First Beel cabinet

42nd Cabinet of the Netherlands
First meeting of the cabinet at the Ministry of General Affairs on 3 July 1946
Date formed3 July 1946 (1946-07-03)
Date dissolved7 August 1948 (1948-08-07)
2 years, 35 days in office
(Demissionary from 7 July 1948 (1948-07-07))
People and organisations
MonarchQueen Wilhelmina
Prime MinisterLouis Beel
Deputy Prime MinisterWillem Drees
No. of ministers17
Ministers removed5
Total no. of members19
Member partyCatholic People's Party
(KVP)
Labour Party
(PvdA)
Status in legislatureCentrist
Majority government
(Grand coalition/Roman-Red)
History
Election(s)1946 election
Outgoing election1948 election
Legislature term(s)1946–1948
Incoming formation1946 formation
Outgoing formation1948 formation
PredecessorSchermerhorn–Drees cabinet
SuccessorDrees–Van Schaik cabinet

The First Beel cabinet was the executive branch of the Dutch Government from 3 July 1946 until 7 August 1948. The cabinet was formed by the christian-democratic Catholic People's Party (KVP) and the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) after the election of 1946. The cabinet was a centre-left[1] grand coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives with prominent Catholic politician Louis Beel serving as Prime Minister and dual served as Minister of the Interior continuing from the previous cabinet. Labour Leader Willem Drees continued as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs from the previous cabinet. According to one study, “Beel was of the opinion that a joint KVP-PvdA program should be presented to other political groups. According to Beel, that program should be socio-economically progressive, that is to say reform-oriented in favor of broad layers of the population. The socialists should not have to fear that a conservative wing within the KVP would rule the roost.”[2]

The cabinet served during early years of the post-war 1940s. Domestically the beginning of the recovery and rebuilding following World War II continued with the Marshall Plan, it was also to implement several major social reforms to social security. Internationally the beginning of the decolonization of the Dutch East Indies was continued. The cabinet suffered no major internal and external conflicts. Following a major revision of the constitution a snap election was called to simultaneously elect a new parliament. Following the election the cabinet continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced with the Drees–Van Schaik cabinet.[3][4]

Term

A major issue was the independence of the Dutch East Indies. This required a change in the constitution. In November 1946 the Linggadjati Agreement was signed, but different interpretations led to Dutch military intervention (politionele acties). Under international pressure through the UN, this ended and negotiations restarted, ultimately resulting in the new country Indonesia, but only under the next cabinet, Drees I. An important new law was the 'Noodwet Ouderdomsvoorziening' by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs Willem Drees.

Cabinet Members

Ministers Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) Term of office Party
Louis Beel Dr.
Louis Beel
(1902–1977)
Prime Minister 3 July 1946 –
7 August 1948
Catholic
People's Party
General Affairs 11 October 1947 –
7 August 1948
Minister Interior 23 February 1945 –
15 September 1947
[Retained]
Willem Drees Willem Drees
(1886–1988)
Deputy
Prime Minister
Social Affairs 25 June 1945 –
7 August 1948
[Retained]
Labour Party
Minister
Piet Witteman Dr.
Piet Witteman
(1892–1972)
Minister Interior 15 September 1947 –
7 August 1948
Catholic
People's Party
Pim van Boetzelaer van Oosterhout Baron
Pim van
Boetzelaer
van Oosterhout

(1892–1986)
Minister Foreign Affairs 3 July 1946 –
7 August 1948
Independent
Conservative Liberal
Piet Lieftinck Dr.
Piet Lieftinck
(1902–1989)
Minister Finance 25 June 1945 –
1 July 1952
[Retained] [Continued]
Labour Party
Johan van Maarseveen Johan van
Maarseveen

(1894–1951)
Minister Justice 3 July 1946 –
7 August 1948
Catholic
People's Party
Gerardus Huysmans Dr.
Gerardus
Huysmans

(1902–1948)
Minister Economic Affairs 3 July 1946 –
14 January 1948
[Res]
Catholic
People's Party
Sicco Mansholt Sicco Mansholt
(1908–1995)
14 January 1948 –
20 January 1948
[Ad Interim]
Labour Party
Jan van den Brink Dr.
Jan van
den Brink

(1915–2006)
20 January 1948 –
2 September 1952
[Continued]
Catholic
People's Party
Alexander Fiévez Lieutenant colonel
Alexander Fiévez
(1902–1949)
Minister War 3 July 1946 –
7 August 1948
Catholic
People's Party
Navy 3 July 1946 –
7 August 1946
[Ad Interim]
25 November 1947 –
7 August 1948
Jules Schagen van Leeuwen Rear admiral
Jules Schagen
van Leeuwen
(1896–1976)
7 August 1946 –
25 November 1947
[Res]
Independent
Social Conservative
Jos Gielen Dr.
Jos Gielen
(1898–1981)
Minister Education, Arts
and Sciences
3 July 1946 –
7 August 1948
Catholic
People's Party
Hein Vos Hein Vos
(1903–1972)
Minister Transport 3 July 1946 –
1 March 1947
Labour Party
Transport and
Water Management
[Note]
1 March 1947 –
7 August 1948
Sicco Mansholt Sicco Mansholt
(1908–1995)
Minister Agriculture,
Fisheries and
Food Supplies
25 June 1945 –
1 January 1958
[Retained] [Continued]
Labour Party
Johan Ringers Dr.
Johan Ringers
(1885–1965)
Minister Public Works and
Reconstruction
25 June 1945 –
15 November 1946
[Retained] [Res]
Independent
Classical Liberal
Hein Vos Hein Vos
(1900–1972)
15 November 1946 –
3 March 1947
[Acting]
Labour Party
Lambertus Neher Lambertus Neher
(1899–1967)
Reconstruction
and Housing
[Note]
3 March 1947 –
1 March 1948
[Res]
Labour Party
Joris in 't Veld Dr.
Joris in 't Veld
(1895–1981)
1 March 1948 –
2 September 1952
[Continued]
Labour Party
Jan Jonkman Jan Jonkman
(1891–1976)
Minister Colonial Affairs 3 July 1946 –
30 August 1947
[Note]
Labour Party
Louis Beel Dr.
Louis Beel
(1902–1977)
30 August 1947 –
3 November 1947
[Acting]
Catholic
People's Party
Jan Jonkman Jan Jonkman
(1891–1976)
3 November 1947 –
30 August 1947
Labour Party
Ministers without portfolio Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) Term of office Party
Eelco van Kleffens Eelco van
Kleffens

(1894–1983)
Minister Foreign Affairs United Nations 1 March 1946 –
1 July 1947
[Retained] [App]
Independent
Classical Liberal
Lubbertus Götzen Lubbertus Götzen
(1894–1979)
Minister Colonial Affairs Colonial
Fiscal Policy
11 November 1947 –
15 March 1951
[Continued]
Independent
Christian Democratic
Protestant
Resigned
Retained from the previous cabinet
Continued in the next cabinet
Acting
Ad Interim
Ministry renamed
Medical leave of absence from 30 August 1947 until 3 November 1947
Appointed as Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations

Trivia

  • Six cabinet members had previous experience as scholars or professors: Louis Beel (Administrative Law), Piet Lieftinck (Financial and Business Economics), Jan van den Brink (Public Economics and Economical Statistics), Jos Gielen (Philology and Education Sociology), Johan Ringers (Hydraulic and Structural Engineering) and Joris in 't Veld (Public Administration).
  • The age difference between oldest cabinet member Johan Ringers (born 1885) and the youngest cabinet member Jan van den Brink (born 1915) was 30 years, 100 days.
  • Louis Beel became the youngest Dutch Prime Minister at the age of 44 years, 82 days, a record that was broken in 1982 by Ruud Lubbers.
  • Jan van den Brink became the youngest Dutch Minister at the age of 32 years, 283 days.

References

  1. Changing Liaisons The Dynamics of Social Partnership in 20th Century West-European DemocraciesBy Karel Davids, 2007, P.165
  2. III. De kabinetsformatie van 1946 a. De formatie tot 17 juni 1946
  3. "Coalities tussen sociaaldemocraten en confessionelen" (in Dutch). Historisch Nieuwsblad. 10 August 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  4. F.J.F.M. Duynstee; J. Bosmans (1977). Parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederland na 1945 , deel 1, Het kabinet-Schermerhorn-Drees (1945-1946). Van Gorcum. p. 5. ISBN 90-232-1412-9.
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