Netherlands History - Interwar
In the early hours of Nov. 10 1918 the Government at The Hague had been surprised by the arrival of the German Kaiser, who sought refuge in Holland. In accordance with ancient Dutch tradition concerning political refugees, the fallen monarch, and, afterwards, the ex-Crown Prince, were accorded the rights of asylum in Holland. When, in 1920, the Allies demanded the person of the ex-Kaiser, compliance was refused on the grounds of that tradition. The ex-Kaiser had his residence appointed in the village of Doom in the province of Utrecht, that of the ex-Crown Prince being in the Isle of Wieringen in the Zuider Zee. They were allowed to remain in Holland on condition of refraining from all political activity.
Other difficulties arose out of Belgium's desire for a revision of the 1839 Treaties. Holland declared herself prepared to discuss the question at Paris on the basis of equality. This took place. It appeared that Belgium demanded the sovereignty (afterwards softened into "mailrise") over the Western Scheldt and its dependencies, as well as over the canal and railway GhentTerneuzen, together with the right to use the Scheldt for defensive purposes in war time — further a regime in South Limburg which should guarantee her security, to which end it raised objections to Maastricht remaining Dutch. Moreover, Belgium asked for a canal running direct from Antwerp across Dutch Limburg to the Rhine and another from Antwerp to Hollandsch Diep.
Concurrently, various Belgian journals and the Comite de Politique Nationale demanded that the Western Scheldt, though it had been Dutch since the Middle Ages, Zeeland Flanders (which had been Dutch since the Peace of Munster, 1648), and Limburg (which had been Dutch for the same time; Maastricht even since 1632), should all fall to Belgium. A storm of indignation was aroused in Holland, and the districts in question gave an unambiguous expression of their attachment to Holland.
The Dutch Government declined to discuss the question of territorial cessions, but declared themselves willing to cooperate in the construction of the canals, though they denied the necessity for any such waterways. They demonstrated moreover that, during the invasion by the German armies, it would have been disadvantageous to the Allies if Dutch Limburg had been Belgian and that the Western Scheldt would have been used as a submarine base but for the Dutch character of the river.
The Supreme Council decided that the revision of the Treaties of 1839 should be entrusted to a commission composed of representatives of the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Belgium and Holland; but the proposals of this commission should, in no case, contain suggestions for a transfer of territorial sovereignty or the establishment of international servitudes; moreover, Belgium and Holland were to endeavor to come to an understanding concerning the waterways. In the subsequent negotiations between these two countries agreement was reached on the administration and maintenance of the Western Scheldt, on the Antwerp-Hollandsch Diep canal, the Antwerp-Meuse-Rhine canal and the administration of the Ghent-Terneuzen canal.
Agreement was reached, but a satisfactory settlement was prevented when, at the close of the negotiations, Belgium expressed the desire also to discuss the question of the Wielingen, which constitutes the estuary of the Western Scheldt and over which Holland had exercised rights of sovereignty since mediaeval times — rights now disputed by Belgium on the ground of the modern notion of territorial waters; according to this conception Belgium would be able to close the Wielingen, i.e. the entrance to the Western Scheldt.
Holland proposed to settle the matter either by arbitration or by dividing the Wielingen along the middle of the channel, so that Belgium would obtain permanent free access to Zeebrugge and the adjoining North Sea ports, while Holland retained her free access to the Western Scheldt. Nor had Holland any objection to retaining the existing situation, which had never given rise to any difficulties. But Belgium demanded a solution entirely according to her own wishes; and on these grounds she broke off negotiations in May 1920.
Holland joined the League of Nations in 1920, after having participated in the Labour Conference at Washington in 1919 and in the Seamen's Conference at Genoa in 1920. She was also represented at the assembly of the League of Nations at Geneva in Nov.-Dec. 1920. The Permanent Court of International Justice, in pursuance of the resolution of the League of Nations, was domiciled at The Hague.
