Rood noch oranje: de sociale strijd van de Nederlandse marinematroos, 1870-1914

Abstract

Neither red nor orange is a study of the manner in which Dutch sailors developed as a professional group during the period 1870-1914, and how the (naval and other) authorities and the 'outside world' responded to this. The key questions are: how did the Dutch rating's emancipation proceed in the period prior to the First World War, and what responses did this fight for emancipation provoke among the (naval) authorities, Parliament and the press? It is likely that the dissatisfaction, the alleged sympathy for the SDAP among sailors, and the fierce response of the naval authorities were interrelated. This doctoral thesis aims to analyse and explain the formation of the tensions within the Royal Netherlands Navy that reached an evident peak in 1918. In essence, this entails addressing the more abstract question of how an authoritarian organisation such as the Navy and an increasingly democratic society came to relate to one another. In doing so, this study outlines the background against which the discussion about the reliability and political affiliations of the fleet should be considered.