This page details the status of the Netherlands in 2300AD both for general game use and for play in GG2.
For nearly a decade the Netherlands as a nation effectively ceased to exist. All that remained were sparawling refugee camps and agricultural communities on what land remained above the North Sea. Well over half the population perished, the majority from disease and starvation rather than directly from bombing or flooding.
The French provided financial support and captured military equipment to the rump of the Netherlands government, which at that time controlled only the city of Arnhem and the immediate area. In return for this aid the Netherlands government (which was of dubious provenance having failed to hold scheduled elections in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007) agreed to annexe the west bank of Rhine as far south as the Moselle. This brought the cities of Koln and Bonn (or at least their remains) into the fledgling nation.
Over the next three years the new government gradually asserted its control over both its original and recently acquired territories. In 2010 a constitutional convention was elected and by 2012 the restored Koninkrijk der Nederlanden und Ost Rhinlanden (Kingdom of the Netherlands and West Rhineland) was the nationally and internationally accepted government.
The Netherlands remained a constitutional monarchy (although the monarch had somewhat reduced powers relative to the prewar constitution) with a democratically elected Staaten Generaal. This consisted of an upper and lower house - the government being formed by whatever party or coilition could command a majority of the lower house. The official languages of the Kingdom were German (30% of the new nation had german as their first language) and Dutch.
Despite the relatively rapid return of lawful authority to the Netherlands (as the country was to become generally known) prosperity was much more difficult to come by. Much of the agricultural land, industrial plant and general infrastructure had been lost to the flood waters. This coupled with the massive loss of life meant that the road to recovery was both long and difficult.
As Euorpe, led by the French, began to recover from her losses and international trade began once more the Rhine once again became the continent's major transport artery. The aquisition of the west bank of the Rhine further reinforced the Dutch participation in this activity and the redevelopment of the country for much of the next century was concentrated in the Rhine corridor. Despite their historic battle against the sea the Dutch conceded defeat until well into the twenty third century reclaiming very little of the land inundated by the North Sea following the Twilight War. It was not until the 2230s that the population and industrial growth of the nation required the construction of the polders that had once exemplified the Dutch landscape.
In 2250 the Netherlands was a modern European nation with levels of affluence, technology and education the equal to those of her much more powerful neighbours. Where the Dutch had been left behind however was in the race for the stars. The Netherlands had not been members of the ESA when the Jerome Drive was discovered and first exploited nor had she the resources to join in the colonisation efforts of her neighbours - there were areas much nearer home requiring Dutch attention.
The Netherlands had participated in the development of orbital industries however and as an Associate member of the ESA had shares in a number of the ESA's Solar Power Satellites.
Following the Twilight war there was a great upsurge in religious fervour in the Netherlands and a strong reaction against many of the liberal attitutudes prior to the war. One attitude that did survive was a strong environmentalist ethic. The need to rebuild their nation made the Dutch into workaholics with very little tolerance for frivolities (although by no means adverse to a well earned celebration at the end of a hard days toil). As a consequence Dutch society had a very green and almost puritan feel well into the 2200s.
The economic statistics for each of the countires in GG2 have been modeled by Steven Alexander based on the 2300AD rulebooks and standard economic modelling techniques. More details can be found on his Web Pages.
All the data are from Version 5.0 of the Economic Model and are Copyright Steven Alexander 1996, 1997.
The economic statistics for each of the countires in GG2 have been modeled by Steven Alexander based on the 2300AD rulebooks and standard economic modelling techniques. More details can be found on his Web Pages.
All the data are from Version 5.0 of the Economic Model and are Copyright Steven Alexander 1996, 1997.
Military Budgets
Statistic Value Units
Military Budget
Per Capita Military Budget
Militrary % of National %
Ground Force Budget
Per Capita Ground Force
Ground Force Manpower
Ground Force Adjusted Power
Aerospace Budget
Naval Budget
Per Capita Naval
Naval %
Naval Procurement
Naval Procurement %
Wet Navy Procurement
Wet Navy V Space Navy
Total Space Navy Procurement
In System procurement
In System V Interstellar
Interstellar Procurement
Ground Military
A number of the light infantry battalions of the Army have already been upgraded to mechanised infantry and negotiations are currently underway to purchase armour (it is rumoured that this will involve a competition between the French AC-12 and the German LkPz-IX the results of which are awaited with interest amongst the international defence community).
Wet Navy
The Royal Dutch Navy was historically the preemier armed force of the Netherlands due to the considerable national investment in maritime transport. Most the Navy's vessels are home built in the large shipyards of Rotterdam although the weapon systems are a misture of domestic and foriegn (primarliy French and UK) production.
Aerospace Force
The Royal Netherlands Airforce was maintained at higher levels than their army counterparts and is presently upgrading their French built air defence fighters and investigating the purchase of the new UK ground support Xwing.
In System Space Force
The Netherlands maintains no military space forces although the airforce does operate a small number of spaceplanes for government use.