Dietsland refers to the Greater Netherlands, including The Netherlands and Flanders, and sometimes (mostly in even more extreme groups) French Flanders (named as Southern Flanders by these groups) and sometimes even the Afrikaner communities of Southern Africa, in other words, all areas where Dutch is spoken (until 1925 Dutch was a co-official language in South Africa). Its name derives from Dietsch. (Diets is archaïc Dutch for Folk or People)
The concept for Dietsland first became significant in the early 20th century and reached its peak before World War II when it was advocated by irredentists in the Netherlands and Flanders who were influenced by the progress of 'Greater Germany' next door. But its roots go back to the Union of Utrecht and the Dutch Revolt, in which the Seventeen Provinces (or Low Countries, De Nederlanden) were separated. Some (now) Walloon and (now) French parts of the Low Countries chose the side of the Spanish king by the Union of Atrecht, the Dutch-speaking parts declared themselves independent in 1581, but the final frontier was defined by the victories of the Spanish under Alexander Farnese, duke of Parma.
The word 'Diets' hints at a more fascist/nationalistic stance, while Greater Netherlands is more neutral. After World War II the Dietsland idea was disregarded as fascist and lay dormant (while Dietsland was formally prohibited by Adolf Hitler himself) until the 1960s when it was once again advocated by mainly right-wing nationalists. Today there are several groups advocating the Dietsland concept, the most famous being Voorpost which claims chapters in the Netherlands, Flanders, and South Africa. The idea is also current among members of several right-wing parties including the Vlaams Belang in Flanders and Nieuw Rechts in the Netherlands.
Gradually there has been a shift to more moderate politicians who advocate this concept, like Bart De Wever (N-VA), Andries Postma (CDA), Erik Jurgens (PvdA) and Jan Terlouw (D66).
