Germany and the Netherlands

I live in a country the size of Maryland (and roughly the same population). Let's see. Here we love the Flemish speaking Belgians, dislike the French speaking Belgians, like the French and believe that they have good engineering (and that you should aspire to own a Peugot), and hate the Germans. For some reason, this all makes sense to me. The Netherlands has been overrun in turns by the Spanish, the French, and most recently and often the Germans.

So, what does not make sense to me is the equal hatred the Germans feel toward their next door neighbors, the Dutch. The two speak slightly different languages, but if you understand English and German, you can mostly understand the Dutch (though the grammar is different).

The Dutch, like the Germans are seen as truly industrious - for good reason. But, the Dutch are more mercantile. Makes sense considering their history.

Here are some recent snippets of conversation with friends: "In England if you go bald you buy a toupee, in the Netherlands, you sell your comb"; "The British are so undependable, if you call someone to provide a service they are just as likely to not arrive or to arrive late (my friend likened this to the Manana attitude in New Mexico without actually visiting New Mexico or experiencing that)". The things that get me thinking are hearing about the privations of either country after the war (I don't advertise my Judaism and just keep my mouth shut). My least favorite quote is the following "Under Hitler, we at least had full employment" (said by a friend of a German friend) -- which to me sounds as hollow as the Russians pining for the Stalin period.  

I guess it makes sense that we are watching the European Union bedrock shake if they cannot get past their histories and animosities.