest parties
- holding 142 of the 150 seats.
- </p>
- <p> Christian Democrats (CDA). The Christian Democratic Party was
- formed from a merger of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and
- two Protestant parties, the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) and
- the Christian-Historical Union (CHU). The merger process, begun
- in the early 1970s to attempt to stem the tide of losses
- suffered by religiously based parties, was completed in 1980.
- The CDA occupies the political center among the major Dutch
- political parties. It supports free enterprise and NATO
- membership and holds to the principle that government activity
- should supplement but not supplant communal action by citizens.
- The CDA sees its philosophy as between the "individualism" of
- the Liberals and the "statism" of the Labor Party. The CDA won
- 54 seats in the May 1986 parliamentary elections. This
- represents the party's strongest showing since the CDA first
- ran a common slate of candidates in 1977.
- </p>
- <p> Labor Party (PvdA). The PvdA is the most left-wing of the
- three major parties. Labor has 52 seats in the current Second
- Chamber and is thus the second largest party after the CDA. It
- is currently in the parliamentary opposition, and has been for 8
- of the last 9 years. The PvdA is a European social democratic
- party. The party's program is based on greater social,
- political, and economic equality for all citizens, although in
- recent years the party has begun to debate to what extent the
- central government should be the vehicle for accomplishing
- these goals. The PvdA supports Dutch NATO membership but is
- critical of many alliance policies, particularly regarding
- nuclear weapons, and remains firmly opposed to the deployment
- of cruise weapons in the Netherlands.
- </p>
- <p> Liberals (VVD). The VVD is "liberal" in the European, rather
- than American, sense of the word. It thus attaches great
- importance to private enterprise and the freedom of the
- individual in political, social, and economic affairs. The VVD
- is generally seen as the most conservative of the major
- parties. It is a solid supporter of most NATO policies. The VVD
- has been the junior partner in a governing coalition with the
- CDA since 1982. After registering large gains in 1982 national
- elections, the VVD was the major loser in the 1986 voting,
- dropping from 36 to 27 seats in the Second Chamber.
- </p>
- <p> Democrats '66 (D'66). The largest of the "small" parties in
- the Dutch Parliament, the electoral fortunes of D'66 have
- fluctuated widely since the party's founding in 1966. Its
- current nine seats roughly reflect the historical average of
- the party's showing over the last 20 years. D'66 is a
- center-left party (generally portrayed as between the CDA and
- PvdA), with its strongest support among young, urban,
- professional voters. D'66 is currently in the parliamentary
- opposition.
- </p>
- <p>Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs,
- September 1987.
- </p>
-
- </body>
- </article>
- </text>
-
-