(During the war, the Netherlands had
remained neutral, something that had been a principle of Dutch foreign politics
for some time. The Dutch army was, however, mobilised to defend its own territory.
Furthermore, the Netherlands had to deal with the peripheral effects of the
war. Large numbers of Belgian refugees had to be taken in, in temporary camps,
among other places. Unemployment rose due to the fall in international trade
and the sinking (by torpedoes) of many merchant vessels. Food became scarce and
rationing was introduced. In 1917 and 1918, despairing housewives plundered
food stocks in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.)
