Back هولندا الكبرى Arabic Großniederlande German Nationalisme thiois French Belanda Raya ID Groot-Nederlandse gedachte LI Grootneerlandisme Dutch Stor-Nederland NN Stor-Nederland NB Grande Holanda Portuguese Великие Нидерланды Russian
Greater Netherlands | |
|---|---|
  | |
 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 55,490 km2 (21,420 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 24,562,743a[1][2] |
• Density | 460/km2 (1,191.4/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | €1.289 trilliona[3] |
| |
Greater Netherlands (Dutch: Groot-Nederland) is an irredentist concept which unites the Netherlands, Flanders, and sometimes Brussels. Additionally, a Greater Netherlands state may include the annexation of the French Westhoek, Suriname, formerly Dutch-speaking areas of Germany and France, or even the ethnically Dutch and/or Afrikaans-speaking parts of South Africa.[4] A related proposal is the Pan-Netherlands concept, which includes Wallonia and potentially also Luxembourg.
The Greater Netherlands concept was originally developed by Pieter Geyl,[5] who argued that the "Dutch tribe", encompassing the Flemish and Dutch people, only separated due to the Eighty Years' War against Spain in the 16th century.[6] While Geyl—an outspoken anti-fascist—argued from a historical and cultural perspective, the fascist Verdinaso and Nazi movements built upon the idea of a Greater Netherlands during the 1930s and 1940s with a focus on ethnic nationalism, a concept still prominent among some on the far-right. Other 21st century proponents of the Greater Netherlands concept include moderates in Belgium and the Netherlands who seek to elevate the Benelux ideal to a more centralized political union.[7]
Public support for a union of Flanders and the Netherlands is relatively small, especially in Flanders, where Flemish independence is seen as the main alternative to the Belgian state.
- ^ "Structuur van de bevolking | Statbel". statbel.fgov.be.
- ^ "Bevolkingsteller". Statistics Netherlands (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". www.ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Groot-Nederlandse gedachte" (in Dutch). Network of War Collections. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ Geyl, Pieter (1930). De Groot-Nederlandsche gedachte. Historische en politieke beschouwingen (in Dutch).
- ^ Geyl, Pieter. Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse Stam.
- ^ van der Kwast, Ricus (17 July 2019). "Een verenigde Benelux zal een machtsfactor van jewelste blijken. En zal als cement en katalysator voor de EU fungeren". De Morgen.