Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

"There is no conflict in the competition between Britain and the Netherlands, but Germany is getting deeper and deeper into trouble!" - Germany's most influential newspaper "Deutsche Welle"!

At 8 a.m. on December 1, 1881, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially announced the expulsion of 13 diplomats from the German Empire from Dutch territory.

The Netherlands did what they said, so the Netherlands' ally Sweden also announced at 10 o'clock that day that it would ask the three foreign ministries in Berlin to leave Stockholm, and expressed the hope that Germany would not continue to spy on Swedish intelligence.

At the same time, Denmark also expelled five German embassy and consulate officials from Copenhagen.

One after another, on a global scale, expelling German diplomats seems to have become a trend led by the Netherlands, and German Foreign Ministry officials seem to have become the rats that everyone shouts about.

Although Germany has also responded, don't forget that this is one country facing more than a dozen or twenty countries. Don't look at the Three Kingdoms Alliance of Britain, Germany and Austria, but so far, the countries on the Austrian, British and Dutch side are still standing still. Obviously, they are all He is unwilling to take the initiative to open the lid and reveal his own weapons as diplomats.

Until now, people in the German Empire seemed to have suddenly awakened to something. When they looked at the Bismarck cabinet government, they had doubts. It is said that even the grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm I (the future founder of World War I, Wilhelm II) They also had doubts about the teacher's foreign policy. It is said that the Junker nobles even went to William I. Because Bismarck's foreign policy failed, these diplomats were unemployed and returned to Berlin. You must know that most of these people are the new generation successors or spokesmen of the Juncker aristocracy. Their responsibility is naturally to go to various countries to maintain communication between the Juncker aristocracy and the economic interests of other countries. It is good now that so many employment opportunities for talents have been lost. , Bismarck naturally became the target of criticism.

Since Wilhelm IV came to power in December 1861 and Bismarck in January 1862, relations between the Netherlands and Germany have been friendly, and the two countries have maintained friendly relations for nearly two decades.

However, with the dispute over sovereignty of the Strait of Malacca between the UK and the Netherlands in 1876, and the almost conflict between the two countries in the internal affairs of Chile in 1878, the UK and the Netherlands began to enter into a civil war.

On December 2, 1881, Queen Victoria stated in her annual report to the British Parliament that she did not seek conflict with the Netherlands and hoped to responsibly manage Anglo-Dutch competition. King William IV of the Netherlands also knew this, and William IV also Melbourne said that strengthening communication between the UK and the Netherlands will contribute to world peace and development, and the Netherlands is willing to work with the UK to find the right way for the UK and the Netherlands to get along.

Therefore, both of them acted as brakes for the two countries to move towards direct conflict. Britain and the Netherlands were exploring the way of "competition but not conflict", while the German Empire was getting deeper and deeper into the competition between Britain and the Netherlands.

Just two months ago, during the British Parliament, Queen Victoria directly released a national security strategy report, indicating that the Netherlands is currently the only competitor with the intention and increasing ability to reshape the world order. And maintaining the competitive advantage over the Netherlands in terms of naval warship tonnage and combat power is regarded as Britain's top priority goal.

However, Queen Victoria also emphasized that it was still possible for Britain and the Netherlands to coexist peacefully. The strategic report also reaffirms its commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Strait of Malacca and opposes the Netherlands' vigilance against changing the status quo of British sovereignty there.

At the same time, she expressed that she did not support any country's attack on the Dutch territory, insisting that the Dutch territory, like the British territory, was an inviolable and sacred existence.

Well, this is indeed the Queen who has been in power for a long time in the United Kingdom. She is very good at pleasing both sides and profiting from both sides.

"We, the UK and the Netherlands, can cooperate on global maritime security, and the UK and the Netherlands can also seek cooperation on transnational challenges such as food supply and energy development. But what I can tell you is that as geopolitical competition keeps up, we will take investment ourselves, unite new and old allies, and compete responsibly

Three major strategies. With such strategies, Britain will definitely be able to win the future. "

The above is the result of Queen Victoria's classification of competition and cooperation in Anglo-Dutch relations. However, from our diplomatic channels, the German Empire did not engage in similar competition, cooperation and coexistence.

At present, the Netherlands has a huge conflict with Germany. Industrial espionage and military espionage gave the Netherlands the greatest suspicion of the German Empire.

Even compared to Austria-Hungary, the Netherlands has a much clearer dislike of Germany.

According to the analysis of Cantur, Director of the Dutch National Security Council, this newspaper said that the next ten years will be the key to shaping the rules of competition between the UK and the Netherlands, especially when the Netherlands and the UK will hold general elections next year. What policies will the next government adopt to deal with this issue? The other party is unknown.

When Dutch Foreign Minister Beit talked about the future key policies of the Netherlands towards the UK on Dutch radio, he focused on uniting allies and reshaping the competitive environment of the international order, so that the UK would be at a disadvantage. Even though both the Netherlands and the UK emphasize that they do not seek conflict or war, for William IV, who has been in power for the 20th year in the Netherlands, and Queen Victoria, who has been in power for the 44th year in the UK, the relationship between the UK and the Netherlands will require more competition, or even more war.

Therefore, "Deutsche Welle" reported that although the candidates of the two countries for next year have not mentioned each other, they have unambiguously competed with each other in terms of actions.

For example, the UK opposes multilateral economic sanctions, the Netherlands' global alliances, and the Netherlands' global territorial and economic expansion.

As for the Netherlands, they are naturally dissatisfied with Britain's dominant position in various straits around the world; they are even more dissatisfied with Britain's huge and fertile colonies such as Canada and the Indian subcontinent.

Britain also has a colonial population of 200 million in India, which alone provides a huge market for British industrial products. This is a profit that the Netherlands has to work hard in foreign countries for many years to save, and it must be careful to protect its influence there.

These are what the Netherlands wants, so the UK and the Netherlands are both rivals. Currently, the two countries are competing for China's 300 million market, and the Netherlands has a firm upper hand. Opened the local door.

This is why the Netherlands' national strength has improved rapidly in the past decade, and in 1876 it surpassed the United Kingdom to become the world's largest economy and industrial power. The main reason that completely shocked the world.

"Deutsche Welle": "In fact, the Anglo-Dutch industrial war has already begun. The technological and industrial war is part of the rules of competition between the Anglo-Dutch. The Bismarck government did not hesitate to side with the British from the beginning, and even used the German-Austrian alliance as a weapon against the Netherlands. A souvenir, but Britain wanted to use the German Empire to consume the Netherlands. Prime Minister Bismarck finally lobbied Austria-Hungary to send troops to Latin America, emphasizing that Berlin would help Vienna, but so far only the sound of the attic was heard, and no one came downstairs. Austria-Hungary was deceived in this way, and Vienna still Will it sincerely be an ally with Berlin? Will Britain?"