The Netherlands are located in northwest Europe and include most of the Rhine delta. A disputed region from Roman times, it achieved its independence as the United Provinces following the Thirty Years’ War in 1648. The Kingdom of the Netherlands, as proclaimed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, included Belgium, but in 1830 Belgium achieved its own independence and the Netherlands became almost synonymous with Holland, its most important remaining region.
Dutch explorers were very active in the 17th century and established a Dutch presence in both the West and East Indies. The Netherlands East Indies became the foundation of Dutch prosperity, with Java becoming a second homeland to the Dutch.
The Netherlands fell to the Germans in the spring of 1940, but Queen Wilhelmina fled with her government to Britain and retained control of Dutch overseas possessions and wealth. Dutch conduct at the outbreak of the Pacific war, particularly the failure to thoroughly demolish important oil fields before they were captured by the Japanese, must be understood in light of the fact that NEI oil fields were financing the Dutch contribution to freeing the Netherlands from Germany.
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2006 by Kent G. Budge. Index