Marcus Bakker
Encyclopedia
Marcus Bakker was a Dutch
politician of the defunct Communist Party of the Netherlands
(CPN) now merged into GreenLeft
(GL). He was the Parliamentary leader
in the House of Representatives from December 15, 1963 until September 7, 1982.
. He joined the then illegal Communist Party of the Netherlands
(CPN) in 1943, during World War II
. After the war he became an editor of the communist daily newspaper De Waarheid and an official of the CPN.
, Henk Gortzak, Frits Reuter and Bertus Brandsen of being spies. They were eventually expelled from the party.
In 1956, Bakker openly supported the crack down on demonstrations that expressed solidarity with the protests in Poznań
in Communist-led Poland. Bakker did not accept criticism of the Soviet Union
.
When the Netherlands were in the process of adopting a new constitution
, the draft of Article 1 banned discrimination "on the grounds of religion, conviction, political orientation, race or gender". Bakker proposed to add "or any other ground" to this, which was accepted.
in 1982. He was not involved in the talks that led the party to merge with three other parties to form GreenLeft
in 1991. He became a member of the new party, but cancelled his membership in 1999, when the party supported the NATO bombing
of Yugoslavia.
Bakker published his memoirs, entitled Wissels - Bespiegelingen zonder berouw (Reflections without Contrition). He criticized his own role in the Cold War
, but did not apologize for it. He also expressed regrets about labelling dissident party members spies. Bakker never distanced himself from communism as an ideology, although he stated that he felt 'used' by the communist practice in the Eastern Bloc
. Particularly the revelation that the Soviet Union was behind the Katyn massacre
was a disillusionment to Bakker.
The Marcus Bakkerzaal, a room in the current building of the Dutch House of Representatives, was named after Bakker in 1991.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician of the defunct Communist Party of the Netherlands
Communist Party of the Netherlands
The Communist Party of the Netherlands was a Dutch communist political party. The CPN is one of the predecessors of the GreenLeft.- Foundation :...
(CPN) now merged into GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
(GL). He was the Parliamentary leader
Parliamentary group leader
The leader or chairman of a parliamentary group holds an influential political post in a parliamentary system with strong party discipline...
in the House of Representatives from December 15, 1963 until September 7, 1982.
Early life
Bakker was the son of an accountant who worked for the slaughterhouse in ZaandamZaandam
Zaandam is a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811...
. He joined the then illegal Communist Party of the Netherlands
Communist Party of the Netherlands
The Communist Party of the Netherlands was a Dutch communist political party. The CPN is one of the predecessors of the GreenLeft.- Foundation :...
(CPN) in 1943, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war he became an editor of the communist daily newspaper De Waarheid and an official of the CPN.
Politics
In 1953, Bakker became editor-in-chief of De Waarheid, and in 1956 a Member of the House of Representatives. He was a confidant of the then party leader Paul de Groot, who took firm action against dissident movements within the party. Bakker wrote a book called De CPN in de oorlog (The CPN during the war, 1958), in which he accused prominent party members such as Gerben WagenaarGerben Wagenaar
Gerben Wagenaar was a Dutch politician.He was a member of the Communist Party of the Netherlands .When the Nazis conquered the Netherlands, he soon became a member of the Dutch resistance....
, Henk Gortzak, Frits Reuter and Bertus Brandsen of being spies. They were eventually expelled from the party.
In 1956, Bakker openly supported the crack down on demonstrations that expressed solidarity with the protests in Poznań
Poznan 1956 protests
The Poznań 1956 protests, also known as Poznań 1956 uprising or Poznań June , were the first of several massive protests of the Polish people against the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland...
in Communist-led Poland. Bakker did not accept criticism of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
When the Netherlands were in the process of adopting a new constitution
Constitution of the Netherlands
The Constitution of the Netherlands is the fundamental law of the European territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The present constitution is generally seen as directly derived from the one issued in 1815, constituting a constitutional monarchy. A revision in 1848 instituted a system of...
, the draft of Article 1 banned discrimination "on the grounds of religion, conviction, political orientation, race or gender". Bakker proposed to add "or any other ground" to this, which was accepted.
Life after politics
Bakker was succeeded as CPN leader by Ina BrouwerIna Brouwer
Ina Brouwer is a Dutch politician. She was chairperson of the Communist Party of the Netherlands in the House of Representatives and MP for GreenLeft, into which the CPN merged in 1989.-Education and early career:...
in 1982. He was not involved in the talks that led the party to merge with three other parties to form GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
in 1991. He became a member of the new party, but cancelled his membership in 1999, when the party supported the NATO bombing
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
of Yugoslavia.
Bakker published his memoirs, entitled Wissels - Bespiegelingen zonder berouw (Reflections without Contrition). He criticized his own role in the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, but did not apologize for it. He also expressed regrets about labelling dissident party members spies. Bakker never distanced himself from communism as an ideology, although he stated that he felt 'used' by the communist practice in the Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
. Particularly the revelation that the Soviet Union was behind the Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
was a disillusionment to Bakker.
The Marcus Bakkerzaal, a room in the current building of the Dutch House of Representatives, was named after Bakker in 1991.