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Description
For the last 400 years, the Netherlands and its former colony, the New Netherlands have had a tied history.
Initially a string of factories centered around New Amsterdam, the colonies would dramatically grow in size starting in the middle of the 17th century thanks to better managed land policies and influx of settlers from Dutch Brazil. Despite some conflicts with the English colonies they would grow alongside their northern english neighbours and New Amsterdam would quickly become one of the main port of North America. The 18th century saw consolidation of the factories into several provinces who, contrary to other colonies became directly administered by governors appointed by the stadtholder.

Dutch settlers were initially few, although many came during the 18th century who had lost their land to floods, as well as many Flemish. It’s relations with the mother country would dramatically change at the turn of the 19th century, when the Netherlands would be invaded by France, which would prompt many Dutch to flee to the Americas, When they finally got their freedom back, the colony wasn’t satisfied by its status and following years of negotiation, became an equal to the home country, having nearly half its population.
The Netherlands, which got part of the former Hapsburg Netherlands, would quickly industrialise at the start of the 19th century, at the same time so would it’s American counterpart, influenced by the British colonies in New England, the later would experience dramatic growth from immigration, the construction of the Noortrivier canal would link it with the Great Lakes and the heartland of America, and it would become a gate to the interior of America, millions of Italian, German or Irish migrants would arrive to the new world in the port of New Amsterdam, while many would leave to the west, the city’s economy would prosper, helped by its neutrality among its French, British, Danish and American neighbors, and by the end of the 19th century its population would nearly surpass its motherland’s, which was also experiencing Great growth, mainly from its Flemish cities like Antwerp or Brussels.

But the two Netherlands would become at odds with each other’s, their culture growing in opposite direction, and the Netherlands would be isolated between the increasingly economically dominant Zollverein, France and Britain, furthermore their African ventures would be a disaster, both their colonies in central Africa and the Boer insurgencies, when various groups of Cape Dutch who had gone to the hinterlands to flee the despotic rule of the East India companies became opposed to the growth of the Dutch colony following discovery of riches. The decade long wars would be lost by the Netherlands and be he straw that broke the camel’s back, and when the 20th century came the two Netherlands wod break away from each other, splitting their colonial empire in half.

The shared experience of the Great War, which would hit both Europe and the North American continent and devastate both countries and kill millions across the world would leave their continent split and resentful of the other side, more isolated than ever the two Netherlands would renew economic ties with each other, carefully at first but eventually adopting shared elections, economical policies and currency, while including part of their former colonial empire in the economic and political union.

Today the two Netherlands are, together, disproportionally influential in the world, the ports of Rotterdam and New Amsterdam being the door of Europe and North America to most intercontinental trade, the original Netherlands is the first exporter of food in the world, helped by high productivity and extensive land reclamation projects, and has the best universities. Both Amsterdam and New Amsterdam host the largest stock exchange of Europe and America and the guilder is the second most traded currency in the world, New Amsterdam has given birth to some of the most innovating and largest technology and information companies and is a world renown culturally significant place.

Description
For the last 400 years, the Netherlands and its former colony, the New Netherlands have had a tied history.
Initially a string of factories centered around New Amsterdam, the colonies would dramatically grow in size starting in the middle of the 17th century thanks to better managed land policies and influx of settlers from Dutch Brazil. Despite some conflicts with the English colonies they would grow alongside their northern english neighbours and New Amsterdam would quickly become one of the main port of North America. The 18th century saw consolidation of the factories into several provinces who, contrary to other colonies became directly administered by governors appointed by the stadtholder.

Dutch settlers were initially few, although many came during the 18th century who had lost their land to floods, as well as many Flemish. It’s relations with the mother country would dramatically change at the turn of the 19th century, when the Netherlands would be invaded by France, which would prompt many Dutch to flee to the Americas, When they finally got their freedom back, the colony wasn’t satisfied by its status and following years of negotiation, became an equal to the home country, having nearly half its population.
The Netherlands, which got part of the former Hapsburg Netherlands, would quickly industrialise at the start of the 19th century, at the same time so would it’s American counterpart, influenced by the British colonies in New England, the later would experience dramatic growth from immigration, the construction of the Noortrivier canal would link it with the Great Lakes and the heartland of America, and it would become a gate to the interior of America, millions of Italian, German or Irish migrants would arrive to the new world in the port of New Amsterdam, while many would leave to the west, the city’s economy would prosper, helped by its neutrality among its French, British, Danish and American neighbors, and by the end of the 19th century its population would nearly surpass its motherland’s, which was also experiencing Great growth, mainly from its Flemish cities like Antwerp or Brussels.

But the two Netherlands would become at odds with each other’s, their culture growing in opposite direction, and the Netherlands would be isolated between the increasingly economically dominant Zollverein, France and Britain, furthermore their African ventures would be a disaster, both their colonies in central Africa and the Boer insurgencies, when various groups of Cape Dutch who had gone to the hinterlands to flee the despotic rule of the East India companies became opposed to the growth of the Dutch colony following discovery of riches. The decade long wars would be lost by the Netherlands and be he straw that broke the camel’s back, and when the 20th century came the two Netherlands wod break away from each other, splitting their colonial empire in half.

The shared experience of the Great War, which would hit both Europe and the North American continent and devastate both countries and kill millions across the world would leave their continent split and resentful of the other side, more isolated than ever the two Netherlands would renew economic ties with each other, carefully at first but eventually adopting shared elections, economical policies and currency, while including part of their former colonial empire in the economic and political union.

Today the two Netherlands are, together, disproportionally influential in the world, the ports of Rotterdam and New Amsterdam being the door of Europe and North America to most intercontinental trade, the original Netherlands is the first exporter of food in the world, helped by high productivity and extensive land reclamation projects, and has the best universities. Both Amsterdam and New Amsterdam host the largest stock exchange of Europe and America and the guilder is the second most traded currency in the world, New Amsterdam has given birth to some of the most innovating and largest technology and information companies and is a world renown culturally significant place.