The Low Countries (Belgium/ Koninkrijk België/Royaume de Belgique, the Netherlands/Nederland, and Luxembourg)

Abstract

These countries are grouped together in geography and history, but are very different in the context of nationalism. Nevertheless, it is possible to group them together as archetypal ‘smaller European democracies’, and two (Belgium and the Netherlands) are examples of ‘consociational’ or power-sharing democracies, although based on different social and political ‘cleavages’ (only Belgium is divided by ethnicity and language).¹ It is doubtful if there is a Belgian nation at all, since it is composed of two strong ethnic, linguistic and perhaps national groups, the Flemings in Flanders (60 per cent) and the Walloons or Francophones in Wallonia (30 per cent), and a small German-speaking population (10 per cent). The Netherlands (often erroneously called Holland²) is by contrast relatively unified ethnically and linguistically, but divided on religion. Even so, the Frisians of Friesland/Fryslân (411 000 in 20003) are separated ethnically and linguistically from the Dutch, and have recently displayed nationalist politics and have achieved some cultural and political autonomy, Luxembourg is a political anomaly, a state of 432 000 people in an area of 998 square miles (2586 sq.km.), which has distinctive linguistic characteristics (Lëtzeburgisch) yet uses French and German as official written languages, with French the official language for administrative purposes.