Greater Netherlands

Common card · No. 246777

Greater Netherlands (Dutch: Groot-Nederland, pronounced [ˌɣroːt ˈneːdərlɑnt]) is an irredentist concept which unites the Netherlands, Flanders, and 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. 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, who argued that the "Dutch tribe", encompassing the Flemish and Dutch people, are only separated due to the Eighty Years' War against Spain in the 16th century. 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...

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