Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

The Netherlands needs to ensure that all the centripetal force of the African colonies is concentrated in the Netherlands, and some means must be needed to do so.

Although he doesn't want to, no monarch will give up the idea of ​​territorial expansion. Although William IV comes from the peaceful era of later generations, just like playing games, he will not think that giving up halfway or returning with a great victory will be my choice. former.

Therefore, the Netherlands must stabilize its African colonies so that the Netherlands can deploy more things against the Indian Ocean and European America.

After more than ten years of war, it doesn’t take much guessing to know that the world is now war-weary.

Even the motherland in the previous life, General Zuo Zongtang, is still fighting against the rebellion in the west. It doesn't take much to know that the situation in their country is not good.

The American Civil War in North America lasted for nearly seven years. Not only did it suffer heavy losses, but millions of people were killed by the war.

Needless to say, Africa is almost like killing chickens and ducks.

Stabilize the Balkans, but just looking at the situation there, no one thinks that those big powers will stop fighting for territory because of this.

The Baltic Sea seems stable, but in fact it is all pretending to be deep.

In short, William IV knew that the current war would slowly stop, and the next few decades would be a rare period of peace with the majority of peace periods.

Therefore, the Netherlands needs to make advance arrangements. For example, how will the Netherlands position itself in the international community during this peaceful period?

Continue to be a middle country? In that case, Willem IV does not believe that the Netherlands will have any potential after missing this period.

Become a great power?

The current recognition of the Netherlands does not seem to be that high, right?

William IV actually understood the fundamentals of the great power status that the Netherlands lacked.

war?

The Netherlands is currently not suitable for launching a large-scale war, because with its small population, population loss will lead to a greater potential crisis.

Therefore, the Dutch approach of waging war is undesirable.

But without launching a war, how could the Netherlands gain a status recognized by major powers?

In fact, William IV had already calculated that the Dutch had trained 100,000 indigenous troops in the Far East and Africa.

Yes, William IV was preparing to use them to improve the status of the Netherlands and make their contribution as a member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Don't forget that too many natives in these two places are also a threat to the Dutch. Eliminating the enemy while improving internal governance will create favorable conditions for the Netherlands to govern the Far East.

Even if someone in later generations pursues the case, William IV has already prepared a reason to prevaricate, "No matter black or white, as long as you come to the Netherlands, you are a Dutchman. They are the greatest Dutchmen. We pay tribute to them for sacrificing their lives for the country." lofty respect"

With these remarks, William IV believed that no one could find fault, not even those so-called human rights elements.

After all, the country needs people to protect it, and every citizen is a guardian.

William IV wanted to use this policy to bridge the gap between the white Dutch and the indigenous people, and it was just right. Their reference was worth the money.

Is it war, and economics?

The future economic policy of the Netherlands naturally needs to be more thorough in the second industrial revolution.

As long as it firmly captures this wave of industrial development, the Netherlands' position in the world will be further consolidated.

And it even lasted for more than a hundred years.

Therefore, the economic development method that William IV will adopt will naturally focus on the Far East.

Why? After all, Europe is faced with the impact of several major European countries or the First World War in Europe at any time, and there is a 100% chance that all previous efforts will be wasted. In this case, placing it in the Far East is the best and most suitable way to ensure safety.

Australia has a vast territory and sparsely populated area, and has huge potential for economic development. The Dutch East Indies (ie Indonesia-Nicaea) and African overseas territories all play a supporting role in the economy there.

If the Netherlands does not use this natural advantageous environment for economic development and natural security, it may be punished by God.

Future wars in Europe will also be difficult to spread here.

If everything succeeds, then the Netherlands will become like the United States in its previous life, becoming a great power comparable to the United Kingdom after World War I.

After World War II, the Netherlands will naturally not be worse than the United States.

Although many people in later generations know this, who in this world knows it? Isn't it?

Puff puff puff!

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister and Mr. Randy are already outside the door."

The sound of knocking on the door and the reminder from the captain of the guard brought William IV back to his senses.

"come in"

After Tolbek came in, he finished his salute and then moved to the right hand position under the gaze of William IV.

Soon after, Randy Alton, general manager of the Dutch East India Company, also sat down.

"The development of the Far East is on the right track. Everything is moving towards the goal. Maybe it will only take 10 years. With my full support, an Australian continent will emerge that is not weaker than the European countries, and even the Dutch East Indies. The Pacific Islands and so on are combined to form strength.”

William IV said firmly: "Under the safe environment there, even if it faced the challenge from Britain at that time, the Netherlands would not be afraid. 1878 would be a good day for the Netherlands to become the hegemon in the Far East. As for Europe, , but we can only rely on the strength of various countries."

There is no way. The Netherlands in Europe is too small and sparsely populated compared to Greenland, which was originally purchased from Denmark. These have limited the Netherlands' influence in Europe. If it were not for the early alliance with Sweden and Denmark, would the Netherlands even be able to remain a middle power in the future? The influence of status is uncertain.

In this situation, no matter how you look at it, the Netherlands can only exercise this position of equal strength in Europe.

When William IV thought of this, he couldn't help but think of Spain, Italy and the Ottoman Empire, which have jumped relatively high recently.

William IV smiled at the two of them and asked:

"It seems that although Isabel II of Spain is currently rising in popularity, she is also facing many difficulties. In her country, the top priority is to achieve the sustainable governance of the Prime Minister Ramon Narvaez regime supported by Isabel II, but it seems to have fallen into Quagmire is also a real possibility.

I think the Netherlands is most likely to be too diplomatically engaged in foreign exchanges. How to ensure the Netherlands’ diplomatic space among the conflicts among European countries, how to maintain the Netherlands’ relations with other countries, and how to resolve the anti-Dutch anti-Dutch issues that have emerged in recent years? Emotions and how to recover. After the French invasion of the Kingdom of Siam, the people of the Netherlands and France seemed to have no emotional connection with France. In response to the recent increase in the importance of the North American Commonwealth of America, which has become sharply higher than that of European countries, and the rise of the Dutch country's external position. Finally, we need to find ways to solve the military security and economic security problems caused by changes in the Dutch industrial chain, etc. This is a foreign strategy different from the past.

The three major projects of industrial economy, military and diplomatic strategy are correct. This is the topic we need to think about today."