Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 70

leaving the Greens out again. They had 68 seats for 11% of the lower house
of parliament.
he Netherlands has been a leader in environmental protection, compa-
rable to Germany in its zeal, but smaller in terms of its population or econ-
omy, being only one-fifth as large. Dutch history has been the story of the
people's battle with the sea. Since prehistoric times they have been pushing
it back to create land by building dikes and filling in marshes. The old saying
is that “God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland.” By the Middle
Ages its cities were some of the largest and richest in Europe. One conse-
quence of the early urbanization was that cities had to enact regulations to
control garbage and sewage. In the 19th century, rapid industrialization and
more urbanization caused air and water pollution and diseases like cholera
and tuberculosis. Early 19th century laws addressed these problems, cul-
minating in the Nuisance Act of 1875, based on public health goals. That
century also saw the influence of the Romantic Movement on literature and
painting. The turn of the 20th century marked the establishment of early
conservation and nature groups like the Foundation for the Protection of
Birds and the Foundation for the Preservation of Natural Monuments.
Being located at the heart of Europe, the Netherlands was constantly at
the center of wars between the Great Powers. The Congress of Vienna in
1815 declared the country to be permanently neutral, and it was able to
maintain that status in World War I. But in World War II the Nazis ignored
its neutrality with its blitzkrieg, conquering the country in a few days. That
trauma left the Dutch even more convinced of the need to cooperate with
their neighbors to guarantee their safety. In 1949 the country opted for
collective security by joining NATO. The second reason to cooperate was
its desire for free trade. The Netherlands has been a center of commerce
for centuries. Rotterdam is the biggest port on the Continent. Even before
the end of World War II, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg
formed the Benelux customs union to promote free movement of workers,
capital, goods, and services. The country cooperated with the United States
on the Marshall Plan and was a founding member of the Coal and Steel
Community. It was a founding member of the Common Market, signing
the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Since then it has become more integrated by
evolving into the European Community, and then the European Union.