Belgian refugees in the Netherlands during the First World War Belgian refugees in the Netherlands during the First World War During the First World War between 1914 and 1918, approximately one million Belgians fled across the border to the Netherlands. These refugees were both civilians who were afraid of the war and the alleged atrocities of the Germans, and soldiers who either deserted or were cut off from their army unit. Officially Belgium, like the Netherlands, was a neutral country during the war. By 1904 the news had already leaked out that the Germans had a plan to march through Belgium to reach France. Precautionary measures were taken against this,
Austria – the Nazis' first victim real issue is that Austria has lied for decades about its own involvement in the atrocities Mr. Waldheim was involved in: deportations, reprisal murders, and others too painful to think about". The Waldheim affair captivated the country, an unprecedented discussion about the military past developed in the press. In the very beginning of it the conservatives, who absolutely dominated in Austrian media, formulated the new "victim theory" that was the first in the history to apply to patriotism of Austrians. From the right-wing's point of view Austria and Waldheim personally became victims of the campaign of defamation by the world