Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Contents; Acknowledgements; Glossary of Terms; Introduction: The Guardians of Neutrality; Chapter 1: The Dutch Dilemma: The Netherlands and Fortress Holland; Chapter 2: The Dutch Fight for Neutrality; Chapter 3: Belgium and the Years of Neutrality; Chapter 4: Belgium Returns to Neutrality; Chapter 5: Neutrality Fails Belgium Again; Chapter 6: Fortress Switzerland; Chapter 7: Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index
Summary
After the Napoleonic Wars the borders of Europe were redrawn and relative peace endured across the region, but the volatile politics of the late nineteenth century generated an atmosphere of fear and distrust, and it gave rise to a new era of fortress building. In the neutral states situated between France and Germany - The Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland - the need for extensive fixed defences was particularly urgent, and this is the subject of this highly illustrated new study. The strategic thinking that gave rise to these defensive schemes is described in detail, as is the planning, d
