Faithfull Allies? Dutch reactions to the American Vision of German Rearmament, 1945-1955

Abstract

West-Germany's rearmament which happened only 10 years after the Second World War ended was one of the greatest feets in International politics. It was a success for NATO, America and The Netherlands. But the road to Germany's entry into NATO was filled with difficulties. This Thesis investigates that road towards rearmament from the perspective of the Dutch. It holds that America was the great motivator of the process and that despite doubts the Dutch were very much in favor of the rearmament of their former enemy. The thesis uses a framework of Dutch foreign policy tendencies to analyse the process of rearmament.