Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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exclusively, he wrote a series of books and articles on the topic of the Netherlands between
1914 and 1919?5 The most important of these, the three volumes of Nederland in de Eerste
Wereldoorlog (The Netherlands in the First World War), despite their promising title, were
little more than a study of foreign affairs policy and Dutch intemational relations. 76 Much
criticism was levelled at this work,n which incited Smit to write a somewhat apologetical
collection of essays, Tien Studien (Ten Studies), in which he brushed up on topics he failed
to cover in the previous three books. Yet his publications were mainly descriptive with very
little analysis and the reader's overall impression is that Smit did not attempt to impart
either a systematic survey of foreign policy or the motivations behind neutrality. There is,
therefore, a particular need to revise Nederland in de Eerste Wereldoorlog and remedy
these shortcomings, especially when examining the intricacies of Dutch foreign relations.
The historian, Marc Frey, has recently taken some important steps to rectify Smit's
limitations by analysing the economic implications of Dutch foreign policy with Gennany,
Great Britain and the United States. 78 It is indicative that despite their critique of Smit, few
Tweede Stuk [Documents regarding the foreign policy of the Netherlands 1848 - 1919. Third Period 1899 - 1919.
Fifth Volume 1917 - 1919. First and Second Part] The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1964.
75 C. Smit, Hoogtij del' Neutraliteitspolitiek. De Buitenlandse Politiek van Nederland 1899 - 1919. [Height of
neutrality politics. The Foreign Policies of the Netherlands 1899 - 1919] Leiden: A. W. Sijthoff, 1959; C. Smit, "Sir
Francis Oppenheimer" internationale Spectator. 15, no. 19, 1961, pp. 530 - 546; C. Smit, "Nederland tussen de
volkeren" [The Netherlands amongst the nations] Tijdschrift voor Overheidsadministratie. 19, nr. 928,1963, pp. 457
- 462; Smit, Nederland in de Eerste Wereldo a rlog. Three volumes; Smit, Tien studien; C. Smit, "Nederland in de
Zevenjarige OOl'log en in de Eerste Wereldoorlog" [The Netherlands in the Seven Years' War and the First World
War] in Historisch Gezelschap te 's Gravenhage (eds.), Driekwart Eeuw Historisch Leven in Den Haag. Historische
Opste//en Uitgegeven tel' Gelegenheid van het 75-Jarig Bestaan van het Historisch Gezelschap 's Gravenshage.
[Three-quarters of a century historical life in The Hague. Historical essays. Published on the occasion of the 75 th
anniversary of the Historical Association in The Hague] The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1975, pp. 174 - 186; C. Smit,
"Zelfstandigheidspolitiek van Nederland" [Independence policy of the Netherlands] (1971) and "Waarom bleef
Nederland buiten de Eerste Wereldoorlog?" [Why did the Netherlands stay out of the First World War?] (1975) both
in N. C. F. van Sas (ed.), De kracht van Nederland. internationale positie en buitenlands beleid. Haarlem: H. J. W.
Becht, 1991, pp. 72 - 87.
76 Smit, Nederland in de Eerste Wereldoorlog Three volumes.
77 M. van der Goes van Naters, "Een plein met een verleden. De subjectieve historiografie van mr. dr. C. Smit" [A
square with a past. The subjective historiography ofmr. dr. C. Smit] Socialisl71e en Democratie. Maandblad v([n de
Partij van de Arbeid. 7, July 1960, pp. 391 - 399; Markus Bussman, "Marc Frey, Der Erste Weltkrieg und die
Niederlande, Ein neutrales Land im politischen und wirtschaftlischen Kalkiil del' Kriegsgegner. Berlin: Akademie
Verlag, 1998. Studien zur internationalen Geschichte ... " in H-Net Book Review. Published by
February 1999 (accessed February 1999), no page numbers, fn 2; W. Cappers, P. Kamphuis, "Die
Niederlande und der erste Weltkrieg" in Jurgen Rohwer (ed.), Neue Forschungen Zltll1 Ersten Weltkrieg. Literatur
berichte lind Bibliographien von 30 Mitgliedstaaten del' 'Commission Internationale dHistoire Militaire
Comparee '. (Schriften del' Bibliothek fUr Zeitgeschichte. Band 25) Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe Verlag, 1985, pp. 246
- 247.
78 Brands, "The Great War die aan ons voorbijging" p. 17. Marc Frey, "Deutsche Finanzinteressen an den
Vereinigten Staaten und den Niederlanden im Ersten Weltkrieg" Militargeschichtliche Mitteilungen. 53, 1994, pp.
327 - 353; Marc Frey, "Trade, Ships, and the Neutrality of the Netherlands in the First World War" International