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Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands)
Encyclopedia
The Social Democratic Workers' Party (in Dutch
: Sociaal Democratische Arbeiders Partij, SDAP) was a Dutch
socialist
political party
and a predecessor of the social-democratic
PvdA.
(SDB) after a conflict between anarchist and reformist
factions. During the SDB party conference of 1893 in Groningen, a majority voted to stop participating in the elections. They were afraid that the parliamentary work would drift the socialists away from what socialism was really about. A minority of members led by Pieter Jelles Troelstra
tried to prevent this, and later left the party in order to create a new party. The foundation of a new party was controversial within the socialist movement, because Troelstra was seen as a bourgeois force who had destroyed the unity of the SDB and the socialist movement. When the anarchist elements began to take full control of the SDB, important regional social-democratic figures joined the group around Troelstra. Together they formed a group called "the twelve apostles". The twelve apostles nearly all came from the provinces of Fryslan and Groningen
or from large cities like Amsterdam
and Rotterdam
, and most were educated men in bourgeoisie occupations like teacher, vicar or lawyer. That's why SDB-members and other socialists mockingly called the SDAP not a workers' party but a teachers' (Dutch: Schoolmeesters), vicars (Dutch: Dominees) and lawyers (Dutch: Advocaten) party still forming the acronym SDAP.
The party was founded in Zwolle
in 1894. The party programme was a literal translation of the Erfurt Program
of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD). Both parties believed in an imminent revolution which would make an end to suffering and inequality between classes and between men and women. The parliamentary work was only seen as a means to help the workers before the revolution would set off.
In the first years the SDAP was a small party, searching for the best way to organize itself. It received a lot of help, both financial and organizational, from the German SDP. In 1894 the International
recognized the SDAP as the Dutch labour party. The SDAP was open for other socialist organizations, such as labour unions to associate themselves with the party.
In 1897
the party won its first two seats in the House of Representatives. Pieter Jelles Troelstra
, a controversial person in the party, won the seat of Tietsjerksteradeel in Friesland and became chairman of the parliamentary party. In parliament the SDAP supported the social legislation of the Liberal
majority cabinet, led by Nicolaas Gerard Pierson
. The core of the cabinet was formed by the Liberal Union. During this period the party became the major socialist party of the Netherlands, attracting famous writers and poets like Herman Gorter
, Henriëtte Roland Holst
-van der Schalk and Herman Heijermans
junior, and the journalist Pieter Lodewijk Tak.
In 1900, party leader Troelstra visited Berlin
and received a considerable sum of money, with which the party founded its own daily news paper, called Het Volk
, Dagblad voor de Arbeiderspartij (The People, Paper for the Workers' Party). In the same year the remainder of the SDB, which was renamed Socialist League joined the SDAP
In the 1901 elections
the SDAP performed particularly well: it tripled its seats to six, the Liberal cabinet which the socialists supported lost its majority. The confessional, christian-democrat
cabinet, composed of the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party
and the Catholic Catholic General League
ignored the Socialists. After the election victory the party's power in the socialist pillar began to rise. In a massive reorganization, the associated socialist organizations had to integrate with the party's branches.
broke out in the docking sector, out of solidarity
other sectors like the railway sector went on strike too. The employers reacted by firing the strikers. Years of oppression of the socialist movement and labour unions led to a huge revolt. The strikers demanded the re-employment of fired strikers, payment of wages for the striking days and the recognition of labour unions. The surprised directors of the railway companies accepted the demands. Meanwhile the confessional cabinet led by Kuyper
wanted to end the strike by posing harsh penalties against the strikers, because the strike struck vital industries.
Initially the SDAP supported the strike, hoping it would spark a socialist revolution. But in reaction to the government legislation, moderate party members, including Troelstra, turned against the strikes. This led to a controversy between orthodox Marxists
and moderate revisionists.
The strike ended the cooperation of socialist unions with confessional unions and the social democratic SDAP and anarchists of other organizations. The strike however didn't only lead to breaches. The labour unions were prepared to unite and work together with the SDAP. The Dutch Federation of Trade Unions (Nederlandsch Verbond van Vakvereenigingen, NVV) was founded in 1905 by Henri Polak.
After the railway strike the conflict between revisionists
and orthodox Marxists intensified both within the SDAP and internationally. In 1903 Troelstra lost control of Het Volk to the orthodox faction. In 1904, the orthodox faction had another victory, when revisionism was forbidden by the conference of the International in Amsterdam
.
On the eve of the 1905 elections
the revisionists won a crucial victory. The party decided to support liberal candidates who were in favour of universal suffrage
. The party gained one seat, meaning it held seven seats and supported the liberal minority government, led by De Meester.
Many members of the SDAP were irritated by the behaviour of the orthodox Marxists who were continuously denouncing moderates. Troelstra openly attacked the orthodox Marxists and the party congress in a formal resolution declared to oppose all labelling opportunists and revisionists. The orthodox Marxist chairman Tak resigned and Vliegen became chairman. Tak also lost control of Het Volk
to Vliegen.
In 1907, a group of orthodox Marxists around David Wijnkoop founded the magazine De Tribune, which attacked the revisionist leadership of the SDAP. Troelstra and other leaders removed David Wijnkoop and his associates from the party ranks in 1909. Wijnkoop founded the orthodox Marxist Social-Democratic Party
(SDP) the same year. The SDP later became the Communist Party of Holland. This was one of the first splits within the European labour movement.
In the 1909 elections
the SDAP held on to its seven seats, but their liberal allies lost many seats to the confessional parties, who won a majority of sixty seats. In the knowledge that they could not accomplish anything in parliament, the SDAP focused on the extra-parliamentary movement for universal suffrage
, for both men and women, regardless of class.
The party's original strategy was to organize mass strikes for universal suffrage. But the socialist union NVV feared reprisals from employers. So the SDAP decided to start a petition
. In a mass demonstration
in the Hague
on Prinsjesdag
the petition was presented to parliament. The SDAP called it Roode Dinsdag (Red Tuesday). The demonstration led to considerable controversy, when Queen Wilhelmina
decided not to attend the Prinsjesdag ceremonies. For the 1912 Prinsjesdag the Red Tuesday was forbidden.
During this time the women's movement began to influence the party. Women were deprived of political influence in the party, and the party leadership was split over the issue. Socialist women organizations began to flourish because of the struggle for universal suffrage. The SDAP founded a women's section, called Samen Sterk (Together Strong). Samen Sterk tried to found labour unions for female employees, starting with house maids. This caused considerable controversy in bourgeoisie circles.
The 1913 elections
the SDAP more than doubled its seats to 15. As a serious force in parliament, the SDAP was asked to participate in government by the liberal formateur
, providing three ministers. The SDAP, even the reformist Troelstra, refused government participation, because the party acknowledged one if its major ideals (national disarmament) could not be realized. Instead of an unstable minority government an extra-parliamentary cabinet
was formed, made up out of liberal and non-partisan ministers. The cabinet intended to realize socialist demands, like universal suffrage
, the state pension
and the eight hour working day
.
After the 1913 municipal elections however the SDAP did accept government responsibility in Zaandam
and Amsterdam
, forming governments
with the liberals.
After the First World War had broken out, the SDAP supported the Dutch policy of armed neutrality
. This support was welcomed by the leaders of the other parties but not by many SDAP members. In 1915 a special conference declared that the SDAP only supported the government temporarily and the support could be withdrawn, thus preventing another party-wide conflict.
During the war the allies
blockaded the Dutch ports, which in turn led to enormous lack of food: riots broke out in the major cities. The SDAP supported the government actions against these riots. Many of the protestors were furious about the SDAP and changed allegiance to the Social-Democratic Party.
Meanwhile the political system was in revision. A constitutional reform enabling universal suffrage was prepared by the liberal cabinet. In order to realize this change a two-thirds majority was necessary. This practically meant that all major parties, including the confessional parties needed to agree with the change. The confessional parties would consent to the change, but only if confessional schools would be granted finances equal to the public schools and if universal suffrage was not extended to women.
The SDAP was especially critical of the second demand. On September 17, 1916 it organized a mass rally with 40,000 demonstrators, demanding female suffrage. In the end, however, the party consented with the changes the confessional parties demanded. With some changes, women were granted the right to be elected and women's suffrage was deconstitutionalized, meaning that only a normal majority was necessary to implement the change. In 1919 the left-liberal Henri Marchant initiated a law to implement female suffrage, and in 1922 the first elections with real universal suffrage were held.
In 1918
the first general elections with universal suffrage and proportional representation were held. The SDAP won 22 of the 100 seats. One of these seats was taken by Suze Groeneweg, the first woman elected to parliament. 4 seats were won by other left-wing parties, including the communists. The confessional parties however won a majority.
In November 1918 revolution broke out in Germany
. SDAP leader Troelstra thought that the Netherlands
were ready for revolution as well. In a speech in parliament he demanded the resignation of the government, because he expected the army and the police to support the revolution. The government didn't resign, instead it prevented revolution from spreading. In doing so they were supported by most of the Dutch population. This incident is called "Troelstra's mistake" (Dutch: Troelstra's vergissing). Many SDAP members were displeased with Troelstra. He politically survived the 1919 party congress, though only narrowly.
Troelstra's mistake, the SDAP's reluctance to form a socialist/liberal government in 1913 and the electoral strength of the confessional parties prevented the SDAP's participation in government until 1939.
The SDAP won in the 1919 municipal elections, and socialist supported municipal governments
were formed in many cities.
In 1919 many socialist demands (universal suffrage, the eight hour workday and state pensions) were implemented. The party began to shift their focus away from the revolution and towards the direct improvement of the position of the working class.
During the 1930s the SDAP began to moderate its policies. It removed the demand of national disarmament in 1934, and became less republican, for instance sending a telegram with felicitations to Queen Wilhelmina in 1938 after her daughter, princess Juliana
, gave birth to princess Beatrix
. During the crisis the party proposed several plans for economic reform. In 1935 the SDAP published the 'Plan of Labour' (Plan van de Arbeid), which included plans to increase employment
, nationalize
vital industry and implement a system of unemployment benefit
s.
The confessional-liberal government rejected the socialist proposals for economic reform. After 1936 however it changed its course, giving into socialist demands by devaluating
the guilder and allowing the national debt to rise in order to increase employment.
In reaction to this moderate course a group of orthodox Marxist members, led by Jacques de Kadt
, left the party to form the Independent Socialist Party. After an unsuccessful merger with the (Trotskyist) Revolutionary Socialist Party, many of the 3,000 split members returned.
This course of moderation was suddenly interrupted by the incidents surrounding the mutiny on the cruiser "De Zeven Provinciën". During the mutiny the political leadership of the SDAP announced that, although they did not support it, they could understand the motives behind the mutiny. Because of this incident the government temporarily forbade soldiers to be a member of the SDAP.
In 1939, at the dawn of the Second World War prominent SDAP members were asked to participate in a national coalition, led by Protestant politician De Geer
; the dawning war was the extreme necessity that allowed the SDAP to enter government. After the Netherlands was invaded by the Germans this government became the Dutch government in exile
, in London
. The SDAP first supplied two ministers (Albeda and Jan van de Tempel) and in 1944 they were joined by Jaap Burger
. The SDAP was banned in 1940 by the occupying force. Many SDAP members were involved in resistance
work during the war.
After the Second World War, there was a widespread sentiment in the Netherlands that the political system should be changed. This was called the Doorbraak (breakthrough). In order to force this breakthrough the SDAP merged with the left-liberal Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) and the Christian-socialist Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) to form a new party: the Labour Party (Dutch: Partij van de Arbeid). They were joined by individuals from the Protestant Christian Historical Union
(CHU) and Anti Revolutionary Party
(ARP) and members of the Catholic
resistance movement Christofor.
party, which strived for a socialist revolution. The party wanted to nationalize
the means of production and build a system of social security
. It was a staunch proponent of universal suffrage
. Through time the party became more moderate. In 1939 the party was a reformist democratic socialist party, which wanted to improve the situation of Dutch workers through parliament.
The parties main issues were the 5 k's the party opposed:
, as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter, is the chair of the parliamentary party and the lijsttrekker is the party's top candidate in the general election, these posts are normally taken by the party's leader. It also possible that the party leader is member of cabinet, if the SDAP was part of the governing coalition, the highest ranking minister is listed, supportive indicates that the SDAP did not supply any ministers, but was supportive of the legislation proposed by cabinet.
F. van der Goes, Mr. P.J. Troelstra
, Hendrick Van Kol, A.H. Gerhard, H.J. van der Vegte, L. Cohen, J. Fortuyn, W.P.G. Helsdingen, H. Polak, J.H. Schaper, H. Spiekman, and W.H. Vliegen.
had first built up a reputation in municipal government through initiating employment and housing programs. This tradition was called 'Wethouderssocialisme' (Alderman Socialism
) and was very important for the credibility of the post-war PvdA.
In 1919 the SDAP had 1162 members of municipal councils and 72 members of the municipal executive
.
The figure below shows the SDAP's results in the 1927 provincial elections. In several provinces, the urban Noord Holland and South Holland especially, the party performed very well. In the Catholic and predominantly rural South, Limburg and Noord Brabant, the party has a marginal position. In the Protestant and rural North, especially Groningen and Friesland, the party also performed well.
(lawyers, teacher, vicars and engineers). The SDAP was mainly supported by atheists and latitudinarian
protestants. When universal suffrage was granted in 1919 the SDAP began to expand to all layers of the population, drawing heavy support from the working class
.
The party historically received strong support from the major cities, such as Amsterdam
and Rotterdam
, and the northern provinces of Groningen
, Friesland
and Drenthe
and the industrial region Twente
.
, formed by delegates from the municipal branches. It convened once every year. It appointed the party board, decided the order of candidates on electoral lists for the Senate and House of Representatives and had the final say over the party program.
In 1919 the party had around 49,000 members in around 645 municipal branches.
In 1938 the party had around 88,000 members in around 650 municipal branches.
, after the First World War, it lost its international contacts.
The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International
between 1923 and 1940.
. Two important means of propaganda of the party were the social-democratic broadcasting organization VARA and the paper Het Vrije Volk
.
The youth organization Arbeiders Jeugdcentrale (Workers' Youth Central, AJC) was a large youth organization aligned with the SDAP, founded in 1918, with around 11,500 members in 1935. The women's association aligned with the SDAP was Samen Sterk (Together Strong) founded in 1912. The student's association aligned with the SDAP was the Social Democratic Students Club, (Sociaal-Democratische Studentenclub, SDSC).
A Workers' Education Institute (Instituut voor Arbeiders Ontwikkeling IvAO) was set up in 1924 and a scientific bureau in 1935.
But the SDAP also had close links with workers' recreational organizations like the League of Workers' Singing Association and the Dutch Workers' Sporting Association. The teetotalist
movement also had close links with the SDAP.
The relations between the SDAP and the confessional parties was particularly bad. The confessional parties saw socialism as an atheist ideology. This prevented SDAP government participation until 1939. Following the 1919 elections some christian socialist
parties entered parliament which advocated stronger cooperation between the SDAP and the confessional parties. These calls were ignored by the confessional parties.
The SDAP was in constant state of cold war with the communist party SDP
, later CPH, split from the SDAP. In 1935 when Moscow decreed
that Comintern
parties should cooperate with social-democratic parties, the relationship improved.
The SDAP also had good relations: with the social-liberal
Free-minded Democratic League
(VDB). However the VDB's participation in the economically conservative 1930s crisis cabinets deteriorated this relationship. It furthermore had good relations with the Christian-socialist Christian Democratic Union
.
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Sociaal Democratische Arbeiders Partij, SDAP) was a Dutch
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
and a predecessor of the social-democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
PvdA.
1893-1904
The SDAP was founded by members of the Social Democratic LeagueSocial Democratic League
The Social Democratic League was a Dutch socialist political party. The SDB was the first socialist party to enter the Dutch House of Representatives.-Before 1881:...
(SDB) after a conflict between anarchist and reformist
Reformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
factions. During the SDB party conference of 1893 in Groningen, a majority voted to stop participating in the elections. They were afraid that the parliamentary work would drift the socialists away from what socialism was really about. A minority of members led by Pieter Jelles Troelstra
Pieter Jelles Troelstra
Pieter Jelles Troelstra was a Dutch politician active in the socialist workers' movement. He is most remembered for his fight for universal suffrage and his failed call for revolution at the end of World War I...
tried to prevent this, and later left the party in order to create a new party. The foundation of a new party was controversial within the socialist movement, because Troelstra was seen as a bourgeois force who had destroyed the unity of the SDB and the socialist movement. When the anarchist elements began to take full control of the SDB, important regional social-democratic figures joined the group around Troelstra. Together they formed a group called "the twelve apostles". The twelve apostles nearly all came from the provinces of Fryslan and Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
or from large cities like Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, and most were educated men in bourgeoisie occupations like teacher, vicar or lawyer. That's why SDB-members and other socialists mockingly called the SDAP not a workers' party but a teachers' (Dutch: Schoolmeesters), vicars (Dutch: Dominees) and lawyers (Dutch: Advocaten) party still forming the acronym SDAP.
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
in 1894. The party programme was a literal translation of the Erfurt Program
Erfurt Program
The Erfurt Program was adopted by the Social Democratic Party of Germany during the SPD congress at Erfurt in 1891. Formulated under the political guidance of Eduard Bernstein, August Bebel, and Karl Kautsky, it superseded the earlier Gotha Program....
of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD). Both parties believed in an imminent revolution which would make an end to suffering and inequality between classes and between men and women. The parliamentary work was only seen as a means to help the workers before the revolution would set off.
In the first years the SDAP was a small party, searching for the best way to organize itself. It received a lot of help, both financial and organizational, from the German SDP. In 1894 the International
Second International
The Second International , the original Socialist International, was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. At the Paris meeting delegations from 20 countries participated...
recognized the SDAP as the Dutch labour party. The SDAP was open for other socialist organizations, such as labour unions to associate themselves with the party.
In 1897
Dutch general election, 1897
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1897.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
the party won its first two seats in the House of Representatives. Pieter Jelles Troelstra
Pieter Jelles Troelstra
Pieter Jelles Troelstra was a Dutch politician active in the socialist workers' movement. He is most remembered for his fight for universal suffrage and his failed call for revolution at the end of World War I...
, a controversial person in the party, won the seat of Tietsjerksteradeel in Friesland and became chairman of the parliamentary party. In parliament the SDAP supported the social legislation of the Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
majority cabinet, led by Nicolaas Gerard Pierson
Nicolaas Gerard Pierson
Nicolaas Gerard Pierson was a Dutch Liberal financial and economic expert, politician, and statesman, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands from 1897 until 1901....
. The core of the cabinet was formed by the Liberal Union. During this period the party became the major socialist party of the Netherlands, attracting famous writers and poets like Herman Gorter
Herman Gorter
Herman Gorter was a Dutch poet and socialist. He was a leading member of the Tachtigers, a highly influential group of Dutch writers who worked together in Amsterdam in the 1880s, centered around De Nieuwe Gids .Gorter's first book, a 4,000 verse epic poem called "Mei" , sealed his reputation...
, Henriëtte Roland Holst
Henriette Roland Holst
Henriette Roland Holst Goverdine Anna van der Schalk was a Dutch poet and socialist.The poet Adriaan Roland Holst , nicknamed "the Dutch Prince of Poets", was the nephew of her husband.-Early life:...
-van der Schalk and Herman Heijermans
Herman Heijermans
Herman Heijermans , was a Dutch writer.Heijermans grew up in a liberal Jewish family as the fifth of 11 children of Herman Heijermans Sr. and Matilda Moses Spiers...
junior, and the journalist Pieter Lodewijk Tak.
In 1900, party leader Troelstra visited Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and received a considerable sum of money, with which the party founded its own daily news paper, called Het Volk
Het Volk
Het Volk may refer to:*Het Volk , Flanders, Belgium*Het Volk, also called Omloop Het Volk, a semi-classic one-day bicycle race in Flanders, Belgium, sponsored by the newspaper*Het Volk , Transvaal political party...
, Dagblad voor de Arbeiderspartij (The People, Paper for the Workers' Party). In the same year the remainder of the SDB, which was renamed Socialist League joined the SDAP
In the 1901 elections
Dutch general election, 1901
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1901.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
the SDAP performed particularly well: it tripled its seats to six, the Liberal cabinet which the socialists supported lost its majority. The confessional, christian-democrat
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
cabinet, composed of the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party
Anti Revolutionary Party
The Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. The ARP is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal. After 1917 the party never received more than twenty percent of the vote.-History before 1879:The anti-revolutionary parliamentary caucus...
and the Catholic Catholic General League
Algemeene Bond van RK-kiesverenigingen
The General League of Roman Catholic Caucuses was a Dutch Catholic political party...
ignored the Socialists. After the election victory the party's power in the socialist pillar began to rise. In a massive reorganization, the associated socialist organizations had to integrate with the party's branches.
1903-1919
In January 1903, a large strikeStrike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
broke out in the docking sector, out of solidarity
Sympathy strike
Secondary action is industrial action by a trade union in support of a strike initiated by workers in another, separate enterprise...
other sectors like the railway sector went on strike too. The employers reacted by firing the strikers. Years of oppression of the socialist movement and labour unions led to a huge revolt. The strikers demanded the re-employment of fired strikers, payment of wages for the striking days and the recognition of labour unions. The surprised directors of the railway companies accepted the demands. Meanwhile the confessional cabinet led by Kuyper
Abraham Kuyper
Abraham Kuijper generally known as Abraham Kuyper, was a Dutch politician, journalist, statesman and theologian...
wanted to end the strike by posing harsh penalties against the strikers, because the strike struck vital industries.
Initially the SDAP supported the strike, hoping it would spark a socialist revolution. But in reaction to the government legislation, moderate party members, including Troelstra, turned against the strikes. This led to a controversy between orthodox Marxists
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and moderate revisionists.
The strike ended the cooperation of socialist unions with confessional unions and the social democratic SDAP and anarchists of other organizations. The strike however didn't only lead to breaches. The labour unions were prepared to unite and work together with the SDAP. The Dutch Federation of Trade Unions (Nederlandsch Verbond van Vakvereenigingen, NVV) was founded in 1905 by Henri Polak.
After the railway strike the conflict between revisionists
Revisionism (Marxism)
Within the Marxist movement, the word revisionism is used to refer to various ideas, principles and theories that are based on a significant revision of fundamental Marxist premises. The term is most often used by those Marxists who believe that such revisions are unwarranted and represent a...
and orthodox Marxists intensified both within the SDAP and internationally. In 1903 Troelstra lost control of Het Volk to the orthodox faction. In 1904, the orthodox faction had another victory, when revisionism was forbidden by the conference of the International in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
On the eve of the 1905 elections
Dutch general election, 1905
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1905.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
the revisionists won a crucial victory. The party decided to support liberal candidates who were in favour of universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
. The party gained one seat, meaning it held seven seats and supported the liberal minority government, led by De Meester.
Many members of the SDAP were irritated by the behaviour of the orthodox Marxists who were continuously denouncing moderates. Troelstra openly attacked the orthodox Marxists and the party congress in a formal resolution declared to oppose all labelling opportunists and revisionists. The orthodox Marxist chairman Tak resigned and Vliegen became chairman. Tak also lost control of Het Volk
Het Volk
Het Volk may refer to:*Het Volk , Flanders, Belgium*Het Volk, also called Omloop Het Volk, a semi-classic one-day bicycle race in Flanders, Belgium, sponsored by the newspaper*Het Volk , Transvaal political party...
to Vliegen.
In 1907, a group of orthodox Marxists around David Wijnkoop founded the magazine De Tribune, which attacked the revisionist leadership of the SDAP. Troelstra and other leaders removed David Wijnkoop and his associates from the party ranks in 1909. Wijnkoop founded the orthodox Marxist Social-Democratic Party
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 :...
(SDP) the same year. The SDP later became the Communist Party of Holland. This was one of the first splits within the European labour movement.
In the 1909 elections
Dutch general election, 1909
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1909.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
the SDAP held on to its seven seats, but their liberal allies lost many seats to the confessional parties, who won a majority of sixty seats. In the knowledge that they could not accomplish anything in parliament, the SDAP focused on the extra-parliamentary movement for universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
, for both men and women, regardless of class.
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
. In a mass demonstration
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
in the Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
on Prinsjesdag
Prinsjesdag
Prinsjesdag is the day on which the reigning monarch of the Netherlands addresses a joint session of the Dutch Senate and House of Representatives in the Ridderzaal or Hall of Knights in The Hague. The Speech from the Throne sets out the main features of government policy for the coming...
the petition was presented to parliament. The SDAP called it Roode Dinsdag (Red Tuesday). The demonstration led to considerable controversy, when Queen Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
decided not to attend the Prinsjesdag ceremonies. For the 1912 Prinsjesdag the Red Tuesday was forbidden.
During this time the women's movement began to influence the party. Women were deprived of political influence in the party, and the party leadership was split over the issue. Socialist women organizations began to flourish because of the struggle for universal suffrage. The SDAP founded a women's section, called Samen Sterk (Together Strong). Samen Sterk tried to found labour unions for female employees, starting with house maids. This caused considerable controversy in bourgeoisie circles.
The 1913 elections
Dutch general election, 1913
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1913.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
the SDAP more than doubled its seats to 15. As a serious force in parliament, the SDAP was asked to participate in government by the liberal formateur
Formateur
A formateur is a politician who is appointed by the head of state to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is especially important in the politics of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,...
, providing three ministers. The SDAP, even the reformist Troelstra, refused government participation, because the party acknowledged one if its major ideals (national disarmament) could not be realized. Instead of an unstable minority government an extra-parliamentary cabinet
Cabinet of the Netherlands
The cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Dutch government. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Rutte cabinet.-Composition and role:...
was formed, made up out of liberal and non-partisan ministers. The cabinet intended to realize socialist demands, like universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
, the state pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
and the eight hour working day
Working time
Working time is the period of time that an individual spends at paid occupational labor. Unpaid labors such as personal housework are not considered part of the working week...
.
After the 1913 municipal elections however the SDAP did accept government responsibility in Zaandam
Zaandam
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...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, forming governments
College van Burgemeester en Wethouders
The college van burgemeester en wethouders is the executive board of a municipality in the Netherlands. This local government body plays a central role in municipal politics in the Netherlands. It consists of the mayor and the members of the municipal executive...
with the liberals.
After the First World War had broken out, the SDAP supported the Dutch policy of armed neutrality
Neutral country
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
. This support was welcomed by the leaders of the other parties but not by many SDAP members. In 1915 a special conference declared that the SDAP only supported the government temporarily and the support could be withdrawn, thus preventing another party-wide conflict.
During the war the allies
Triple Entente
The Triple Entente was the name given to the alliance among Britain, France and Russia after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907....
blockaded the Dutch ports, which in turn led to enormous lack of food: riots broke out in the major cities. The SDAP supported the government actions against these riots. Many of the protestors were furious about the SDAP and changed allegiance to the Social-Democratic Party.
Meanwhile the political system was in revision. A constitutional reform enabling universal suffrage was prepared by the liberal cabinet. In order to realize this change a two-thirds majority was necessary. This practically meant that all major parties, including the confessional parties needed to agree with the change. The confessional parties would consent to the change, but only if confessional schools would be granted finances equal to the public schools and if universal suffrage was not extended to women.
In 1918
Dutch general election, 1918
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on July 3, 1918. It was the first election in which universal male suffrage was applied, and the first in which a system of proportional representation was used...
the first general elections with universal suffrage and proportional representation were held. The SDAP won 22 of the 100 seats. One of these seats was taken by Suze Groeneweg, the first woman elected to parliament. 4 seats were won by other left-wing parties, including the communists. The confessional parties however won a majority.
In November 1918 revolution broke out in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. SDAP leader Troelstra thought that the Netherlands
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...
were ready for revolution as well. In a speech in parliament he demanded the resignation of the government, because he expected the army and the police to support the revolution. The government didn't resign, instead it prevented revolution from spreading. In doing so they were supported by most of the Dutch population. This incident is called "Troelstra's mistake" (Dutch: Troelstra's vergissing). Many SDAP members were displeased with Troelstra. He politically survived the 1919 party congress, though only narrowly.
Troelstra's mistake, the SDAP's reluctance to form a socialist/liberal government in 1913 and the electoral strength of the confessional parties prevented the SDAP's participation in government until 1939.
The SDAP won in the 1919 municipal elections, and socialist supported municipal governments
College van Burgemeester en Wethouders
The college van burgemeester en wethouders is the executive board of a municipality in the Netherlands. This local government body plays a central role in municipal politics in the Netherlands. It consists of the mayor and the members of the municipal executive...
were formed in many cities.
In 1919 many socialist demands (universal suffrage, the eight hour workday and state pensions) were implemented. The party began to shift their focus away from the revolution and towards the direct improvement of the position of the working class.
1919-1946
Between 1919 and 1939 the SDAP got increasingly more seats but were kept out of government by a confessional majority, which in 1926 by mouth of Roman Catholic Political Party leader, Wiel Nolens said that the confessionals would only govern with the socialists in a case of extreme necessity.During the 1930s the SDAP began to moderate its policies. It removed the demand of national disarmament in 1934, and became less republican, for instance sending a telegram with felicitations to Queen Wilhelmina in 1938 after her daughter, princess Juliana
Juliana
Juliana, Julianna, Giuliana, Iuliana, Yuliana, Uljana, Xuliana, Xhuliana or Ylyiana is a female name. It is a feminized version of Julianus, in turn derived from Julius, as in Julius Caesar. It can also refer to:- Medieval women :*Juliana of Paul and Juliana , d...
, gave birth to princess Beatrix
Beatrix
Beatrix is a Latin name. It is a feminine form of the late Latin name Viator which meant "voyager, traveller". It was also a common name amongst early Christians, though the spelling was altered by association with the Latin beatus, meaning "blessed"....
. During the crisis the party proposed several plans for economic reform. In 1935 the SDAP published the 'Plan of Labour' (Plan van de Arbeid), which included plans to increase employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
, nationalize
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
vital industry and implement a system of unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefit
Unemployment benefits are payments made by the state or other authorized bodies to unemployed people. Benefits may be based on a compulsory para-governmental insurance system...
s.
The confessional-liberal government rejected the socialist proposals for economic reform. After 1936 however it changed its course, giving into socialist demands by devaluating
Devaluation
Devaluation is a reduction in the value of a currency with respect to those goods, services or other monetary units with which that currency can be exchanged....
the guilder and allowing the national debt to rise in order to increase employment.
In reaction to this moderate course a group of orthodox Marxist members, led by Jacques de Kadt
Jacques de Kadt
Jacques de Kadt was a prominent and often controversial 20th Century Dutch political thinker, politician and man of letters. Born into a liberal Jewish family, he was the youngest son of a factory manager, Roelof de Kadt, and his wife Bertha Koppens...
, left the party to form the Independent Socialist Party. After an unsuccessful merger with the (Trotskyist) Revolutionary Socialist Party, many of the 3,000 split members returned.
This course of moderation was suddenly interrupted by the incidents surrounding the mutiny on the cruiser "De Zeven Provinciën". During the mutiny the political leadership of the SDAP announced that, although they did not support it, they could understand the motives behind the mutiny. Because of this incident the government temporarily forbade soldiers to be a member of the SDAP.
In 1939, at the dawn of the Second World War prominent SDAP members were asked to participate in a national coalition, led by Protestant politician De Geer
Dirk Jan de Geer
Jonkheer Dirk Jan de Geer was a Dutch nobleman, lawyer, conservative statesman and prime minister of the Netherlands . He was disgraced for advocating a peace settlement between the Kingdom and Nazi Germany in 1940.Born in Groningen, he was a descendant of the de Geer family painted by Rembrandt...
; the dawning war was the extreme necessity that allowed the SDAP to enter government. After the Netherlands was invaded by the Germans this government became the Dutch government in exile
Dutch government in exile
The Dutch government in exile was the government of the Netherlands, headed by Queen Wilhelmina, that evacuated to London after the German invasion of the country at the outset of World War II....
, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The SDAP first supplied two ministers (Albeda and Jan van de Tempel) and in 1944 they were joined by Jaap Burger
Jaap Burger
Jacobus Albertus Wilhelmus Burger was a Dutch politician.-References:...
. The SDAP was banned in 1940 by the occupying force. Many SDAP members were involved in resistance
Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized by its prominent non-violence, summitting in over 300,000 people in hiding in the autumn of 1944, tended to by some 60,000 to 200,000 illegal landlords and caretakers and tolerated knowingly...
work during the war.
After the Second World War, there was a widespread sentiment in the Netherlands that the political system should be changed. This was called the Doorbraak (breakthrough). In order to force this breakthrough the SDAP merged with the left-liberal Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) and the Christian-socialist Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Netherlands)
The Christian-Democratic Union was a minor Christian left party in the Netherlands in the interbellum.-History:...
(CDU) to form a new party: the Labour Party (Dutch: Partij van de Arbeid). They were joined by individuals from the Protestant Christian Historical Union
Christian Historical Union
The Christian Historical Union was a Dutch conservative Protestant political party. The CHU is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal.-History before 1908:...
(CHU) and Anti Revolutionary Party
Anti Revolutionary Party
The Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. The ARP is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal. After 1917 the party never received more than twenty percent of the vote.-History before 1879:The anti-revolutionary parliamentary caucus...
(ARP) and members of the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
resistance movement Christofor.
Ideology and issues
When it was founded in 1897 the SDAP was a revisionist socialistSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
party, which strived for a socialist revolution. The party wanted to nationalize
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
the means of production and build a system of social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
. It was a staunch proponent of universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
. Through time the party became more moderate. In 1939 the party was a reformist democratic socialist party, which wanted to improve the situation of Dutch workers through parliament.
The parties main issues were the 5 k's the party opposed:
- CapitalCapital (economics)In economics, capital, capital goods, or real capital refers to already-produced durable goods used in production of goods or services. The capital goods are not significantly consumed, though they may depreciate in the production process...
(Dutch: Kapitaal): the party opposed the rule of capital, and wanted to create a socialist society . - ChurchNational churchNational church is a concept of a Christian church associated with a specific ethnic group or nation state. The idea was notably discussed during the 19th century, during the emergence of modern nationalism....
(Dutch: Kerk): the party opposed the control the church had over large parts of societySeparation of church and stateThe concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
. - KingMonarchyA monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
(Dutch: Koning): the party opposed the monarchy and wanted to transform the Netherlands into a republicRepublicA republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
. - BarracksArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
(Dutch: Kazerne): the party wanted to disarm the Dutch armyMilitary of the NetherlandsThe Armed forces of the Netherlands consist of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.The service branches consist of:* Koninklijke Landmacht , Royal Netherlands Army....
. The party opposed militarismMilitarismMilitarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
and nationalismNationalismNationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
. After the rise of the German Nazi Party the SDAP began to agitate for a people's army. - Pubs (Dutch: Kroeg): the party thought that alcoholismAlcoholismAlcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
was one of the greatest foes of the working class.
Representation
This table shows the SDAP's results in elections to the House of Representatives, Senate and States-ProvincialStates-Provincial
The States'-Provincial is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the Provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has the responsibility for matters of sub-national or regional importance...
, as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter, is the chair of the parliamentary party and the lijsttrekker is the party's top candidate in the general election, these posts are normally taken by the party's leader. It also possible that the party leader is member of cabinet, if the SDAP was part of the governing coalition, the highest ranking minister is listed, supportive indicates that the SDAP did not supply any ministers, but was supportive of the legislation proposed by cabinet.
| Year | HoR | S | SP States-Provincial The States'-Provincial is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the Provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has the responsibility for matters of sub-national or regional importance... |
Fractievoorzitter | Lijsttrekker Lijsttrekker Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of... |
Cabinet Cabinet (government) A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 Dutch general election, 1897 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1897.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
2 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra Pieter Jelles Troelstra Pieter Jelles Troelstra was a Dutch politician active in the socialist workers' movement. He is most remembered for his fight for universal suffrage and his failed call for revolution at the end of World War I... |
n/a | supports cabinet of Pierson Nicolaas Gerard Pierson Nicolaas Gerard Pierson was a Dutch Liberal financial and economic expert, politician, and statesman, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands from 1897 until 1901.... |
| 1898 | 2 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1899 | 2 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1900 | 2 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1901 Dutch general election, 1901 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1901.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
6 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | opposition |
| 1902 | 6 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | opposition |
| 1903 | 6 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | opposition |
| 1904 | 6 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | opposition |
| 1905 Dutch general election, 1905 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1905.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
7 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet of De Meester |
| 1906 | 7 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1907 | 7 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1908 | 7 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1909 Dutch general election, 1909 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1909.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
7 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | opposition |
| 1910 | 7 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | opposition |
| 1911 | 7 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | opposition |
| 1912 | 7 | 0 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | opposition |
| 1913 Dutch general election, 1913 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1913.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
15 | 2 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet of Cort van der Linden Pieter Cort van der Linden Pieter Wilhelm Adriaan Cort van der Linden was a Dutch politician. He served as prime minister of the Netherlands between 1913 and 1918.... |
| 1914 | 15 | 2 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1915 | 15 | 2 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1916 | 15 | 2 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1917 Dutch general election, 1917 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1917.In this election, the parties agreed to hold elections in which the incumbent members of parliament were the only candidates in order to allow a change in the constitution to introduce... |
15 | 2 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | n/a | supports cabinet |
| 1918 Dutch general election, 1918 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on July 3, 1918. It was the first election in which universal male suffrage was applied, and the first in which a system of proportional representation was used... |
22 | 2 | unknown | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | opposition |
| 1919 | 22 | 3 | 117 | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | no elections | opposition |
| 1920 | 22 | 4 | 117 | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | no elections | opposition |
| 1921 | 22 | 4 | 117 | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | no elections | opposition |
| 1922 Dutch general election, 1922 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on July 5, 1922. It was the first election under universal suffrage, which became reality after the acceptance of a proposal by Marchant in 1919 that gave women full voting rights... |
20 | 4 | 117 | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | opposition |
| 1923 | 20 | 11 | 107 | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | no elections | opposition |
| 1924 | 20 | 11 | 107 | Pieter Jelles Troelstra | no elections | opposition |
| 1925 Dutch general election, 1925 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on July 1, 1925.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party * Agrarians' League... |
24 | 11 | 107 | Johan Willem Albarda | Johan Willem Albarda | opposition |
| 1926 | 24 | 11 | 107 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1927 | 24 | 11 | 120 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1928 | 24 | 11 | 120 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1929 Dutch general election, 1929 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on July 3, 1929.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party * Agrarians' League... |
24 | 11 | 120 | Johan Willem Albarda | Johan Willem Albalda | opposition |
| 1930 | 24 | 11 | 120 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1931 | 24 | 11 | 127 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1932 | 24 | 11 | 127 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1933 Dutch general election, 1933 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on April 26, 1933.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
22 | 11 | 127 | Johan Willem Albarda | Johan Willem Albarda | opposition |
| 1934 | 22 | 11 | 127 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1935 | 22 | 11 | 126 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1936 | 22 | 11 | 126 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1937 Dutch general election, 1937 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on May 26, 1937.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
23 | 12 | 126 | Johan Willem Albarda | Johan Willem Albarda | opposition |
| 1938 | 23 | 12 | 126 | Johan Willem Albarda | no elections | opposition |
| 1939 | 23 | 12 | 124 | Willem Drees Willem Drees Willem Drees was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from August 7, 1948 until December 22, 1958.... |
no elections | Johan Willem Albarda |
| 1940 | out of session | no elections | Johan Willem Albarda | |||
| 1941 | out of session | no elections | Johan Willem Albarda | |||
| 1942 | out of session | no elections | Johan Willem Albarda | |||
| 1943 | out of session | no elections | Johan Willem Albarda | |||
| 1944 | out of session | no elections | Johan Willem Albarda | |||
| 1945 | 23 | 12 | 124 | Willem Drees Willem Drees Willem Drees was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from August 7, 1948 until December 22, 1958.... |
no elections | Johan Willem Albarda |
Founders
Founders, known as the 12 apostles:F. van der Goes, Mr. P.J. Troelstra
Troelstra
Troelstra is the surname of:* Pieter Jelles Troelstra , Dutch socialist politician* Anne Sjerp Troelstra , Dutch mathematician...
, Hendrick Van Kol, A.H. Gerhard, H.J. van der Vegte, L. Cohen, J. Fortuyn, W.P.G. Helsdingen, H. Polak, J.H. Schaper, H. Spiekman, and W.H. Vliegen.
Municipal and provincial government
Many SDAP members of parliament were also members of a provincial or municipal council. Since the 1913 the SDAP had participated in the municipal government of Amsterdam. Several famous SDAP-politicians, like Willem DreesWillem Drees
Willem Drees was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from August 7, 1948 until December 22, 1958....
had first built up a reputation in municipal government through initiating employment and housing programs. This tradition was called 'Wethouderssocialisme' (Alderman Socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
) and was very important for the credibility of the post-war PvdA.
In 1919 the SDAP had 1162 members of municipal councils and 72 members of the municipal executive
College van Burgemeester en Wethouders
The college van burgemeester en wethouders is the executive board of a municipality in the Netherlands. This local government body plays a central role in municipal politics in the Netherlands. It consists of the mayor and the members of the municipal executive...
.
The figure below shows the SDAP's results in the 1927 provincial elections. In several provinces, the urban Noord Holland and South Holland especially, the party performed very well. In the Catholic and predominantly rural South, Limburg and Noord Brabant, the party has a marginal position. In the Protestant and rural North, especially Groningen and Friesland, the party also performed well.
| Province Provinces of the Netherlands A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the local municipalities, having the responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance. The government of each province consists of three major parts: the Provinciale Staten which is the... |
Seats in SP States-Provincial The States'-Provincial is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the Provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has the responsibility for matters of sub-national or regional importance... (1927) |
|---|---|
| Limburg Limburg (Netherlands) Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to... |
4 |
| Noord Brabant | 4 |
| Zeeland Zeeland Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about... |
4 |
| Utrecht Utrecht (province) Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest... |
8 |
| Noord Holland | 21 |
| Zuid Holland | 21 |
| Gelderland Gelderland Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,... |
11 |
| Overijssel Overijssel Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede... |
8 |
| Drenthe Drenthe Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a... |
8 |
| Friesland Friesland Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân... |
14 |
| Groningen Groningen (province) Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea... |
14 |
Electorate
In the period 1897-1919, when voting rights were restricted the party mainly received support from educated workers and young members of the IntelligentsiaIntelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
(lawyers, teacher, vicars and engineers). The SDAP was mainly supported by atheists and latitudinarian
Latitudinarian
Latitudinarian was initially a pejorative term applied to a group of 17th-century English theologians who believed in conforming to official Church of England practices but who felt that matters of doctrine, liturgical practice, and ecclesiastical organization were of relatively little importance...
protestants. When universal suffrage was granted in 1919 the SDAP began to expand to all layers of the population, drawing heavy support from the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
.
The party historically received strong support from the major cities, such as Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, and the northern provinces of Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
, Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
and Drenthe
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
and the industrial region Twente
Twente
Twente is a non-administrative region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel...
.
Organizational structure
The highest organ of the SDAP was the CongressParty Congress
A party congress is a general conference of a political party. The congress is attended by delegates who represent the party membership. In most parties the party congress is the highest decision making body of the organisation and elects the party's leadership bodies such as the National Executive...
, formed by delegates from the municipal branches. It convened once every year. It appointed the party board, decided the order of candidates on electoral lists for the Senate and House of Representatives and had the final say over the party program.
Members
When the SDAP was founded in 1897 it has around 600 members organized in 25 municipal branches.In 1919 the party had around 49,000 members in around 645 municipal branches.
In 1938 the party had around 88,000 members in around 650 municipal branches.
International organisations
Between 1894 and 1914 the SDAP was member of the Second InternationalSecond International
The Second International , the original Socialist International, was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. At the Paris meeting delegations from 20 countries participated...
, after the First World War, it lost its international contacts.
The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International
Labour and Socialist International
The Labour and Socialist International was an international organization of socialist and labour parties, active between 1923 and 1940. The LSI was a forerunner of the present-day Socialist International....
between 1923 and 1940.
Pillarized organisations
The SDAP had strong links with other socialist organizations in the socialist pillar. It had strong links with the largest trade union NVVNederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen
The Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen was a Dutch social-democratic trade union.-History:...
. Two important means of propaganda of the party were the social-democratic broadcasting organization VARA and the paper Het Vrije Volk
Het Vrije Volk
Het Vrije Volk was a Dutch social-democratic daily newspaper. It was the successor, after World War II, of the socialist daily Het Volk.After World War II, it appeared legally 1 March 1945 in Eindhoven...
.
The youth organization Arbeiders Jeugdcentrale (Workers' Youth Central, AJC) was a large youth organization aligned with the SDAP, founded in 1918, with around 11,500 members in 1935. The women's association aligned with the SDAP was Samen Sterk (Together Strong) founded in 1912. The student's association aligned with the SDAP was the Social Democratic Students Club, (Sociaal-Democratische Studentenclub, SDSC).
A Workers' Education Institute (Instituut voor Arbeiders Ontwikkeling IvAO) was set up in 1924 and a scientific bureau in 1935.
But the SDAP also had close links with workers' recreational organizations like the League of Workers' Singing Association and the Dutch Workers' Sporting Association. The teetotalist
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
movement also had close links with the SDAP.
Relationships to other parties
Between 1897 and 1919 the SDAP supported liberal politicians, who were in favour of universal suffrage, in some districts. Several liberal minority governments were supported by the socialists. These relations deteriorated after the SDAPs unwillingness to participate in socialist/liberal cabinet in 1913 and Troelstra's mistake (in 1918). Furthermore universal suffrage, a goal which united the liberals and the socialists was granted in 1918.The relations between the SDAP and the confessional parties was particularly bad. The confessional parties saw socialism as an atheist ideology. This prevented SDAP government participation until 1939. Following the 1919 elections some christian socialist
Christian socialism
Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two philosophies as being interrelated. This category can include Liberation theology and the doctrine of the social gospel...
parties entered parliament which advocated stronger cooperation between the SDAP and the confessional parties. These calls were ignored by the confessional parties.
The SDAP was in constant state of cold war with the communist party SDP
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 :...
, later CPH, split from the SDAP. In 1935 when Moscow decreed
Popular front
A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, often made up of leftists and centrists. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal forces as well as socialist and communist groups...
that Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
parties should cooperate with social-democratic parties, the relationship improved.
The SDAP also had good relations: with the social-liberal
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
Free-minded Democratic League
Free-minded Democratic League
The Free-thinking Democratic League was a Dutch progressive liberal political party. The VDB played a relatively large role in Dutch politics, supplying one prime minister...
(VDB). However the VDB's participation in the economically conservative 1930s crisis cabinets deteriorated this relationship. It furthermore had good relations with the Christian-socialist Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Netherlands)
The Christian-Democratic Union was a minor Christian left party in the Netherlands in the interbellum.-History:...
.