  This article reviews the early academic and public reception of Albert
Einstein's theory of relativity in the Netherlands, particularly after Arthur
Eddington's eclipse experiments of 1919. Initially, not much attention was
given to relativity, as it did not seem an improvement over Hendrik A. Lorentz'
work. This changed after the arrival in Leiden of Paul Ehrenfest. Soon
relativity was much studied and lead to controversy among a number of
conservative intellectuals, as elsewhere in Europe. The tone of Dutch critics
was much more mild, however. This can be understood when one considers Dutch
neutrality during World War I. Einstein's political positions were generally
positively perceived in Holland, which Dutch academics put to use in their
efforts at international reconciliation abroad, and the presentation of
theoretical physics at home.
