Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

On August 15, 1867, King William IV of the Netherlands stated that the Netherlands, as a member state of the International Red Cross Society, the Dutch cabinet government urged the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to pass a draft intended to provide assistance to the newly established Kingdom of Siam within the International Red Cross Society. The Refugee Council has provided more than 2 million Dutch guilders ($400,000 = £80,000) to support the International Red Cross in assisting war-related refugees in the Kingdom of Siam.

At the same time, the king also said that he would personally use 10,000 pounds from his own pocket to jointly fund the project with the government.

For a time, the actions of the King of the Netherlands and his government were praised by countries all over the world, and other countries followed suit. It triggered a large wave of donations in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which William IV could never have imagined.

So starting from the Feast of the Assumption on August 15, 1867, major financial groups and domestic individuals in the Netherlands began to make donations one after another. By the end of the week of armistice, the Netherlands had donated more than 100,000 pounds. When the government and King William IV sent nearly 200,000 pounds to the International Red Cross headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Director General ElBaradei even held a press conference to express his gratitude to the entire Netherlands for supporting the International Red Cross.

And on behalf of the Kingdom of Siam, I would like to thank the Royal Palace of the Netherlands.

With the end of this press conference, this message was quickly transmitted around the world under the influence of telegraphs. William IV, the Dutch government, and the Dutch people have become linked to friendship and peace-loving in the hearts of people around the world. This makes more than a dozen Dutch people from all over the world hold their heads high when going out, which is enviable.

At the same time, there is no longer any ambiguity about the headquarters of the International Red Cross Society being located in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. After all, look at people, for charity, that is 200,000 pounds a week. If you want to try it in other countries, you know , now the most advanced steam first-class battleship in the world only costs 200,000 pounds, while the previous sail first-class battleship cost only 100,000 pounds.

In other words, the Netherlands donated the purchase cost of a state-of-the-art steam first-class battleship to the Kingdom of Siam in one week.

Is there a more direct act of kindness than this?

I have never seen the world's most powerful country, the United Kingdom, following the Netherlands in doing charity. However, when the one-week armistice period ended on the 22nd, the United Kingdom only donated 100,000 pounds, of which 10,000 pounds belonged to Queen Victoria, and there were also 50,000 pounds are from the British government, and the remaining 40,000 pounds are private donations.

It can be seen that the UK still has a lot of thunder and a lot of rain when it comes to charity.

In addition to the United Kingdom, the largest donations this time include Prussia with 90,000 pounds, the Commonwealth of America with 80,000 pounds, the Austro-Hungarian Empire with 50,000 pounds, the Confederate States of America with 40,000 pounds, the Russian Empire with 40,000 pounds, the Kingdom of Denmark and The Kingdom of Sweden is 30,000 pounds, and the most surprising thing is that the Kingdom of Belgium has also reached 30,000 pounds, which is extremely surprising.

It is said that many French people in Belgium also donated money, apparently trying to distance themselves from their support for the invasion of the Kingdom of Siam.

There are also donations of various sizes from other places. Larger donations include Italy, Portugal and Greece, with donations ranging from 10,000 pounds to 20,000 pounds.

Even within the French Empire, some people formed the French Donation Group and donated almost 20,000 pounds.

When the one-week armistice ended, the International Red Cross Society had received a total of more than 800,000 pounds in donations from all over the world. This was the largest donation income since the establishment of the International Red Cross Society, and it also became the largest operating fund of the organization. For a time The International Red Cross Society has become famous and recognized by countries around the world. Its peace dove and red cross have become symbols of peace and friendship.

Many political leaders in various countries can't help but lament that another organization founded by the Netherlands has successfully advanced to become a hugely influential organization in the world, with the ability to transform the world, and the Netherlands still firmly controls the leadership. This allows, among others, Countries including the UK cast envious glances.

William IV looked at the statements made by current and former political figures from various countries in the "European Times" and secretly praised that this international newspaper he secretly promoted has become the No. 1 international influence.

It has also become a sounding board for the best interests of the Netherlands.

"The intervention of the International Red Cross Society really ruined the reputation of the French Empire, and also gave other countries more reasons to intervene in the French Empire's invasion. Thinking about it, the French Empire will face more and more difficulties in the future. After all, the French Empire's opponents and powerful enemies , in fact, there are many, not just the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, Prussia and Austria-Hungary are lurking in development, which is even more dangerous. However, this is a good opportunity for the Netherlands and I who are familiar with the future trajectory.

The French Empire's invasion of Siam will enter a stage where it will start but end, and it will be difficult to achieve great achievements. However, there are still less than three years to go before 1870. If history is correct, more than two years later, Prussia, led by Bismarck and William I, will succeed. After integrating the resources and power of other countries in the German Confederation, they would deliberately anger Napoleon III in 1870 and let the latter launch a war against Prussia. For the purpose of revenge, they would reach the Palace of Versailles in Paris, France, and the German Empire would officially Establishing and entering the world stage means that Europe will reach a new balance point under the law and Germany, and Europe will reach a new balance point. When the period of peaceful development comes in the next 40 years, the Netherlands needs to maintain its planning."

Berlin, Prussia.

Prime Minister Bismarck looked at the Prussian cabinet government's report on the influence of the two major organizations established by the Netherlands, the International Tribunal in The Hague and the International Society of the Red Cross. Looking at the above assessment of the potential and influence of these two organizations, Bismarck could not help but look to the west. A sigh of relief.

He said to William I: "Sometimes I have to say with envy that William IV's brain is so easy to use. The establishment of these two organizations is so suitable for the Netherlands."

Seeing Crown Prince Frederick's puzzled look, Bismarck explained: "Does the Crown Prince think that Prussia can launch the same institution and gain the same influence over the Netherlands?"

"Isn't it?" Crown Prince Frederick asked.

"Of course not." Bismarck sighed: "Prussia is too powerful, and the same is true for Britain and France. The big countries are on guard against each other, and the small countries are afraid of becoming the sphere of influence of the big countries and the target of annexation. I think many people now view When we do this, we will all remember that we just merged with the German Confederation."

Hearing this, Crown Prince Frederick remained silent.