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Text File | 1994-05-02 | 8KB | 154 lines

<text> <title> Netherlands: History </title> <article> <hdr> Background Notes: Netherlands History </hdr> <body> 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.) Current Political Conditions 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. 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). 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, September 1987. </body> </article> </text>