Samenvatting

The Dutch colonial rule of the Dutch Antilles started in the 17th century; this thesis is about how that rule has evolved up to the 21st century. About how it has changed over the years and what the factors were that led to these changes. The Netherlands went from being a motherland with colonies to a country with different semi-independent states.

The first chapter explores the early years when the Islands were colonies and the Netherlands exerted complete command over every aspect of decision making on the Islands. This chapter will also illustrate what the purpose of each island was within the Kingdom.

The second and third chapter are more politically tinted. We move from the colonial era to the era when the Islands become more aware of their nationality. This led to them demanding to be treated not as colonies, but as actual members of the Dutch Kingdom. The Islands start the long road towards attaining their right to self-determination. The political aspect is not only limited to politics on the Islands, but also to politics in the Netherlands.

The fourth chapter focuses on the final steps towards the dismantling of the Dutch Antilles. In the future the Dutch Kingdom will no longer consist of the Netherlands and the Dutch Antilles. The new Dutch Kingdom will be made up of the Netherlands, Curaçao, Saint Maarten, Aruba and the BES-islands namely Bonaire Saba and Statia.