Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

Tolbeck replied: "Your Majesty, I feel that the historical issue of the ownership of the Netherlands and France in Belgium has been continuously used by each other as a tool to create emotional antagonism in the domestic politics of the two countries, and the relationship with France has also been Couldn't find a breakthrough.

The Netherlands and France share the dividends brought by the peaceful border. At the same time, the two countries have insisted on open industrial capital economies to each other for many years, making the industrialization of the two countries second only to the United Kingdom in Europe.

I believe that the Dutch-French-Prussian triangular cooperation pattern in Western Europe based on the relationship between the Netherlands and France cannot be hindered by historical issues and blame each other. This will only deepen the wounds between the two countries.

We should distinguish the historical issues of the French Empire's invasion of the Netherlands from actual cooperation, and may adopt a dual-track strategy of seriously discussing historical issues while actively seeking actual cooperation with the Netherlands."

After Prime Minister Tolbeck finished speaking, Randy Alton also said: "Your Majesty, I also think what the Prime Minister said is good.

In recent years, the history of the Netherlands and France because Napoleon I almost destroyed the Netherlands has made the Netherlands very wary of relations with France. On the contrary, Prussia has a very strong influence on our country, which needs to be curbed.

After all, in reality, everything needs a balance. After the relationship with France has deteriorated to a certain extent, it is time for us to pull back a little. And Prussia’s current relationship with us has deteriorated in reality. If the Netherlands’ favorability towards Prussia is taken into account, If we are slightly exploited by the other party, we may fall into the trap of public opinion and fall into a disadvantage.

The current situation in the southern United States seems to be because of this. In the end, the pro-British south was completely opposed to the north under the leadership of the British.

Therefore, we need to take precautions to ensure that the Dutch people need to be more 'rational' about the general public opinion."

These two people are currently the top representatives of the Dutch political and business circles and represent the views of both circles.

The two of them were obviously inclined to ease the relationship with the French Empire, but in terms of actual relations with Prussia, they proposed to draw a clearer line with Prussia.

After a moment, William IV nodded and said: "It must be admitted that the situation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is not that simple, but the Kingdom of the Netherlands is no longer in the era of more than 50 years ago. Now the Netherlands no longer has to worry about the dispute over whales. We in the Kingdom of the Netherlands want to emphasize to them that the Netherlands has the fifth largest economic strength in the world after the United Kingdom, France, Prussia, and Austria. It has been the country with the industrial and technological strength second only to the United Kingdom and France since the second half of the 19th century. At the same time, The military and technological strength of the Netherlands is almost as good as that of Britain and France, at least for the time being in the navy.

In terms of territory, the Netherlands' development efforts in Africa and the Far East are no less than the United Kingdom, and far ahead of the French Empire.

Therefore, it is time for the Kingdom of the Netherlands to no longer be able to dwarf itself. Instead, it needs to seize international hot spots through 'self-objectification' and exert leadership in leading the international community. We, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, need to show the 'big power' of the Netherlands. "diplomacy"

William IV's words of great-power diplomacy immediately shocked Tolbeck and Randy Alton, with varying degrees of surprise on their faces.

Big country!

Is the Netherlands’ great power status assured?

Your Majesty is stating that the Netherlands is on the verge of confirming its status as a great power.

Can you step into the club of a big country with just one last step?

Come to think of it, all the recent developments of the Netherlands in the international community are, as His Majesty said, pushing the Netherlands to be at the center of international hot news.

"At present, the Netherlands is already a very visible country in the world. In the Americas alone, the Netherlands' status is no longer even under the French Empire. If it were not for the fact that the Netherlands lacks large-scale operational capabilities in military operations, then the Netherlands would It can even directly compete with Britain for maritime hegemony.

After all, the presence of the British navy in Chile and South Africa is destined to be difficult for other countries to match. In South America, the British navy is still the single most powerful presence.

If the Netherlands can quickly position itself as a great power, it can, to a certain extent, satisfy South America's need to use foreign aid to fight against the United Kingdom and the United States. The Netherlands' natural advantages are naturally one of the best. It is also because of this that the French Empire gained a firm foothold in Paraguay. "

Tolbeck continued: "France and Prussia are very important countries to the Netherlands, so the diplomacy of Prussia and the French Empire needs to be adjusted to a certain extent. I think the Netherlands overexpects the influence of bilateral feelings between Prussia and the Netherlands. And try not to adopt a policy that surprises Prussia. As this atmosphere expands, almost in all areas of bilateral Dutch-Prussian relations, the Netherlands may have an abnormal phenomenon of acting based on Prussia's face."

Tolbeck also believes that Prussia has only been emphasizing that it has no ill intentions towards the Netherlands, and currently seems to have adopted a negative attitude towards the Netherlands' international influence. It has not adopted the silent wait-and-see attitude that we actually want to see, but instead actively curbs the rise of the Netherlands in America and the United States. The influence of Northern Europe tends to check and balance our purpose is very clear.

"So Your Majesty, the Netherlands used to pay too much attention to the attitude of the Bismarck government and took too much care of Prussia's core interests. Prussia did not consider the Netherlands' position. Therefore, I think the Dutch government should carry out a new foreign policy. We need to carry out a policy that is not anti-Prussian or anti-France. Not even against the British Empire, but to improve the perception of the Netherlands in society.”

"Second, setting up a new coordinate for the Netherlands between the contradictions in the competition between major powers such as Britain, France and Prussia. As the contradictions between countries have transcended trade competition, in the future it will completely transform into a competition for spheres of influence dominated by the trade groups of major countries. This will plunge the Netherlands into Crossroads Dilemma.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands, which relies on neighboring countries to abide by its own rules on security issues and the same economic situation, seems to have little choice in its position in Europe. However, in order to maintain communication between Central and Western Europe, the Dutch government has recently promoted relations among various countries. , and even had excessive expectations for neighboring countries, which to some extent showed a "low-profile diplomacy" towards the French Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and the United Kingdom. However, it is undeniable that in this process, the attitude of the Netherlands gained The effect was minimal, and the relationship between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its surrounding areas was even damaged to a certain extent. So I think the need to rebuild the Netherlands’ foreign relations is first and foremost”

Looking at Tolbeck's scattered work, the foreign policy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has evolved from Western Europe to a European and even global strategy.

Even though Randy Alton is 80 years old, he still feels excited inside.

In this context, Tolbeck emphasized that the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ new diplomatic orientation is based on integrity and solid security, and that it will establish itself as a central requesting country that strengthens the Netherlands’ influence in the international community.

He also emphasized the development of the major international organizations established by the Netherlands into a scope of cooperation that went beyond traditional military cooperation and economic development and humanistic development, and rebuilt the 'Netherlands + Europe + global partnership including security and economy. On the contrary, in the face of Prussia, France and Britain, The Netherlands must embody a new type of European relations based on mutual respect and require these countries to play a 'responsible role' when the interests of the Netherlands are threatened."