New Netherland
| New Netherland | |
|---|---|
| Republic of New Netherland | |
| Nieuw-Nederlandt | |
| 1621-1796 | |
 | |
 Location of New Netherland | |
| Established | Colony of New Netherland (1621-1795) Patroon Government of New Netherland (1795-1903) Republic of New Netherland (1903-present) |
| Capital | Nieuw Amsterdam |
| Largest City |
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| Population | 55 Million |
| Government Type | Republic |
| Area | 346 900km² |
| Languages |
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| Currency |
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New Netherland (Dutch: Nieuw-Nederlandt), officially the Republic of New Netherland, is a nation located in Eastern America. It is bounded by New England to the northeast, New France to the northwest, Tussenland to the west, and Virginia to the south. The nation has a population of 55 Million, making it the 3rd most populous country in North America.
History
This is summary of New Netherland's history. See History of New Netherland for the unabridged and complete history.
Early Years
The colony was founded by the Dutch West India Company in the early 1600s to capitalize on the North American fur trade, with the establishment of various factorÿen (trading outposts) in the north, and the settlement of Nieuw-Amsterdam in the Manhattans' island. Geared towards trade, New Netherland did not experience the same settler growth that her neighbors (New England, Maryland, and Virginia) experienced during the 17th century. However, efforts have been made to increase settlement, such as the introduction of Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, which established the patroon system, where land would be granted to whoever could settle at least 50 people in New Netherland.
As the population of New Netherland grew, the people were becoming more disenchanted with the governance of the Dutch WIC over the colony. In order to appease the colonists, the Dutch WIC had convened multiple councils composed of colonists to advise the Director-General. However, the advice of these councils were often ignored by the Director-General. This disgruntlement was amplified when a Director-General, Willem Kieft, started a war against the natives over stolen pigs in 1643, against the wishes of the colonial council.
As a response to Kieft’s war, the Board of Nine, led by colonist and lawyer Adriaen van der Donck, penned a complaint to the Dutch Republic against the unresponsiveness of the Dutch WIC to the colonists’ rights and requests. This document was called the Remonstrance of New Netherland, and had condemned the WIC for mismanagement and demanded full rights for the colonists as citizens of the Netherlands.
The Charter of 1656
The Dutch WIC responded to the complaints by appointing Peter Stuyvesant as the Director-General. During this time, land ownership regulations were loosened and liberalized, and the province experienced exponential growth. However, multiple complaints were still made against the WIC’s control and governance over the province. This had led Adriaen van der Donck to return to the Dutch Republic once again and seek redress. After years of political and legal wrangling, the Dutch Republic finally came down against the Dutch WIC and decided to grant New Netherland a new municipal charter in 1652, which granted them a popularly elected government to govern internal affairs.
In OTL, this charter never took effect because of the outbreak of the First Anglo-Dutch War. The States-General of the Dutch Republic feared experimentation with local government in a time of war, and needed the close cooperation of the West India Company (practically a branch of the military) in the struggle, and so rescinded their decision. Defeated, van der Donck tried to return to New Netherland, but was blocked because of the destabilizing effect of his activism. The charter was never revisited after the war and never granted to New Netherland.
In this timeline, however, due to the continued activism of Van der Donck in the Dutch Republic after the war, the States-General proceeded with the municipal charter and established a popularly elected government in New Netherland in 1656, with Van Der Donck as the leader. This charter also barred the Dutch WIC from internal affairs and governance. Instead, the Dutch WIC began shifting their interests towards trade with the Iroquois, and began establishing forts in the west. This land would eventually expand and would become known as the Dutch Tussenland, which was ruled by the Dutch WIC.
Independence
New Netherland had achieved independence during the late French Revolutionary wars, when the French Republic had invaded the Dutch Republic and forced stadtholder Prince William V into exile in Britain. Directly after his arrival in England, the Prince wrote a number of letters (known as the Kew Letters) to the governors of the Dutch colonies, including New Netherland, instructing them to hand over their colonies to the British "for safe-keeping." Although demoralizing, the colonial government of New Netherland complied and declares its surrender. But before Britain had put its troops in New Netherland, a coup against the New Netherland colonial government had taken place, overthrowing the Director-General and putting him under arrest for treason. A provisional government had been set up by the patroons. Britain demands the provisional government's surrender, but the patroons had refused, plunging them to the Independence War (then known as the Autumn War). However, as the situation worsens in Europe for Britain and her allies, the British withdrew from the Autumn War and signed a treaty with New Netherland, which would guarantee their independence in the coming future years.
Geography
Government and politics
Nieuw Nederlandt is a unitary semi presidential representative democratic republic with strong democratic traditions. Nieuw Nederlandt is described as a consociational state. Its politics and governance are characterised by a common striving for broad consensus on important issues, within both of the political community and society as a whole yet once chosen they are committed. The executive branch consists of the Raadpensionaris who is both the head of government and the head of state and elected by parliament on a 4 year term.
Major political institutions are the Raadpensionaris, the States General and the judicial system. There are three other High Colleges of state, which stand on equal foot with parliament but have a less political role, of which the Council of State is the most important. Other levels of government are the municipalities, the water boards and the provinces. Although not mentioned in the Constitution, political parties and the Raaden van bestuur and to some extent the military are important political institutions as well.
Executive Branch
Raadspensionaris
The Raadpensionaris is the head of state and head of Government of Nieuw Nederlandt as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Nieuw Nederlandt Armed Forces. He is elected not through the popular vote but rather indirectly through the Tweede Kamer elections. This means that in practice he is the leader of the largest party.
Legislative Branch
Staten-General
The Staten-General of New Netherlands or officially Staten-Generaal der Nieuwe Nederlanden is the the bicameral legislature of Nieuw Nederlandt consisting of de Tweede Kamer (lower house) and de Eerste kamer or Senate (upper house). The two houses meet in the Kamers der staten in the goverment district of New Amsterdam, which is often called the fortress of the republic.
De Staten-Generaal der Nieuwe Nederlanden considers itself the true successor of the spirit of the original Staten-Generaal of the Dutch republic of the 17th century. In reality, its current form stems from the 1903 republican revolution that brought about the current powers of the Staten-Generaal. Before the revolution of 1903 or de Republican spring, the Staten-Generaal was a patroon-dominated body that had all its powers vested in the upper house. It was after small reforms and a quick but effective silent coup that the new goverment came to power. They then started to reform the system to give more power to the lower house and created the position of Raadpensionaris.
De Tweede kamer is directly elected by popular vote through a party system, the leader of the largest party at the end of the elections, or the person within the largest party that has gained most votes often becomes the Raadpensionaris. This however has created a situation where it’s possible for the opposition parties to form a majority coalition against the largest party by direct vote. De eerste kamer or senaat is elected through the provincial councils or provincial estates. These councils in turn are formed through elections within each province. This body has the duty to see if the laws made in the lower house are legal or are applicable and is said to be a body with an unofficial rule that party politics can never dominate what is best for the counry.
Tweede Kamer
Eerste Kamer
Judicial Branch
Administrative Divisions
There are seven administrative divisions of mainland Nieuw Nederlandt, including the New Amsterdam federal district, as well as one overseas territory. These divisions are:
- Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire overseas territory (ACB islands)
- Hakaene
- Ieire
- Irokesenlandt
- Noord-Oudelandt
- Nieuw Amsterdam (Federal District)
- Nieuw Anglia
- Noord-Oudelandt
- Suydt-Oudelandt
- Swaanendael
Provincial Governments
Regional government in Nieuw Nederlandt is formed by the 8 provinces. Provinces are responsible for spatial planning, local taxes, health policy, certain cultural policy and recreation within limits set out in the national constitution; they additionally oversee the policy and finances of municipalities, local utilities and water boards. Provincial governments consist of a 15 member provincial council elected every 6 years by popular vote with a provincial constituency and the a Provincial Stadhouder appointed by the Huis van de Burgher and approved by the Provincial council every 4 years. The Provincial Stadhouder is the leader of the Provincial government and has the responsibilities of streamlining local governance and acting as a bridge between the national and provincial governments.
Foreign relations
Nieuw Nederlandt maintains foreign relations with most countries in the world barring some exceptions. It’s a founding member of the Internationale Nederlandse gemeenschap (Dutch-sphere organization) which consists of nearly 15 countries, its a founding member of ANAN, The organization for cooperation in the Caribbean, the organization of east American develop and it holds a leading role within the Dutch-speaking world competing often with the Netherlands itself for cultural dominance.
Military
The New Netherlands armed forces (Nieuw Nederlandse krÿgsmaegte ) are the military and paramilitary forces of NNL, under the Raad der defensie as supreme commander. They consist of the NNL Army (Landmag), NNL Navy (De Staatse Vloot, the NNL Air and Space Force (Lugmag), the national commando service (Kommando Dienst) which is the reserve, and the Military Police called the National Guard ( Nationale Garde), which also fulfils civil police duties in the rural areas of NNL. Together they are among the largest armed forces in the world and one of if not the strongest of America’s. In total including all branches and reserves, the krÿgsmaegte has a total of 1.3 million under its umbrella, 390.000 of them are on active duty (excluding the National Guard). The Krijgmagte is one of the largest civilian employers within NNL either directly or indirectly as it oversees a fast military-industrial complex employing some 700.000 people in one way or another.
While the National Guard is an integral part of the NNL armed forces (Guardsmen are career soldiers), and therefore under the purview of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, it is operationally attached to the Ministry of the Interior as far as its civil police duties are concerned.
When acting as a general-purpose police force, the Gendarmerie encompasses the counter-terrorist units of the Parachute Intervention Squadron of the National guard (Parachute interventie groep), the National Guard Intervention Group (Interventie Groep), the Search Sections of the National Guard (Nationale recherce), responsible for criminal inquiries, and the Mobile Brigades of the National Guarde (Mobiele eenheden) which have the task to maintain public order and intervene if local police forces cannot maintain order. A special unit of the national guard is attached to protecting valuable and high-ranking politicians and protecting the national assembly and other important buildings that house the Republic her institutions.
The krÿgsmaegte posses a wide variety of intelligence services the most notable of them being the CID or Centraale Inlichtingen Directoraat (Central intelligence directorate) which is responsible for foreign military intelligence and reports directly to the chief of the general staff. The other intelligence agency often simply called the Blauwe wacht or “Dienst van binnenlandse veiligheid” is responsible for intelligence in the interior and falls under the national guard. A notable aspect of the intelligence apparatus and the military as a whole is that it all reports to the chief of the general staff.
Nieuw Nederlandt is often considered one of the few nations in America that developed its nuclear capability independently of other nations. It maintains a sizeable nuclear arsenal while it never openly admits that it has it it’s considered an open secret. Its nuclear forces in turn fall under the Air force and the Navy depending on the role. NNL maintains one of the largest arsenals of biological agents and chemical weapons, with some saying it is the largest in America and of the northern hemisphere. This has however never been confirmed by any credible sources.
Nieuw Nederlandt has major military industries with one of the largest aerospace industries in the world. Its industries have produced such equipment as the Specht fighter series, Roodkop multirole fighter, the Donck class aircraft carrier, the Exocet missile, and the Roosevelt tank among others.
NNL has noted that it has one of the more robust and domestically capable military-industrial complexes in the world. Developing everything from tanks to jets to missiles and space-based capabilities. It has been a world leader for example in jet technology ever since the 1960s being the first nation to put a so-called “stealth” aircraft into service. NNL is a major arms seller, with most of its arsenal's designs available for the export market with the notable exception of nuclear-powered devices.
NNL has consistently developed its cybersecurity capabilities, which are regularly ranked as some of the most robust of any nation of the world.
Economy
Economy of New Netherland
Demographics
Culture
The culture of the Nieuw-Nederlandt is primarily of Dutch origin but is influenced by a multicultural mix that includes Northern European, ,Afro Amerikaener, Native-Amerikaener, and Asian cultural aspects with varying levels. It also has its own distinct social and cultural characteristics, such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore. Nieuw-Nederlandt is often seen as the benchmark of Amerikaener culture due to its dominant position within the Amerikaener political, cultural and social sphere and its leading role within ANAN. It is one of the few nations where cultural traits are seen as more important than ethnic traits in regards to citizenship. It’s well known for its militarism, love of parties, love of drinking, and refusal to give up under any circumstances.