The 1923 naval law and Dutch destroyer shortfall

The 1923 naval law would have funded 16 submarines, two submarine minelayers, two cruisers, four fleet vessels, 12 destroyers, and 100 aircraft. Its six-year cost was 300 million guilders. The proposal lost by 50 votes to 49 amid demonstrations and post-First World War budget pressure. The promise of a war to end all wars encouraged resistance to preparing for another conflict. Although the Netherlands had remained neutral, its people had watched the destruction around them. Their experience of staying out of the fighting also encouraged the belief that neutrality would protect them again. These expectations made the destroyer shortage part of a larger dispute about whether further military preparation was necessary.