World wars and post-war reconstruction: 1914 - 1966

The Netherlands remains neutral for the duration of the war. Germany hopes to use the country as a channel to maintain its trade. British attempts to prevent this cause major economic problems. Even so, the Netherlands does very well out of the war compared with the belligerents.
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The Netherlands is occupied by Nazi Germany. The queen and government ministers escape to England. Over 75 per cent of the Jewish population of the country are deported and exterminated. In 1944, the south of the country is liberated. The north remains in German hands until May 1945. During the intervening winter, there are many deaths from cold and starvation.
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At the end of the Second World War, Sukarno's Partai Nasional Indonesia (PNI) declares independence. The Dutch government is initially unable to accept the loss of the colony. It launches military campaigns, which are condemned by the United Nations, supported by the US. Four years later, sovereignty is transferred to Indonesia.
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Queen Wilhelmina spends the war in London but exerts considerable personal influence on affairs of state. After the war, she cherishes expectations of a new constitution extending the powers of the monarchy but is disappointed by events. On 4 September 1948 she abdicates in favour of her daughter Juliana. It is fifty years to the day since the start of her reign.
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For centuries, the inhabitants of the Netherlands have had to protect themselves against the sea and the rivers. The low-lying parts of the country, which are in fact the delta of three major rivers (the Rhine, the Maas and the Waal), have suffered disastrous flooding on many occasions. Dwelling mounds, dikes, windmills, sluices and dams have all been used in the ceaseless struggle against the waters. For centuries, things have gone well. And then, in the night of 31 January to 1 February 1953, a rare combination of a spring tide and a hurricane-force northwesterly gale suddenly leads to catastrophe. The dikes in Zeeland and on the islands of South Holland give way and more than 1800 people drown, thousands of farm animals are lost and 150,000 hectares of land are inundated. The nation is stunned by the extent of a disaster unparalleled for centuries. The disaster prompts the launch of a major plan to protect the Dutch Delta.
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On 10 March 1966, Princess Beatrix, the heir to the throne, marries a German diplomat, Claus von Amsberg, at a ceremony held in Amsterdam. The occasion triggers riots in the city, particularly featuring a group of young people calling themselves 'Provos'. A new generation of progressive young people entering politics in the 1960s are one of the reasons why Dutch social legislation is now among the most extensive and generous in the world.
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