Abstract
The Benelux countries — Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg — are surrounded by the great powers of northern Europe, and their population, taken together, has never amounted to more than half that of France, Britain or Germany. Over the centuries the central location and small size of the Benelux countries have created both dangers and opportunities. These countries have been traversed by the armies and buffeted by the economic policies of their large neighbours. But being at the crossroads of Europe, the Belgians, Dutch and Luxemburgers have often been able to profit by acting as commercial and financial intermediaries. These countries have been among the ranks of the most developed economies since the Middle Ages, and at the beginning of the twentieth century, along with Britain, were at the top of the European league table of income per capita.
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Solar, P.M., de Jong, H.J. (1998). The Benelux Countries. In: Foley, B.J. (eds) European Economies Since the Second World War. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-26565-7_5
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