Back to search

Wilfrid Laurier University

Luctor et Emergo: The impact of the Second World War on Zeeland

Abstract

dc:description

This thesis is a study of the impact of the Second World War on Zeeland, the most southerly maritime province of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The thesis attempts to describe life in Zeeland before the outbreak of war and then looks at the changes caused by the arrival of the Germans in may 1940. For four and a half years Zeelanders (hereafter referred to as Zeeuws) lived and worked under the yoke of German rule and oppression before exchanging that yoke for freedom. It was here that Canadians played a role. On a grand scale, the Canadian Army was part of that large force known as the “Allies” which fought the Nazi war machine anywhere and everywhere. On a much reduced scale, the Canadian Army, specifically the 2nd Canadian Corps, helped the Zeeuws get rid of their German oppressors. In the well-known “Battle of the Scheldt” the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions over-ran the German “Scheldt Fortress” and by the middle of November 1944, most of Zeeland was liberated. After describing this battle and its human and material consequences, the paper concludes with the Zeeuws’ struggle to rebuild their war-shattered province with the assistance of the Allies.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Arts (MA)
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
History
Year dc:date
1983

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • De Waard, Dirk Marc
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Terry Copp

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/8

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Wilfrid Laurier University
Base URL
scholars.wlu.ca/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-08-21
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

De Waard, Dirk Marc. Luctor et Emergo: The impact of the Second World War on Zeeland. 1983. https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/8