How G erman Geopolitics Passed Through the N etherlands, 1920–1945: A Case Study in the Geography of one of Geography's ‘Projects’

Abstract German geopolitics emerged from the early 1920s. It was noticed in the N etherlands but not broadly embraced. In public discourse the term ‘geopolitics’ was hardly ever used between the F irst and S econd W orld W ars but it became a bit more common with the looming threat of a second war and during the G erman occupation. Meanwhile D utch geographers took note of the efforts of H aushofer and his circle. Around 1930, their initial reaction to this project took various forms – constructive criticism, co‐operation and indignant dismissal – but the attention waned over the decade. During the occupation N azi‐friendly geographers discussed the launching of a new geopolitics. The generally shared D utch preference for aloofness, neutrality and recourse to international law as the way to approach international relations precluded the formation of a large, responsive public for G erman geopolitics. The high status of G erman academia provided an initial audience of D utch academic geographers.