Kingdom of Netherlands

Flag of the Netherlands

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a Unitary Constitutional Monarchy located in Western Europe. The Netherlands is comprised of several smaller provinces with local elections. It is ruled by the house of Orange-Nassau underneath Wilhemina, however her health is declining and it looks like she may have to abdicate for the stability of the nation. The Netherlands was on the frontlines of the Second Weltkrieg with all lands south of the Rhine being sized by the Internationale, and the rest of the country hit by bombings. Despite this the Netherlands was not occupied like Belgium and remained a fighting nation for most of the war. The Netherlands is the second oldest country in the Reichspakt only behind Denmark in this regard. The Netherlands cannot be called a true victor of the war given the forced truce with the Japanese where Insulinida was able to force its independence. Thus the Netherlands does not have a large colonial empire anymore. The Netherlands while weak in its current state should not be counted out. Its position on the North Sea will give the Reichspakt the ability to control a portion of these waters and may provide a point where the Reichspakt can take the mighty Navy of Germany and use it for their own benefit.

## History

The recent history of the Netherlands can be summed up in one word "Chaos". The Netherlands in the aftermath of the First Weltkrieg was in a tough spot poltically and economically and slowly but surely became dependent on the Mitteleuropa to sustain its economic growth. This coupled with the rising political divisions within the Netherlands nearly ended the reign of Wilhelmina several times. When the 1937 elections took place the Anti-Revolutionary Hendrikus Colljn was elected and he would continue winning elections until 1939 where a Christian conservative took power. It was in this political climate that the Netherlands would face the Black Monday crisis where the Netherlands economic reliance on Mittleleuropa would end up causing more issues than it solved. The Netherlands turned inwards and for the next 3 years was mostly looking for ways to fix its economic situation. However the Netherlands would end up having to go back to Germany with no easy access to any other markets for the nation. This would end up dragging it into the wider Second Weltkreig but not immediately. When tensions rose across Europe the Netherlands prepared its army and began mobilization in case of invasion. And they were right to do so when the Third Internationale, in their hubris of pushing the Germans to the Rhine, demanded Wilhelmina abdicate and that the Netherlands become a French puppet. Like the Serbians in the First World War the Dutch were faced with a list of impossible demands and thus they refused the ultimatum. When the Third Internationale declared war on the Netherlands it turned the situation of the Third Internationale around as now the front that had been closed with the collapse of Belgium was now reopened. The Dutch quickly evacuated Zeeland and set up their forces along the Rhine where they would remain for much of the War. This would only be broken in 1942 with a landing from the Union of Britan witch nearly took Amsterdam but after fierce urban warfare they were driven out of the city and out of the Holland region. Dutch forces would continue to resist for the remaining two years slowly wearing down the French forces along the Rhine until the French lines broke under pressure from the Germans. The Netherlands quickly followed suit capturing Antwerp and later with German support, Brussels. Dutch forces would continue to support the Germans all the way to the capitulation of the Commune where the Dutch would withdrawl their troops as they could no longer afford to rebuild and sustain an occupation. Despite this the Dutch were a major player in the Second Weltkrieg and them along with Belgium may be the reason for the victory of the Reickspakt in the first place. For the last three years the Dutch have mostly been defending against British air-raids while continuing their own reconstruction of areas like Rotterdam and the Hauge. The fighting in this area while fierce did not devastate the Netherlands as much as the Ruhr was it still will take a few years to completely recover. However the issues with the Netherlands are no longer economic or military, but rather internal politics. The old queen Wilhelmina has ruled for over 55 years now and her health is declining rapdifly. With her stabilizing influence going aay the Netherlands growing division between its parties will cause some issues in the future. Should the Social Democrat Drees win the next election the Netherlands may begin to drift towards the Entente.

## Military

The military of the Netherlands is not as large as some other members of the Reichspakt, despite this it is respectable for a nation of its size and its navy is its strongest asset. In the rising Kalterkrieg the Netherlands is in the position of being able to take control of the North Sea from the emaciated Britian and the relatievely weak Norway. Thus if the Reichspakt is quick to the ball the Netherlands may retain a semblance of Naval dominace in the North.

### Army

The Army of the Netherlands may be small but it was able to hold out for years against French offensives and thus is quite expirenced compared to the armies of Eastern Europe. The Army currently is being used in the Colonies and at home to retain power but some units are helping out with other nations like Ukraine who need stablizing forces to retain control. While the Netherlands is not the military juggernaut of Germany it may hold some influence in the decisions of the Reichspakt as a whole.

### Navy

This is where the Netherlands shines with a large navy for such a small nation. This mostly comes from its colonial and trading past where the Netherlands needed to rival the British in order to maintain their trade routes across the world. This navy has been modernized and now presents possibly more danger to the Entente than the German navy witch is bottled up in the Baltic. Should the Dutch be able to get past Britan the Reichspakt could force the outcome of wars in Latin America or even farther.

### Air Force

The Air Force of the Netherlands has been built up in the last few years in order to combat the large air force of the Union of Britain. With this threat now dealt with the Dutch Air Force now lays in large hangers with little to do. Despite this the Air Force of the Netherlands still packs a good punch and while overshadowed by the German Air Force it still could take on missions on its own with little support. However the Air Force is mostly defensively based with mostly interceptors making up the composition of it.