Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

On January 29, 1869, Sultan Abdel Aziz I of the Ottoman Empire embarked on a week-long trip to the Netherlands. Earlier in his meeting with King William IV of the Netherlands, he described the meeting as having called on others to Western European powers should not constantly point fingers at the Netherlands, interfere in the affairs of the Balkan Peninsula, including the Ottoman Empire, and try to use their own ambitions to transform this region.

At the same time, British Prime Minister Disraeli said in an exclusive interview with Luxembourg's "European Times" in London: The current crisis in the European political situation caused by France's invasion of the Kingdom of Siam and sanctions imposed by various countries shows that the dominance of the major European powers is about to end. , the Netherlands and other surrounding medium-sized countries are rising.

The British Prime Minister also believed that the old European powers, which were beneficiaries of the Vienna System formulated in 1815, should not allow the Netherlands and other rising stars such as Prussia, Italy, and the American Commonwealth to surpass them militarily. "Britain, France, Tsarist Russia, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottomans should even increase their defense spending on military expenditures to maintain their military advantage."

At the same time, Prime Minister Disraeli also believed that the biggest geopolitical change of this century came from Prussia + the resurgent Netherlands, rather than Prussia + Italy, and said that Prussia's successful annexation of almost the entire German Confederation was in a stalemate with the French Empire's invasion of the Kingdom of Siam. In contrast, this clearly shows that the established powers cannot assume that Prussia and the Netherlands will do things in a way that we consider reasonable.

According to the "European Times" report, Disraeli said in an exclusive interview after an Oxford University forum held in Ditchley Park, west of the capital of the British Empire, that the world is at a turning point in history, which is similar to Napoleon's more than 60 years ago. After the war, France was weak and became a second-rate country, or after the Crimean War more than 10 years ago, the Tsarist Empire almost collapsed. But this time the established powers are obviously not in the ascendant.

Disraeli, the current British Prime Minister, boldly believed in the newspaper that Europe is currently undergoing major changes that have not been seen in more than a hundred years, and that the stable pattern of Europe and the world that has been stable for more than a hundred years will finally emerge. One of the major turning points. The vassal states of the German Confederation mentioned earlier were disintegrated and successfully annexed by Prussia. The majestic French Empire, one of the superpowers, was trapped in the quagmire with the small Kingdom of Siam in the Far East and was unable to escape.

The British Empire has lost more than 150,000 troops in South Africa, North America, and the Balkans due to successive conquests. As a result, the British Empire has fallen into a huge deficit, and it is still recovering. Therefore, it is difficult for Britain to escape for a while.

The industry of the Tsarist Empire lagged behind Western Europe, and even Southern Europe could not compare.

Although Alexander II worked hard to improve the country, he not only abolished serfdom, but also introduced various technologies from Western Europe, including Dutch investment that doubled.

However, in terms of technology and industrial level, it is currently inferior to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Spain, not to mention the industrial powers such as Britain, the Netherlands, France and Prussia, and even Italy, which was newly unified, cannot compare.

Therefore, he believes that the dominance of the Vienna System of the old European powers, including that of France, will be broken.

The renaissance of the Netherlands and Spain, coupled with the rise of emerging powers the Kingdom of Prussia, the Kingdom of Italy, and the Commonwealth of America, means that their era of rule is coming to an end. The five countries of Spain, Italy, and the United States have simultaneously risen to first-class powers, and even status. Gradually comparable to the five great empires of Britain, France, Tsarist Russia, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. In the interview, although Disraeli did not want to admit it, he still believed that it was natural and reasonable to give them the status of emerging powers.

He believes that "the great power status of the Netherlands, Prussia, Spain, Italy, and America is natural and reasonable, and they are not charity." Moreover, if these five countries are not recognized, they will most likely become mutual support and support each other. allies, which is a disaster for the established players.

At present, it seems that the trend is heading in this direction.

According to the interview, Disraeli felt that “we are at a moment when the political and economic dominance of the old Western powers is being challenged, and may even be the end.” The world will enter several different political and economic centers in the future, perhaps Just as William IV of the Netherlands echoed what he said some time ago, the world is also likely to enter a multi-polar stage composed of more major powers.

"The Netherlands can do better when it comes to aid. Among the many member states of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands has the largest funding scale for foreign aid. From the Kingdom of Siam in Southeast Asia to Ecuador and Venezuela and Argentina in South America These countries want to learn from the professional experience accumulated by the Netherlands through years of economic and military development. If the Netherlands can provide more foreign aid, the Dutch national brand will become stronger."

William IV faced the entire Dutch Privy Council and said: “In terms of military strength, with the advancement of military technology and the support of unique and advanced methods of transforming military forces, the Dutch military ranks among the best in the world and is the most important member of the International Tribunal in The Hague. The country with the widest influence in the world also has the widest scope of actions. Even in the world, only Britain and France can compare with us. Of course, except for the Tsarist Empire."

Everyone couldn't help but smile.

The Russian Empire was almost trapped on the Eurasian continent. The land was too big, but unfortunately it was within the country, so it could not be considered a global influence.

William IV continued: "Dutch military industrial enterprises are still exporting weapons to the Kingdom of Siam, South American countries and even the American Commonwealth of America. Even Sweden, Denmark, the Russian Empire, and Spain in Europe are among our largest customers. Even the Ottoman Empire has now begun to turn from Britain to us, and the share balance is in favor of our side.

Our military export technology, equipment and experience have been praised by other countries. Logically speaking, the Netherlands can more actively participate in disputes over navigation routes in the North Atlantic and other sea areas, and play a leading role in maritime exercises such as major political and military organizations that the Netherlands has planned to establish in recent years. No country will doubt the Netherlands. The Netherlands should not doubt itself as to whether the military has adequate capabilities"

“In the field of diplomacy, the Netherlands is currently the protagonist of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Hague Security Council, South American Alliance, Nordic Alliance, Deep Blue Pacific Partnership and other organizations, which have greatly increased the Netherlands’ diplomatic influence.

"But" William IV was obviously very excited as he watched the military generals leaping into action.

He alone made these people suddenly look bitter.

William IV smiled and said: "However, a hub country like the Netherlands should play a more leading role in specific fields. Magland has now begun to fully squeeze Britain's position in science and technology, and has become a country with the most comprehensive industrial base. This means that As the Netherlands will get a step ahead in the new industrial technology war in the future, the Netherlands will use this to firmly hold the key to the development of other poor countries and small countries. At the same time, it will play an active role in the establishment of several countries in the future, and even the Netherlands will be able to Bring out a group of industrial countries led by the Netherlands, and think about how majestic the picture is. Everyone, although the Netherlands is small, the Netherlands can make up for our development shortcomings in the Far East, and at the same time, it can find gaps in areas that can persist to the end. Take the initiative.”