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note to Rex: population of the Netherlands does not equal population of ethnic Dutch. |
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|image=[[Image:The Dutch.JPG|300px|]]<br/><div style="background-color:#fee8ab"><small><small>[[Antony van Leeuwenhoek]] • [[Michiel de Ruyter]] • [[Queen Wilhelmina]] • [[Maurice of Orange]] • [[Karel Doorman]] • [[Rembrandt van Rijn]] • [[Vincent van Gogh]] • [[Aletta Jacobs]] • [[Piet Hein]] • [[Erasmus]] • [[Willem Drees]] • [[William of Orange]]</small></small></div> |
|image=[[Image:The Dutch.JPG|300px|]]<br/><div style="background-color:#fee8ab"><small><small>[[Antony van Leeuwenhoek]] • [[Michiel de Ruyter]] • [[Queen Wilhelmina]] • [[Maurice of Orange]] • [[Karel Doorman]] • [[Rembrandt van Rijn]] • [[Vincent van Gogh]] • [[Aletta Jacobs]] • [[Piet Hein]] • [[Erasmus]] • [[Willem Drees]] • [[William of Orange]]</small></small></div> |
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|poptime=''c. '' 25 million (est) |
|poptime=''c. '' 25 million (est) |
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|popplace=[[The Netherlands]]:<br> |
|popplace=[[The Netherlands]]:<br> 14.182.809 (2005) <br /> |
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[[United States]]:<br> 5,087,191 [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_DP2&-ds_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-_sse=on] <br /> |
[[United States]]:<br> 5,087,191 [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_DP2&-ds_name=ACS_2004_EST_G00_&-_lang=en&-_sse=on] <br /> |
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[[South Africa]]:<br> 5,000,000 (est.)<br /> |
[[South Africa]]:<br> 5,000,000 (est.)<br /> |
Revision as of 09:14, 22 November 2006
- This article is about the ethnic group. For other uses of the term see Dutch (disambiguation), for citizens or nationals of the Netherlands, see Demographics of the Netherlands
File:The Dutch.JPG | |
Regions with significant populations | |
---|---|
The Netherlands: 14.182.809 (2005) United States: 500,000 (est) | |
Languages | |
Dutch | |
Religion | |
Calvinist Protestant, Roman Catholic, other forms of Christianity, Agnosticism, Atheism, other. | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Afrikaners, Flemings, Frisians. |
The Dutch (Ethnonym: "Nederlanders" meaning "Lowlanders") are the dominant ethnic group[1] of the Netherlands[2]. They are usually seen as a Germanic people.
History
The Dutch are a Germanic people, and this means they descend from a mixture of Indo-Europeans (who settled the area of Denmark and Southern Sweden around 2000 BC) and the population already present in Northern Europe before their arrival. Initially all Germanic peoples formed 1 single people, but as time passed different subgroups (tribes) began to form. Of these tribes, Dutch trace much of their heritage to the Franks[3], a Germanic people first recorded living in Pannonia[4] (A Roman province bounded north and east by the Danube river) who later (c. 400 AD) migrated and settled around the Rhine river and its delta, the Low Countries. The Franks would eventually conquer many territories and subject many other tribes and peoples, but the ethnic Franks themselves largely remained in the areas which are now comprised of the Low Countries, the far North-West of France and the furthest tip of Western Germany. At the time of the Frankish empire the Netherlands were part of the core of the Frankish Empire and one of the few areas of the empire in which the Franks were an ethnic majority, as opposed to the regions now known as France and Germany where Gallo-Romans in the former and a large variety of subjected Germanic tribes (such as the Saxons and Bavarians) in the latter formed the majority.
The language of the Franks, Frankish, would eventually (c. 470 AD) evolve into Old Dutch[5], and over time the Franks living in the Low Countries would stop identifying themselves as Franks and start calling themselves Dutch people.
Due to feudalism the Dutch people were for centuries a part of large multi-ethnic empires such as the Frankish and Holy Roman Empire. The arrival of Protestantism sparked a wave of nationalism among the Dutch, who were at the time part of an almost exclusive Catholic Spanish empire, and eventually the Dutch would rebel and after 80 years of war gain their independence and founded the Dutch Republic, arguably the first nation-state of Europe.
However the Dutch did not succeed in creating a country for all Dutch people. The Southern Netherlands stayed under Spanish rule and a split gradually occurred between the Dutch people there and the ones in the North. The people in the South became known as the Flemish, although the Dutch and Flemish people are still very similar, such as in appearance, language and origins they are often treated as a closely related but different ethnic group.
The Dutch republic was eventually overthrown by Revolutionary France and the Dutch were for a short while incorporated within the French Empire. When France was eventually defeated, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands was created, comprising of the modern Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. However the Kingdom proved to be unworkable, aside from the different ethnic groups living within its boundaries (Walloons, Germans and the Dutch) there also were various religious and economical differences and in 1830 the Belgian revolution resulted in 2 separate countries; Belgium and the Netherlands, Luxembourg would be granted independence peacefully in 1890. The Dutch people remained neutral during the First World War and tried to do the same at the start of the Second World War but were invaded nevertheless. After a long and destructive 5-year occupation by Nazi Germany the Dutch were free once more even though the country lay in ashes. Nevertheless the Dutch rebuild their country and changed it from a largely agricultural nation into an industrialized one. Today the Dutch have one of the highest GNP per person[6] and life expectancies.[7]
Timeline
Ancient times
- 2000 BC, Indo-European speakers arrive at the plains of what is now southern Sweden and Denmark, they would evolve into the Germanic peoples shortly after their arrival.[8].
- 500 BC, hypothetical end of the Proto-Germanic language.
- 600 BC - ca 300 BC, Germanic people move southward and settle in the Netherlands and Northern Germany.
- 150 BC, Germanic tribes settle in and around the border regions of the Roman Empire.
- 300 AD, start of Migration Period.
- 355–358, The Franks are granted a considerable part of Gallia Belgica and become a foederati of the Roman Empire.
- 447, start of the Frankish Merovingian dynasty. Beginning of a series of wars against the Visigoths, Saxons, and Alemanni.
- 486, the Franks control most of Gaul north of the Loire.
- 470-500, the Lex Salica is written. This Frankish law text contains the first Dutch ever to be written down: "Maltho thi afrio lito".
Middle Ages
- 509, the Franks control all of Gaul but Burgundy.
- 742, Charlemagne is born in the present Low Countries.
- 751, Merovingian dynasty ends, start of the Carolingian Dynasty.
- 843, the Treaty of Verdun is signed. The Carolingian Empire, into three kingdoms is divided among the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, Charlemagne's grandsons. The Low Countries become a part of Middle Francia, the realm of Emperor Lothair I.
- 869, the North of the Low Countries are under Viking control.
- 870, the Kingdom of Lotharingia is divided between Charles II and Louis the German.
- 962, the Holy Roman Empire is established with the coronation of Otto the Great. Most of the Dutch states/fiefs are a part of this multi-ethnic empire.
- 1300, The Dutch cities of Ghent, Bruges and Ypres are the most urbanised cities in Europe.
Early Modern period
- 1517, Lutheranism makes it way into the Low Countries, starting in the South.
- 1549, the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549, issued by Charles V, established the Low Countries as the Seventeen Provinces (or Spanish Netherlands in its broad sense) as an entity separate from the Holy Roman Empire and from France. This was the first semi-independent political entity with an ethnic Dutch majority.
- 1566, iconoclasm. A wave of destruction aimed at the Catholic Church sweeps through the Low Countries. Unofficial start of the Dutch Revolt against Habsburg Spain.
- 1568, the Battle of Oosterweel, the official start of the Dutch revolt.
- 1580, de facto independence of the Northern Low Countries. Becoming arguably he first republic and nation state of Europe. (The Dutch republic)
- 1581, de facto establishment of the Southern Netherlands.
- 1584, start of the Dutch Golden Age.
- 1585, Fall of Antwerp to the Spanish. The wealthiest Dutch city is conquered. Over half its inhabitants flee to the North further boosting the economy.
- 1630, slow development of the Dutch Empire.
- 1648, Peace of Westphalia, the end of the Eighty Years' War. The Dutch are divided in 2 separate entities. The Dutch in the South are still a part of the Spanish Empire, the ones living in the North are independent. This is the beginning of a split between the Dutch as we know them today and the Flemish, the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of modern Belgium.
- 1702, end of the Dutch Golden Age.
- 1789, start of the French Revolution.
- 1795-1806, establishment of the Batavian Republic with French assistance. End of the Dutch Republic.
- 1806, the Netherlands become part of the French Empire.
- 1813, the Dutch regain their independance.
- 1815, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands is proclaimed. All Dutch people are once again united in one political entity.
- 1830, Belgian revolution. The religious and economic differences between the North and South proved to be too great. The South of the kingdom secedes.
- 1839, the Netherlands end conflict and acknowledge the independence of Belgium.
Culture
Dutch culture is diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the foreign influences thanks to the merchant and exploring spirit of the Dutch. The Netherlands and Dutch people have played an important role for centuries as a cultural center, with the Dutch Golden Age regarded as the zenith. During the 20th century Dutch architects played a leading role in the development of modern architecture, Dutch painters like Rembrandt and Van Gogh are world renowned[9].
People
Self-image
The Dutch have a self-image that differs considerably from the image(s) other people have of them (see section below). The Dutch may acknowledge that they are the cleanest people on earth, are thrifty, have an excellent feel for business, are good at foreign languages and have an unequalled ability to coexist with others. They take most pride in their tolerance and flexibility, even though they will most likely not, unless pushed, say that these characteristics make them somehow superior to others. However they do have inconsistencies; for example, a secret mistrust of foreigners and a distaste of alien cuisine.[10]
Dutch image worldwide
Most nations regard the Dutch as being organized and efficient, rather like the Germans, although to a lesser degree. One can hardly be frightened, the stereotypical reasoning goes, by "a nation of rosy-cheeked farmers who live in windmills, wear clogs, have a garden full of tulips and sit on piles of yellow cheese". But apart from the more or less touristy image, the Dutch also have a reputation for being opinionated, stubborn and incurably mean. The Belgians even consider them to be downright devious in business affairs. Dutch frankness completely overwhelms more reticent peoples such as the Japanese who consider the Dutch to be the most arrogant of all the Europeans they do business with[10], but at the same time are impressed by their reputation as formidable traders. "Where a Dutchman has passed, not even the grass grows anymore" a Japanese saying goes. English people survey the Dutch with guarded approval, as the closest any "continentals" will come to the sacred state of being English. It wasn't always like this. At the time of the Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 17th century these two nations were at each other’s throats. An English pamphlet raged: "A Dutchman is a Lusty, Fat, Two-legged Cheese worm. A Creature that is so addicted to eating butter, drinking fat, and sliding (skating) that all the world knows him for a slippery fellow". At this time the English language gained a whole array of new insults such as "Dutch courage" (booze-induced bravery), "Dutch comfort" ("things could be worse") and "Dutch gold" (something which is a fake).[10] Others include:
Dutch views on others
Despite centuries of relations between the Netherlands and the British Isles, including fighting some of the most destructive wars in their respective histories against each other, most Dutch people feel ambivalent towards the British. British people (who most Dutch people will call "English") are viewed as being a bit quaint and old fashioned, even though Anglophone television programmes and English literature in general are held in high regard. Typically Americans are thought to be principally "good" people but somewhat uneducated and badly guided by their politicians. While France and Italy are seen as beautiful countries, ideal for holidays, their inhabitants are somewhat frowned upon. The French are considered to be easily agitated, talkative and shallow as well as obstructionists, intolerant, and lack skills at negotiating.[11] The Italians (as most, if not all, people living around the Mediterranean) have a positive image but are regarded as being too emotional. In Dutch society, extravagantly flaunting ones emotions (whether positive or negative) is seen as lack of control. Peoples and cultures who are disapproved of or looked down upon are those whose religious or political customs are seen as intolerant, such cultures with a taboo on regarding men and women as equals.[12] Of all European nations, the Swiss generally are admired most. Their country is described as being "spotless" and the people as "keeping to themselves" a trait shared with the Dutch.[13]
Special cases are the Germans and Belgians. For many years, most recently since WWII, a strong animosity existed towards Germans. They were said to be rude, arrogant, noisy and intolerant and in fact most other antonyms of characteristics the Dutch pride themselves on. This is mostly without knowing these German people personally. For many Dutch people it was not a question of "why" they disliked Germans, they just did. According to "The Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch", "Telling a Dutch person that their language seems very similar to German is unlikely to benefit your relationship. Remarking that the two nations are similar in many ways will probably get you thrown out of the house." Perhaps strangely, Germans are generally unaware of the fact that they are disliked by their neighbours and often think it is merely a soccer phenomenon when the anti-German feelings are most visible, as the Dutch and Germans have had fierce soccer rivalry ever since the Second World War. Although the post war rivalry on Germany's side is actually a reaction on the behaviour displayed by the Dutch[14], Dutch antipathy towards Germans goes back to the early 15th century when Germans were seen as uneducated, grumpy peasants who served as cheap labour to the wealthier Dutch.[15] [16]
Over the last year (2006) a remarkable shift has been observed in attitude towards Germans. Partially it might be credited to the "2006 FIFA World Cup" in Germany. Another reason may be that the newer, younger generation does not have the emotional ties to past events.[17]
Belgians on the other hand have an entirely different image, they feature prominently in Dutch jokes in which they are often portrayed as being stupid and uneducated but this is commonly accepted to be a completely made up stereotype, originating at the time of the Belgian Revolution, in which the Flemish and Walloons seceded from the Netherlands. Generally they are admired for their educational and health system. Most if not all Dutch people consider the Belgians to be the closest related people. It should however be noted that the Dutch, when they speak of Belgians, nearly always mean the Flemish (the Dutch speaking inhabitants of Belgium) rather than the Walloons whom most hardly know.[18]
Contribution to humanity
Despite being relatively small in numbers, the Dutch have definitely made their mark on the world, as we know it today. Extremely few painters are so well known across the world as Van Gogh and Rembrandt. Great philosophers like Spinoza[19], Erasmus of Rotterdam and Hugo Grotius as well as various poets and writers such as Pieter Hooft, Joost van den Vondel and Anne Frank[19]. also made their mark on how we today view the world. The Netherlands were arguably the first nation state of the world and one of the first republics in modern Europe. During the early 17th century the economical reforms, empire and ideas made the Netherlands one of the world's richest countries and the first thoroughly capitalistic country.[20]
The Dutch in popular culture
Dutch people generally appear in popular culture in two completely distinct ways. The traditional Dutch image (People in national dress, wearing clogs, having blond hair standing in front of wide, flat landscapes covered with tulips and windmills in the background) and the more recent, and mostly negative, image of non-religious drug addicts, who legalized prostitution, marihuana, euthanasia and gay marriage. A country where you can get away with practically everything and people living in it who just don't care.
Naturally, none of these stereotypical images are correct. Dutch people only wear traditional costumes on very special occasions or to entertain tourists [21]. Clogs, or wooden shoes, are not worn in public life but are still widely used for gardening. The more modern negative image of the Dutch is relatively recent, starting around 1985. Although the image of Dutch people being drug addicts is a widespread stereotype, the Dutch have a very low figure of drug offences by country and in fact most drugs produced in the Netherlands are exported.
Influence on the world
Although comparatively small in numbers, the Dutch have definitely made their mark on the world, as we know it today. The Dutch were an economical and military superpower during much of the 16th and 17th century and involved in many conflicts of the time period. Such as the Anglo-Dutch Wars which, although ending in a Dutch victory, would eventually allow the Royal Navy to become the largest and most powerful navy in the world and maintain the British Empire.[22] Dutch colonialism also still influences the lives of many today. The Dutch were one of the few Europeans to (successfully) colonize parts of Africa[23] and their descendants, the Afrikaners, greatly influence(d) South Africa. The Dutch also controlled what is now known as Indonesia, and waged various wars against its native inhabitants in a series conflicts raging from the early 16th to the late 20th century. The area surrounding New York was a Dutch colony and in fact many street names and geographical locations still bear Dutch (though Anglicised) names[24].
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium which was first attested around 470 AD. Dutch is an official language of the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, Aruba, and the Netherlands Antilles. The Dutch, Flemish and Surinamese governments coordinate their language activities in the Nederlandse Taalunie ('Dutch Language Union'). Dutch was an official language in South Africa up until 1961, having fallen into disuse since Afrikaans became an official language in 1925. Of the inhabitants of New Zealand, 0.7% say their home language is Dutch (see article on New Zealand). The number of people coming from the Netherlands, though, is considerably higher but from the second generation on most people changed their language in favour of English.
Standaardnederlands or Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands ('Common Dutch', abbreviated to ABN) is the standard language as taught in schools and used by authorities in the Netherlands, Flanders, Suriname, Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. The Dutch Language Union defines what is ABN and what is not, for example in terms of orthography.
Religion
During and after the Dutch revolt against Spain, Protestantism became the dominant religion, a notable exception being the modern provinces of North Brabant and Limburg as they remained mostly Catholic.
The Dutch population could be separated into two main religious groups: Roman Catholics and Protestant, although the Protestant religion consisted of many separate Churches such as Dutch Reformed (Calvinist), Remonstrant Church and the Christian Reformed Church.
During the late 19th and early 20th century the different religious groups were living fairly separate from each other, and from the newly rising socialist labour emancipation. They all lived and married in their own communities, had their own schools, their own shops and their own media (both newspapers and later radio stations) and political parties, among other things. This was called verzuiling. A Dutch proverb from those days reflects this separation: Two beliefs resting on the same pillow, that's where the devil sleeps in between.
The entire system of pillarisation started to collapse after the Second world war, when the Dutch people were forced to work together to rebuild their country, which had suffered heavily from the war, and was left hardly any resources around mid 1945. In the early 1960s the system had gone. Nowadays a large part of the Dutch population is atheist (some 40%) or is an inactive member of a church and/or religion. There is a small Jewish community, mostly confined to the larger cities. the only religion that is rapidly growing is the Islam, mostly wherever Turkish and Moroccan (the most common Muslim immigrants) communities have formed, mainly in high-Muslim areas of larger cities such as Rotterdam.
Symbols
Despite the most popular "Dutch" symbols around the world being wooden shoes, tulips, cheese and windmills, they are generally not thought of as the national symbols of the Netherlands but how foreign countries and cultures view the Netherlands and the Dutch people. The Dutch themselves generally consider themselves to have a number of national symbols, including the Dutch flag and the colour orange. The red, white and blue flag is the oldest tricolour in continuous use until today. The other national symbol, orange, is the colour of the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau.
Sports
There are a number of sports which are most likely invented by the Dutch, which then spread worldwide, examples include ice hockey[25] and golf.[26]Apart from these worldwide sports there are also a number of local Dutch sports such as polsstokverspringen, kaatsen, klootschieten, kolven and korfbal.
The most popular sports, both for active participation and audience are Football, Cycling, Speed skating, Judo, Hockey, Physical fitness and Tennis.
Identity
The Dutch people are historically affiliated to all Germanic peoples, such as the English, Germans, Danes, and Swedes. The feeling of affiliation is strongest among West Germanic people, the closest being the Flemish, Frisians and Afrikaners and to a lesser degree the English and Germans.
The Dutch and the Flemish share the same language, the subdivisions of which have little to do with the state border established in 1648. Until 1830, the Dutch and Flemings (who live in Northern Belgium) were generally considered as one single people, and in fact some people still do. Due to historical causes, mostly rooted in the Dutch revolt the two groups slowly started to diverge. Nevertheless affiliation is still very strong with the same language and a very similar culture. Ever since the Belgian revolution (and the following discriminating laws against the Dutch speaking Belgians) there have been groups and people in the Netherlands, but especially Belgium, who have or are proposing a reunification, Vlaams Belang being one of the chief supporters to date. Such an event could happen, considering that a large portion of the Walloons, the second largest ethnic group in Belgium, also strive to a unification, be it with another country: France.
The Frisian people, who speak their own language and today live mainly in Friesland (a province of the Netherlands), have had some influence on Dutch culture, especially in the northern parts of Holland proper; also named West Frisia.
In the 10th century both the fiefdoms of most of the Low Countries and the more eastern German states became part of the Holy Roman Empire. Over the next few centuries the Dutch provinces would start to drift apart from the Empire. By the 15th century a clear cultural split had developed between the Dutch regions and the other Low Germanic areas. The Dutch regions had become much more influenced by French culture, and via the North Sea trade had strong connections with England; also most were united into the Burgundian Empire. From the 16th century onward the states in northern Germany adopted High German as their standard language, widening the gap. Until the 19th century and the advent of mass education a dialect continuum existed. Dutch people in the eastern Netherlands and Germans in western Germany still have strong cultural connections.
Notes
- ^ The ethnic group of the Dutch refers to a human population whose members identify with each other based on similarities such as common descent and culture. Definition copied from wikipedia article ethnic group.
- ^ 83% as reported in the CIA factbook, reference date 22 September 2006 [1]
- ^ After the turmoil and the Fall of the Roman Empire various Germanic tribes invaded what is now Western Europe and established their kingdoms (as this map shows) the Franks where the dominant people in what are now the Low Countries and remained this, although over time (the founding of the Holy Roman Empire) they stopped identifying themselves as Franks.
- ^ The earliest Frankish history remains relatively unclear. The main source, the Gallo-Roman chronicler Gregory of Tours, whose Historia Francorum (History of the Franks) covers the period up to 594, quotes from otherwise lost sources like Sulpicius Alexander, Frigeridus, and profits from Gregory's personal contact with many Frankish notables. Apart from Gregory's History, there exist some earlier Roman sources such as Ammianus and Sidonius Apollinaris. Gregory states that the Franks originally lived in Pannonia, but later settled on the banks of the Rhine. Additional early sources likewise relate that the Franks migrated in prehistoric times from the mouth of the Danube on the Black Sea, to the Rhine, where they adopted their name (circa. 11 BC) in honour of a hereditary chieftain called Franko – replacing the earlier tribal name Sicambri (or Sugambri) – said to be an offshoot of the Cimmerians or Scythians. This legend of a Scythian or Cimmerian background is thus consistent with the origin legends of nearly all other European nations as well.
- ^ The Salic Law, a Frankish law text containing the first written Dutch.
- ^ Gross National Income (per capita) by country according to Nationmaster.com, the Dutch rank 11th of a total of 167.
- ^ Life expectancy at birth > Total population by country according to Nationmaster.com, the Dutch rank 30th of a total of 244.
- ^ Indo-European speakers are thought by some scholars to have arrived at the plains of southern Sweden and Denmark, regarded to be the original dwelling-place of the Germanic peoples, during the Nordic Bronze Age (about 4000 years ago). This is the only area where no pre-Germanic place names have been found. The Battle-axe people are the best candidate for this migration.
- ^ Artcyclopedia, list of most popular artists, Van Gogh ranks 2nd, Rembrandt 7th.
- ^ a b c The Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch; "How they see themselves"
- ^ "Europe unites in hatred of French", Henry Samuel, Telegraph.
- ^ "Imams graduating assimilation course refuse to shake hands with Dutch woman minister handing them their diploma", a national riot followed.
- ^ The Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch, page 4 and 5; "How they see others" and "Special relations".
- ^ Onbekende Buren, by Dik Linthout, page 60 till 64 "voetbal".
- ^ "Waarom wordt een Duitser Mof genoemd?" (Why is a German called "Anti-German term"?), in Dutch.
- ^ Dutch etymological dictionary for "mof".
- ^ http://www.utnws.utwente.nl/utnieuws/data/41/26/af.debloom.html "UT-student positief over Duitse collega" (University student positive about German colleague.) Note that this university is located near the German border, and these students will generally have more interaction with Germans than other Dutch people.], in Dutch.
- ^ The Xenophobe's Guide to the Dutch, page 4 and 5; "How they see others" and "Special relations".
- ^ a b Both Spinoza as Anne Frank are of non-Dutch heritage. While Anne Frank did have some Dutch blood from her mothers lineage, Spinoza has none since his family were originally Portuguese Jews. Nevertheless they are generally considered Dutch in the sense they were Dutch nationals raised with Dutch language and culture alongside their own Jewish heritage, who considered themselves members of the Dutch ethnic group as well. This respect goes both ways as is illustrated by their inclusion in a recent gameshow aiming to identify the Greatest Dutchman of all times (as can be seen here), and the depiction of Spinoza on largest denomination of the national heroes series of Dutch guilder banknotes designed in the 1970s
- ^ Many economic historians regard the Netherlands as the first thoroughly capitalist country in the world. In early modern Europe it featured the wealthiest trading city (Amsterdam) and the first full-time stock exchange. The inventiveness of the traders led to insurance and retirement funds as well as such less benign phenomena as the boom-bust cycle, the world's first asset-inflation bubble, the tulip mania of 1636-1637, and according to Murray Sayle, the world's first bear raider - Isaac le Maire, who forced prices down by dumping stock and then buying it back at a discount ("Japan Goes Dutch", London Review of Books [April 5, 2001]: 3-7).
- ^ For example in the village of Volendam.
- ^ After defeats in the second and third Anglo-Dutch wars the Royal Navy gradually developed into the strongest navy in the world. From 1692 the Dutch navy was placed under the command of the Royal Navy's admirals by the Dutch William III's command following the Glorious Revolution.
- ^ Beginning in the sixteenth century, Europeans such as the Dutch began to establish trading posts and forts along the coasts of western and southern Africa. Eventually, a large number of Dutch augmented by French Huguenots and Germans settled in what is today South Africa. Their descendants, the Afrikaners and the Coloureds, are the largest European-descended groups in Africa today. See Demographics of Africa for more information.
- ^ Legacy of the Dutch in New York.
- ^ See the Ice Hockey article.
- ^ Golf was mentioned on February 26 in the year 1297 for the first time in the Netherlands in a city called Loenen aan de Vecht. Here the Dutch played a game with a stick and leather ball. He who hit the ball in a target several hundreds of meters away the least number of times, won.