World War I began in 1915, when Arch Duke Ferdinand was assassinated. The Netherlands were not occupied at any point in the war, however, the Allied Forces put them under strict quotas. The Netherlands Trust was set up to monopolize and administer the rigid quota of imports allowed into Holland through the Allied Blockade. This was set up so that Germany would not be able to import war supplies through Holland's ports. The Allies even attempted to totally prevent Dutch sales to Germany, but this was unsuccessful. Germany did not occupy the Netherlands mainly because they wanted use of Rotterdam Port.

World War II began in 1939. The Netherlands did not become directly involved until August, 1940. However, in August of 1939, food rationing began in the Netherlands. On May 10^th, 1940, the Netherlands was brought into the war. The crowded cities in Holland received damaging air attack by the Germans and the Netherlands was forced to surrender. With the German occupation, came many new rules and regulations. In August 1944, citizens were forbidden use of electricity and were not allowed in the streets after dark. The penalty for breaking these regulations was to be shot.

The holocaust effected the Netherlands severely. It started on October 2, 1941, when non-Jews were forbidden to do household work in Jewish homes. This was because of alleged moral and sexual risks for Aryans. Then, in March 1942, Jews were prohibited to have sexual contact with non-Jews. Interracial marriages were forbidden, also, black people were restricted from Aryans. Jews were also restricted from particular jobs, such as charity work, and working in companies run by non-Jews for non-Jews. In autumn of 1941, all unemployed Jews were placed in labor camps. Then, in 1942, the Jews in labor camps were moved to Westerbork, a concentration camp. Also in 1942, the Germans began concentrating all Jews into Amsterdam. All moving was prohibited except to Amsterdam. The Jews began having more and more rights taken away. In March of that year, Jews had all of their private motor vehicles taken away. They could not go to non-Jewish hairdressers or use public telephones. All private, Jewish subscribers had their telephones disconnected. On June 14, 1942, more new regulations were put in place. Jews were prohibited from many recreational activities, such as canoeing, rowing, swimming, fishing, and bicycles. On June 40^th, 1942, more new regulations came out. Between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am, Jews were not allowed to go out of their homes. Shopping between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm was the only time permitted. The rest of the time was reserved for "Aryans." No public transport was allowed for Jews either. In early May 1942, Jews were required to wear yellow stars on clothes in public with "Jood" written on them. This was to distinguish them from Aryans so they could be publicly humiliated. On May 21, any infringement of new regulations was made to have very serious consequences.

Starting on June 26^th, 1942, Jewish men and women who were between the ages of 16 and 40, would have to be put to work in Germany. The Germans decided that one thousand Dutch Jews each week would be transported to concentration camps. The first transport took place on July 15^th, 1942. Jews were collected from their homes in the middle of the night, unexpectedly. Every Tuesday morning, one thousand Dutch Jews would be put on a transport. Most of these Jews were sent to Auschwitz, 34,000 of them to Sobidor, in Poland and several thousand to Bergen-Belsen in Germany and to Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. In November 1942, more than 2000 Jews were deported from Amsterdam. These transports continued to take place until September 17^th, 1944. Only twenty-five percent of all Dutch Jews survived the war. 3000 of these Jews escaped through neutral countries. In all, 107,000 Dutch Jews were transported to concentration camps and killed.

Resistance started by simple fistfights in the streets between the Nazi youth and the Dutch. Eventually, it evolved to the point where the Dutch would loot German cars to steal ration cards and identification papers so they could sneak Jews out of the country. The Dutch Resistance began to sneak Jews out of German guard. Once removed from the Germans, the Dutch would deliver the Jews into homes of civilians to be hidden. Often times, the Dutch civilians would not accept Jews into their homes for fear of being caught and sent to the concentration camps themselves. In most cases, the Jews would be moved from one home to another every few days.

By the time the war was over, the Resistance movement had saved many Jews from the concentration camps and had managed to create a network of very well organized codes and systems for rescuing Jews and helping fight against the Nazis.

World War II ended in May 1945. The Netherlands were left with much destruction and death. Throughout the war, 270,000 Netherlanders had been killed or starved to death. Almost half of the nation's factories and shipping and most of its railroads were destroyed. The harbors at Amsterdam and Rotterdam were badly crippled. To add to this, a seventh of the land was flooded as a result of war damage to the dikes, which controlled the waters. After the war, several hundred thousand Netherlands left their country to move to Australia, Canada, or the United States.

The Netherlands needed some help to rebuild their country after the war. In 1945, the Netherlands became a charter member of the United Nations. In 1947, they joined the European nations working together for recovery under the Marshall Plan of the United States. They received one billion dollars in Marshall Plan aid. The Netherlands also joined other programs to promote international unity. They joined Benelux, the Council of Europe, the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Common Market, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). By 1955, industrial production had actually increased to 60 percent greater than pre-World War II level in the Netherlands. Farm output was almost 20 percent greater.