Kingdom of Benelux

Kingdom of Benelux

Summary
Benelux currently has a population of 34,000,000 people, and is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. The Queen is head of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. Though the monarchy has a purely ceremonial role in matters of state, the royal opinion is still sought out often by government as a way to achieve unity in order to display coherence to the public.

History
-           Benelux came to be as the strengthened ties within the Netherlands blossomed into a society that was willing to devolve powers towards the Flemish, French, and German speaking lands dominated by the Dutch coastal cities. While extremely wealthy, the nation found itself sandwiched between titans, and so their seminal decision to involve themselves in saving the British crown in the 18th century led to assurances from both France and Great Britain. Later missions and treaties with Grossdeutschland assured it of a de facto neutral status among Europeans. In 1873 de facto neutrality became official with the Rotterdam declaration. Times have been good for the people of the Low Countries, with peace and stability bringing one of the greatest standards of living.

        The economic situation however had greatly deteriorated such conditions and brought upon a large banking collapse in the nation. Worse yet, France’s posturing in the past few decades has become more extreme by its own economic struggles. Some now question the venerable capitalist system and its tainted principles, socialist and labor parties have been growing in popularity, and labor strikes wrack the nation periodically. Queen Wilhelmina is popular and an approachable monarch, but even the monarchy’s austere reputation may not be enough to maintain the status quo of the nation’s politics. With the world’s largest shipping fleet, and huge commercial interests across continents, Benelux is by no means a dwarf among giants, and it’s strong defensive networks and canals make it quite the bastion.

