Reichskommissariat Niederlande
| Reichskommissariat Niederlande | ||||||||||
| Rijkscommissariaat Nederland | ||||||||||
| Reichskommissariat of Germany | ||||||||||
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.svg) Reichskommissariat Niederlande in 1942.
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| Capital | Amsterdama | |||||||||
| Languages |
Dutch German |
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| Government | Civil administration | |||||||||
| Reichskommissar | ||||||||||
| • | 1940–1945 | Arthur Seyss-Inquart | ||||||||
| Leader of the Dutch People | ||||||||||
| • | 1942–1945 | Anton Mussert | ||||||||
| Historical era | World War II | |||||||||
| • | Seyss-Inquart appointed | May 19, 1940 | ||||||||
| • | German capitulation | May 9, 1945 | ||||||||
| Population | ||||||||||
| • | 1940 est. | 8,834,000 | ||||||||
| Currency | Dutch guilder (NLG) | |||||||||
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| Today part of |
 Netherlands
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| a. | As in pre-war and post-war Netherlands, The Hague was the actual seat of government. | |||||||||
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The Reichskommissariat Niederlande was the civilian occupation regime set up by Germany in the German-occupied Netherlands during World War II. Its full title was the Reich Commissariat for the Occupied Dutch Territories (German: Reichskommissariat für die besetzten niederländischen Gebiete). The administration was headed by Arthur Seyss-Inquart, formerly the last chancellor of Austria before initiating its annexation by Germany (the Anschluss).
The German domination of the Netherlands began with the German invasion. On the day of the capitulation (15 May 1940) the entire ministerial staff fled to London to form a Dutch government in exile. Queen Wilhelmina had already preceded them the previous day. This had de facto left government authority in the hands of general Henri Winkelman as the senior-most military commander in the Netherlands. On 20 May 1940 a military administration was initially implemented, led by Militärsbefehlshaber Alexander Freiherr von Falkenhausen. This was quickly disbanded however to be replaced by a civil administration under the authority of the newly appointed Arthur Seyss-Inquart, who was named Reichskommissar für die besetzten niederländische Gebiete. The new form of government was therefore not a German military government (Militärverwaltung) but a civil government (Zivilverwaltung). Hitler chose this option on mainly ideological grounds: the Dutch were considered a "racially related kindred-people" and therefore had to be won over for National Socialism.
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