This work provides readers with a number of articles and essays on the general subject of European expansion. Part 1 discusses colonialism and contains two studies on colonial wars, an essay on the now hotly debated subject of the relationship between science and imperialism, and a study on the role the Netherlands played as a colonial model for such European powers as Britain, Germany, Belgium and France. Part 2 contains an historical article about the debate on French imperialism, an essay on whether or not the Netherlands fits in with the general theory of imperialism, and two case studies on Africa. Part 3 discusses decolonization and its impact on the writing of European overseas history. Essays in this part include topics such as the first model to explain why decolonization took so many different forms, the consequences of the loss of empire for the Netherlands, and two essays which represent an overview of the new trends in the writing of European overseas history after decolonization.