Abstract
"Strictest neutrality" was the political motto determined, upon by the United Provinces of the Netherlands at the beginning of the American Revolution. Though subsequent events prevented their adhering to such a policy, the Dutch furthered the American cause much by not actively participating in the war until victory for the United States was practically assured. |The large commerce, vast capital, and banking character of Holland, and the neighborhood and trade of the West Indies made an alliance with the Netherlands of the utmost importance to the United States. Many factors combined to make negotiations between the two difficult and, for a time, apparently hopeless.The Dutch had a strong aversion to war. As a nation headed by a descendant of the English royal family, they were strongly influenced by that country. The anxiety of the Dutch to preserve their strict neutrality suited neither France nor England, and, consequently, the Netherlands became the center of much diplomatic intrigue, during the American Revolution. England's demand for aid against America, under the treaty stipulations of 1674, the manner in which she tried to enforce it, the hope of gaining security for themselves in the Armed Neutrality, determined finally the course of the United Provinces. They became involved in the war, which ended disastrously for them. |Was it the avarice of the Dutch or their fear of displeasing England that prevented their giving aid to America until late in the war, and what were the results of such action for the Netherlands? Both are questions which inevitably come to mind in considering this topic, and an attempt is made to answer them in the pages that follow.