Hypothetical Dutch nationalist state
|
|
|
? Total
| 55,490 km
2
(21,420 sq mi)
|
---|
|
? 2022 estimate
| 24,562,743
a
[1]
[2]
|
---|
? Density
| 460/km
2
(1,191.4/sq mi)
|
---|
GDP
(nominal)
| 2022 estimate
|
---|
? Total
| €1.289 trillion
a
[3]
|
---|
|
Greater Netherlands
(
Dutch
:
Groot-Nederland
) is an
irredentist
concept which unites the
Netherlands
,
Flanders
, and sometimes
Brussels
. Additionally, a Greater Netherlands state may include the annexation of the
French Westhoek
,
Suriname
, formerly Dutch-speaking areas of
Germany
and
France
, or even the
ethnically Dutch
and/or
Afrikaans-speaking
parts of
South Africa
,
[4]
though such variants are mostly limited to far-right groups. A related proposal is the
Pan-Netherlands
concept, which includes
Wallonia
and potentially also
Luxembourg
.
The Greater Netherlands concept was originally developed by
Pieter Geyl
,
[5]
who argued that the "Dutch tribe", encompassing the Flemish and Dutch people, only separated due to the
Eighty Years' War
against
Spain
in the 16th century.
[6]
While Geyl?an outspoken
anti-fascist
?argued from a historical and cultural perspective, the
fascist
Verdinaso
and
Nazi
movements built upon the idea of a Greater Netherlands during the 1930s and 1940s with a focus on
ethnic nationalism
, a concept still prominent among some on the
far-right
. Other 21st century proponents of the Greater Netherlands concept include
moderates
in Belgium and the Netherlands who seek to elevate the
Benelux
ideal to a more centralized political union.
[7]
Public support for a union of Flanders and the Netherlands is relatively small, especially in Flanders, where
Flemish independence
is seen as the main alternative to the Belgian state.
Economy
[
edit
]
|
Area km
2
|
Population
(2022)
|
GDP
(2022)
[3]
|
Netherlands
|
41,865
|
17,933,600
|
€958.549 billion
|
Flanders
|
13,625
|
6,629,143
|
€330.495 billion
|
Greater Netherlands
|
55,490
|
24,562,743
|
€1.289 trillion
|
Terminology
[
edit
]
The potential country is also known as
Dutchland
(
Dietsland
), which incorporates the word
Diets
? an archaic term for
(Middle) Dutch
. This label was popular until the Second World War, but its associations with collaboration (especially in Flanders) meant that modern supporters generally avoid using it.
[8]
The ideology is often labeled as
Greater Netherlandism
(
Groot-Nederlandisme
).
Dutch Movement
[9]
(
Dietse Beweging
) is another term often used for the movement, while in literature it is often called the
Greater Netherlands Thought
(
Grootnederlandse Gedachte
).
[5]
Greater Netherlandism is often confused with the
Orangist
movement in Belgium which fought for the reunification of the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
after Belgian Independence. While many Orangists are Greater Netherlandists, the Orangists mainly focus on restoring
Orange-Nassau
's control over the South often for
legitimist
reasons.
[10]
The
Prince's Flag
is sometimes used by both Orangist and Greater Netherlandic groups due to its use by supporters of
William I of Orange
during the
Eighty Years' War
, who led the revolt of the
Low Countries
against the Spanish. During this rebellion the Dutch-speaking regions of the
Low Countries
, encompassing modern day Flanders and the Netherlands, banded together under the
Union of Utrecht
, the precursor to the modern Dutch state. The flag was also used by the
Dutch Republic
and
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
. Today the flag is generally associated with the far-right in the Netherlands.
Pan-Netherlands
[
edit
]
"Pan-Netherlands" (
Dutch
:
Heel-Nederland
) is another term that was used for the theoretical Greater Netherlands state,
[11]
but this term is now used mainly for the movement that aims to unite all of the
Low Countries
(
Benelux
) as a single
multilingual
entity, also including
Wallonia
and
Luxembourg
.
[9]
History
[
edit
]
The first proposals to unite the
Southern Netherlands
with the
Dutch Republic
to form a greater Dutch-speaking state were made following the outbreak of the
French Revolution
in 1789.
[12]
The concept was realized following the
Napoleonic Wars
in 1815 when the
Congress of Vienna
established the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
from the territories of the former Dutch Republic and
Austrian Netherlands
. Following the independence of
Belgium
in 1830, the 1860s saw renewed Flemish interest in a united Dutch-speaking state as some Dutch-speaking Belgian citizens opposed the privileged positions held by the French-speaking bourgeoisie.
[13]
By the end of the 19th century the Greater Netherlandic movement had emerged alongside the
Flemish Movement
in response to the subordination of the Dutch-speaking population in Belgian government and public life. 'Waar Maas en Schelde vloeien' (also known as 'Het Lied der Vlamingen') is a popular Greater Netherlandic song written around this time by
Peter Benoit
and
Emmaniel Hiel
.
[14]
In 1895 nationalists from both Belgian Flanders and the Netherlands created the Greater Netherlandic General Dutch Union (
Dutch
:
Algemeen-Nederlands Verbond
(ANV)) for the purpose of stimulating cooperation between Belgian Flanders and the Netherlands, a role it continues to hold.
[15]
The
German occupation of Belgium
during
World War I
further intensified the conflict between the nation's
Walloon
and
Flemish
communities. Seeing the linguistic division of Belgium as a means of facilitating its occupation, the Germans employed
Flamenpolitik
to divide the administration of Belgium between French and Dutch-speaking authorities..
[16]
[17]
This resulted in a surge in the popularity of the ANV in both Flanders and the Netherlands, with a group of more radical students founding the
Dutch Student Association
(
Dutch
:
Dietsch Studentenverbond
).
[18]
[19]
[20]
Even the
BWP
?the first Belgian
socialist
party?had a considerable number of Greater Netherlandists among their ranks in
Antwerp
, including Maurits Naessens.
[21]
Occupations of Belgium and the Netherlands by
Nazi Germany
during
World War II
resulted in the belief within nationalist circles that a Greater Netherlands state could be achieved through
collaboration
with the German occupiers. While their administration of Belgium was divided along linguistic lines in a policy similar to
Flamenpolitik
, the German Nazis did not seek to combine Flanders with the Netherlands. They instead sought either the establishment of a
Pan-Germanist
union of the ethnically Germanic Dutch speakers with Germany or a
New Order
in which both Belgium and the Netherlands would continue to exist as
de jure
independent German
satellite states
.
[22]
The movement saw a drastic decline in popularity following the war due to its association with wartime collaborators in both countries, particularly due to the
Flemish National Union
(VNV) in Flanders and the
National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands
, though remains popular among some on the
right
of Flemish and Dutch politics.
[23]
Political parties
[
edit
]
The Belgian far-right party
Vlaams Belang
voiced support for the idea, since they see the formation of a "Federation of the Netherlands" as a logical and desirable consequence of a Flemish secession from Belgium. In 2021, the leader of the Flemish Nationalist
N-VA
,
Bart De Wever
argued in Trends Talk on Kanaal Z that the next step after Belgian
Confederalism
should be a union of Flanders and The Netherlands,
[24]
which led to a resurgence in discussions on the topic.
In the Netherlands it is on the agenda of two major political parties, the far-right
Party for Freedom
(PVV) and
Forum for Democracy
(FvD). On 12 May 2008, Dutch politician
Geert Wilders
(PVV) said in
De Telegraaf
that he was interested in the possibility of unifying the Netherlands and Flanders. Wilders proposed that, in accordance with previous polls, referendums should be held in the Netherlands and Flanders on the merger.
[25]
He argued that he was not planning to impose unification on the Flemish, but stated that then-Dutch Prime Minister
Jan-Peter Balkenende
needed to discuss the subject with his Flemish colleagues, which Balkenende refused.
Thierry Baudet
of the far-right
Forum for Democracy
also voiced support saying he "welcomes" Flanders in their kingdom even arguing that Flanders "actually belongs to us" when asked about it at a conference.
[26]
Smaller Greater-Netherlandic groups are the Dutch political party
Nederlandse Volks-Unie
(NVU) and the Belgo-Dutch
Voorpost
.
Opinion polling
[
edit
]
Although it hasn't been a major political issue in the Netherlands for quite some time, in 2007, a poll indicated that two-thirds of the Dutch population would welcome a union with Flanders.
[27]
Another poll published by
RTL4
found that 77% of respondents living in the Netherlands would support a Greater Netherlands.
[28]
In Flanders, support for the idea is less clear. A 1999 study by Jaak Billiet of the Catholic University of Leuven showed that 1 to 2% of Flemish people were in favor of the idea. Non-representative opinion polls on the internet have since proven less clear, with between 2% and 51% of respondents supporting unification with the Netherlands.
[29]
While the prevailing Dutch view on unification is it being a means of territorial expansion, the Flemish have expressed fears of being culturally assimilated into the larger and more populous Netherlands.
Although, due to the difficulties experienced in the
2007 Belgian government formation
and to a lesser extent during the
2019?2020 Belgian government formation
and the victory of both Flemish separatist parties;
New Flemish Alliance
and
Vlaams Belang
, in those elections, the discussion on
Flanders seceding from Belgium
became relevant again. Neither of the separatist parties openly supports a "Greater Netherlands" however, presidents of both parties (
Tom Van Grieken
and
Bart De Wever
) spoke out in favour of a Greater Netherlands after Flemish independence.
[30]
[24]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Structuur van de bevolking | Statbel"
.
statbel.fgov.be
.
- ^
"Bevolkingsteller"
.
Statistics Netherlands
(in Dutch)
. Retrieved
9 June
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"EU regions by GDP, Eurostat"
.
www.ec.europa.eu
. Retrieved
18 September
2023
.
- ^
"Groot-Nederlandse gedachte"
(in Dutch).
Network of War Collections
. Retrieved
4 July
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Geyl, Pieter (1930).
De Groot-Nederlandsche gedachte. Historische en politieke beschouwingen
(in Dutch).
- ^
Geyl, Pieter.
Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse Stam
.
- ^
van der Kwast, Ricus (17 July 2019).
"Een verenigde Benelux zal een machtsfactor van jewelste blijken. En zal als cement en katalysator voor de EU fungeren"
.
De Morgen
.
- ^
Bruning, Henri (1954?1955).
Maatstaf. Jaargang 2
(in Dutch). p. 436.
- ^
a
b
Waltmans, H. J. G. (1962).
"De Nederlandse politieke partijen en de nationale gedachte"
(PDF)
.
Tilburg University
(in Dutch): 121.
- ^
"Orangisme in Belgie: het geheimschrift ontcijferd"
.
www.apache.be
(in Dutch)
. Retrieved
4 July
2021
.
- ^
Vandenbosch, A. (6 December 2012).
Dutch Foreign Policy Since 1815: A Study in Small Power Politics
. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 152.
ISBN
978-94-011-6809-0
.
- ^
J. C. H. Blom; Emiel Lamberts, eds. (2006).
History of the Low Countries
(New ed.). New York: Berghahn Books.
ISBN
1-84545-272-0
.
OCLC
70857697
.
- ^
DBNL.
"Bijdragen en Mededelingen van het Historisch Genootschap. Deel 76 · dbnl"
.
DBNL
(in Dutch)
. Retrieved
17 August
2021
.
- ^
"Benoit, Peter | Studiecentrum voor Vlaamse Muziek"
.
www.svm.be
. Retrieved
4 July
2021
.
- ^
Boeva, Luc (1 January 1996).
"Recensie van: Tussen cultuur en politiek: Het Algemeen-Nederlands Verbond 1895-1995 / P. van Hees en H. De Schepper (red.) (1995)"
.
WT. Tijdschrift over de Geschiedenis van de Vlaamse Beweging
(in Dutch).
55
(3): 215?218.
doi
:
10.21825/wt.v55i3.13112
.
ISSN
0774-532X
.
- ^
Rash, Felicity; Declercq, Christophe (2 July 2018).
The Great War in Belgium and the Netherlands: Beyond Flanders Fields
. Springer. p. 88.
ISBN
978-3-319-73108-7
.
- ^
De Schaepdrijver, Sophie (1997).
De Grote Oorlog
(in Dutch). Antwerp, Amsterdam: Atlas.
- ^
"Algemeen-Nederlands Verbond (ANV) - NEVB Online"
.
nevb.be
. Retrieved
4 July
2021
.
- ^
Vandenbosch, A. (6 December 2012).
Dutch Foreign Policy Since 1815: A Study in Small Power Politics
. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 152.
ISBN
978-94-011-6809-0
.
- ^
"Dietsch Studentenverbond (DSV) ? Universiteit Gent"
. 23 August 2010. Archived from
the original
on 23 August 2010
. Retrieved
4 July
2021
.
- ^
"Samen voor democratie en socialisme … Of toch niet helemaal? Verhouding tussen de Vlaamsgezinde vleugel van de Belgische Werkliedenpartij en de Internationale Socialistische Anti-Oorlogsliga in de jaren 1930. | Scriptieprijs"
.
www.scriptiebank.be
. Retrieved
8 July
2021
.
- ^
DBNL.
"Maurice de Wilde, Belgie in de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Deel 3 · dbnl"
.
DBNL
(in Dutch)
. Retrieved
3 July
2021
.
- ^
Verplancke, Marnix (26 July 2015).
"Groot-Nederland is 'uit'
"
.
Trouw
(in Dutch)
. Retrieved
3 July
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Reunify Flanders and the Netherlands, argues Bart De Wever"
.
The Brussels Times
. 21 July 2021
. Retrieved
27 July
2021
.
- ^
"Nederland en Vlaanderen horen bij elkaar"
.
NRC
(in Dutch). 7 July 2008
. Retrieved
4 July
2021
.
- ^
Baudet over Groot-Nederland
,
archived
from the original on 12 December 2021
, retrieved
4 July
2021
- ^
"Dutch Would Reunify with Belgium's Flanders."
Angus Reid Global Monitor
. 25 August 2007. Accessed 10 January 2008.
- ^
"Nederlanders massaal voor fusie met Vlaanderen"
.
Het Laatste Nieuws
(in Dutch).
- ^
"Regional inequalities and localist movements"
(PDF)
.
Econstor.eu
.
- ^
Tom van Grieken over het herenigen van De Nederlanden
,
archived
from the original on 12 December 2021
, retrieved
4 July
2021
Further reading
[
edit
]
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Africa
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North America
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South America
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Western Asia
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Southern Asia
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Central Asia
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Eastern and Southeastern Asia
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Central and Eastern Europe
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Southern Europe
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Northern Europe
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Western Europe
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Oceania
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