Dutch government in exile
| Dutch government-in-exile | ||||||||||
| Nederlandse regering in ballingschap | ||||||||||
| Government in exile | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Capital | Amsterdam | |||||||||
| Capital-in-exile | London | |||||||||
| Government | Transitional government | |||||||||
| Queen | ||||||||||
| • | 1940-1945 | Wilhelmina | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | ||||||||||
| • | 1940 | Dirk Jan de Geer | ||||||||
| • | 1940-1945 | Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy | ||||||||
| Historical era | World War II | |||||||||
| • | Surrender of the Dutch Army in the Battle of the Netherlands | 15 May 1940 | ||||||||
| • | Liberation from Nazi Germany | May 5, 1945 | ||||||||
|
||||||||||
The Dutch government in exile (Dutch: Nederlandse regering in ballingschap), also known as the London Cabinet (Dutch: Londens cabinet) was the government in exile of the Netherlands, headed by Queen Wilhelmina, that evacuated to London after the German invasion of the country during World War II.
Prior to 1940, the Netherlands was a neutral country, generally on good terms with Germany. In May 1940 Queen Wilhelmina escaped to London; the Dutch government under Prime Minister De Geer would follow a day later, after the German invasion. The government was established at Stratton House in the Piccadilly area of London, opposite Green Park. Initially their hope was that France would regroup and liberate the country. Although there was an attempt in this direction, it soon failed, because the Allied forces were surrounded and forced to evacuate at Dunkirk.
The government-in-exile was soon faced with a dilemma. After France had been defeated, the Vichy French government came to power, which collaborated with Hitler. This led to a conflict between De Geer and the Queen. De Geer wanted to return to the Netherlands and collaborate as well. The government in exile was still in control of the Dutch East Indies with all its resources: it was the third largest oil producer at the time (after the US and the USSR). Wilhelmina realised that if the Dutch collaborated with Germany, the Dutch East Indies would be surrendered to Japan, as French Indochina was surrendered later by orders of the Vichy government.
...
Wikipedia