Abstract:
The Kingdom of the Netherlands upheld a foreign policy of strict neutrality during the First World War. That policy revolved around two main precepts: upholding the requirements associated with neutrality in international law (particularly the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907), and careful management of the country’s relationships with the belligerents. By war’s end, the Dutch government’s ability to defend the Netherlands’ neutral rights and sovereign independence had declined significantly.