The election of 1913 reversed the verdict of 1909.  Probably in no country has the principle of the “swing of the pendulum” been so systematically verified as it has in Holland in recent times.  The returns were in 1913:  Church parties, 41; liberals of all groups, 39; socialists, 15.  The most striking change was the increase in the socialist vote, their representation being more than doubled; and, as in 1905, they held the balance of parties in their hands.  With some difficulty Dr Cort van den Linden succeeded in forming a liberal ministry.  The outbreak of the Great War in August, 1914, prevented them from turning their attention to any other matters than those arising from the maintenance of a strict neutrality in a conflict which placed them in a most difficult and dangerous position.  One of the first questions on which they had to take a critical decision was the closing of the Scheldt.  As soon as Great Britain declared war on Germany (August 4), Holland refused to allow any belligerent vessels to pass over its territorial waters.  The events of the six years that have since passed are too near for comment here.  The liberal ministry at least deserves credit for having steered the country safely through perilous waters.  Nevertheless, at the quadrennial election of 1917 there was the customary swing of the pendulum; and an anti-liberal ministry (September 6) was formed, with a Catholic, M. Ruys de Beerenbronck, as first minister.

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EPILOGUE

The dynastic connection of Luxemburg with Holland ceased with the accession of Queen Wilhelmina.  The conditions under which the Belgian province of Luxemburg was created, by the Treaty of Vienna in 1815, a grand-duchy under the sovereignty of the head of the House of Orange-Nassau with succession in default of heirs-male by the family compact, known as the Nassauischer Erbverein, to the nearest male agnate of the elder branch of the Nassau family, have already been related.  With the death of William III the male line of the House of Orange-Nassau became extinct; and the succession passed to Adolphus, Duke of Nassau-Weilburg.  How unfortunate and ill-advised was the action of the Congress of Vienna in the creation of the Grand-Duchy of Luxemburg was abundantly shown by the difficulties and passions which it aroused in the course of the negotiations for the erection of Belgium into an independent state (1830-39).  By the treaty of April 19, 1839, the Walloon portion of Luxemburg became part of the kingdom of Belgium, but in exchange for this cession the grand-duke obtained the sovereignty of a strip of the Belgian province of Limburg.  This caused a fresh complication.