Description
Book SynopsisThe Kingdom of the Netherlands is a small, but heavily populated country with almost 17 million inhabitants. It is one of the last kingdoms in Europe and in 2015 it celebrated its 200 years anniversary. The Netherlands became a kingdom after the Napoleonic era. During this period it was transformed into a centralized state. Before those years it had been one of few republics in Europe for about two centuries. That state was a confederacy, which emerged in the 1580s during its independence struggle against the Spanish Habsburgs. Although the present state is still monarchial, the Netherlands functions as a modern constitutional democracy, in which the king's position is almost comparable with a ceremonial presidency. The majority of the Dutch population, however, appreciates the hereditary political presence of the House of Orange-Nassau, regarding this dynasty as a symbol of national unity and connection with the country's past. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of the Neth
Table of ContentsEditor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff Preface Acronyms and Abbreviations Maps Chronology Introduction THE DICTIONARY Appendixes A Heads of State since 1806 B Prime Ministers since 1945 C Governments since 1945 D Provinces and Capitals Bibliography About the Author
