Survey of the Archival Sources concerning Migration and Settlement ...

INTRODUCTIONI. Dutch immigration history and the IISHIt is often stated that the virtue of tolerance is one of the fundamental components in thehistory of the Netherlands; this island of forbearance in a rough and merciless ocean ofintolerance. Although this image may be somewhat sullied by bringing to light somehistorical facts which prove the opposite, it is nonetheless possible to argue with somecogency that Holland, in a comparative perspective, for long periods in its history hasindeed provided a safe haven to the persecuted. We may lend credence to this idea byreferring to famed philosphers like René Descartes, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes andPierre Bayle, who all came to the seventeenth century Dutch Republic because theywere not free to express their views in their native countries. The French freethinkerPierre Bayle considered the Dutch Republic in the seventeenth century to be "la grandearche des fugitifs", 4 because in his experience the nation was comparatively friendly andhelpful towards refugees from many nations.Besides the freedom of expression and religion which made it a suitable place totake up residence, we also have to take into account the thriving economy as animportant part of the attraction of the country. This liberal attitude towards foreigners,dissenters and soldiers of fortune became indissolubly associated with the Golden Agein the Netherlands; in the centuries which followed, the relative tolerance remained andone might say that it became a more or less integral part of Dutch history.If we span several centuries to take a closer look at the Kingdom of theNetherlands in the 1930's – by then a constitutional monarchy – we can fairly easilyillustrate that the principle of relative tolerance is still to be observed in this period.David Luschnat for example, who escaped Nazi Germany and came to Holland, spokeof this "asylum for the atrociously persecuted" in his poem "Amsterdam, April 1933" asthe "good, white and clean ship's cabin Holland". 5 Quite apart from the fact that this"cabin" soon became less attractive because of the deteriorating national andinternational situation, our country once more remained comparatively hospitable; manyrefugees from the expanding German "Third Reich" settled here.One of the more eloquent representatives of this spirit of tolerance was thepublishing firm of Allert de Lange in Amsterdam. In the thirties Gerard de Lange, sonof Allert de Lange, was a very important publisher of German writers in exile, whowere not permitted to publish in their native country. Authors like Joseph Roth, StefanZweig and Bertolt Brecht – to name just a few – had to yield to Nazi pressure and founda safe haven in the Netherlands. This renowned publisher leads us to our ownInternational Institute of Social History, not only because 6.50 linear metres of the DeLange archives are held here, but even more since the IISH itself has always had aspecial relationship with migrants.