The Netherlands is a country with strictly limited natural resources yet the Dutch have succeeded in becoming a prosperous nation. Such success and prosperity as have been secured owe not a little to the character of the people themselves: they are hard- working, enterprising, and skilful. Though the Dutch are individualists, at the same time they must co-operate. The menace of water, both from the sea and the rivers, has demanded unity of action and the nature of the environment has inhibited isolated scattered settlement- Hence co-operative action has become a feature of Dutch life whilst, for the most part, the Dutch live in a large number of small towns.

The Dutch economy has during the past quarter of a century received two major upsets: first, Holland was attacked and occupied by Germany during World War II and many of her menfolk and much of her territory suffered from the ravages of the war, and second, the loss of her colonial territories in south-eastern Asia brought economic difficulties, for not only did Holland lose a source of raw materials and foodstuffs but she had to accommodate thousands of refugees from Indonesia. The Dutch thus had to face a major task of rebuilding and rehabilitation after the war. This has been largely accomplished and, although the Dutch have had to tighten their belts, the country is now, once again, prospering.

The Dutch economy is a mixed one. Although the Netherlands is renowned for its farming, the economy is dependent upon trade and manufactures more than upon agriculture. There is a long tradition of commercial activity as we have already noted and Dutch maritime and trading interests are still strong. But perhaps the most remarkable feature of the present-day Dutch economy is the significance of manufacturing industry in view of the country's poverty in home-based and home-produced fuels and industrial raw materials.