The Netherlands was at no point in the Cold War, actively involved. They received Marshall Plan Aid after World War II. This was a program set up by U.S. Secretary of State, George C. Marshall. The program was administered by the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) and was designed to help European countries rebuild themselves after World War II. From 1948 until 1951, the Netherlands received one billion dollars in American aid.

The Netherlands belongs to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). A treaty, signed at Washington on April 4th, 1947 created this. It joined Britain, France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, and Portugal in a fight against communism and aggression from within the North Atlantic area. The Netherlands became a member of NATO in 1949. Today, there are 16 members of NATO. It consists of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The Netherlands was also active in decolonization. In 1962, the Netherlands transferred New Guinea to the United Nations. In 1975, Suriname, a former Dutch colony, became an independent republic. In 1986, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles. Decolonization was a major part of the Cold War. Russia and the United states used smaller countries which had been colonized as pawns in the war.

The Netherlands is considered to be one of the less active participants in NATO, and also viewed as a mediator. The Cold War did not make a huge impact on the Netherlands.