Algemeene Bond van RK-kiesverenigingen
Encyclopedia
The General League of Roman Catholic Caucuses (in Dutch: Algemeene Bond van Roomsch-Katholieke Kiesverenigingen; informally called General League or Algemeene Bond) was a Dutch
Catholic
political party
. The General League is historically linked to the Christian Democratic Appeal
, currently a major party in the Netherlands.
were a disadvantaged minority in the Netherlands. They enjoyed considerable independence in the southern provinces North Brabant
and Limburg
, where they formed 90% of the population. In the North, Catholics were forbidden to organize religious rallies and demonstrations. Until 1848 the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church was forbidden in the Netherlands. A mix of Protestantism and nationalism, inspired by the struggle for independence against the Catholic Spanish lay at the basis of this.
Until the 1890s the most important ally of the Catholics were the liberals
, who advocated freedom of religion. Catholic supported several liberal governments. Internally the Catholics were divided between two groups, those around progressive Schaepman and those around the conservative Bahlman. The progressives favoured a corporatist economy and extension of suffrage while the conservatives, who represented business interests opposed both. Meanwhile the organization of the Catholics was concentrated on the district or province. The Brabant caucuses was exceptionally strong.
In the late 1880s the Catholics became disillusioned with the liberals, because although they supported the freedom of religion, they refused to finance Catholic, or otherwise religious, schools. This became an important issue which united the Catholics. In 1888 the Catholic parliamentary party switched their allegiances to the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party
and became part of the first coalition
cabinet led by Aeneas Mackay. This new cabinet also jump started the formation of a new party, in 1896 all Catholic candidates rally around one program, written by Schaepman. The program was insipred by the encyclical Rerum Novarum
, which advocated social Catholic politics. From 1897 Catholic MPs began to meet regularly.
The 1905 elections
were the first election the League had entered in. It retained the same number of seats as previously held by Catholic candidates: 25 (out of 100). This number remained remarkably stable in the subsequent elections. The party governed between 1908 and 1913 together with the ARP and the Protestant CHU, in the cabinet led by Heemskerk
. Between 1913 and 1918 the party was out of power by a liberal minority cabinet. This cabinet was preparing an important constitutional revision. This revision sought to solve the two most pressing political issues of the past three decades: suffrage and equal financing for religious schools. In this process all parties were involved. In 1917 these changes were implemented.
After that year the General League grew in power. In the 1918 elections
which were held under proportional representation, the League became the largest party and its alliance with the ARP and CHU won a considerable majority. For the first time in Dutch political history a Catholic, Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
, became Prime Minister
.
This responsibility put considerable pressure on the party. In 1919 the MP Van Groenendael was removed form the party ranks, because he supported the independence of Dutch Limburg. In 1922 another Catholic party, Roman Catholic People's Party, was founded by former members of the General League. It was oriented towards Catholic workers. In 1923 ten Catholic MPs caused the fall of the Second Ruijs de Beerenbrouck cabinet, because they had voted against the budget of the ministry for the Navy. Ruijs de Beerenbrouck continued with a new cabinet. In 1925 the orthodox Protestant MP Kersten caused the fall of the first Colijn
cabinet. Kersten had proposed every year that the Dutch representative at the Holy See
should be abolished. Each year the conservative Protestant CHU, which was in government with the General League had supported the proposal. Now the socialist and liberal opposition supported the proposal too, which was unacceptable for the Catholic ministers, whose departure caused the cabinet to fall. These events and the pressure of governing accelerated the General League's change into a tightly organized mass party. In 1926 this new party was formed, the Roman Catholic State Party, the continuation of the General League with a stronger organization.
Rerum Novarum
. In this encyclical Pope Leo XIII
expressed the principles of catholic social teaching. It called for stronger government intervention in the economy, while denouncing socialism
.
As a Catholic party, it advocated equal finances for religious and public schools. Furthermore the party supported religious freedom for Catholics in the Northern provinces, such as the right to hold religious demonstrations. It wanted a separate envoy at the Holy See
and a strong Catholic mission in the Dutch Indies.
As a Catholic social party, it was a staunch proponent of a corporatist
economy, where employers' organization
s, union
s and state
work together for the common good. It supported the implementation of a system of social security
, protection to develop national industry and the improvement of the position of workers. It advocated householder franchise
in which only heads of families could vote.
After World War I
it advocated increased spending on defense.
. In North Brabant
and Limburg
, it often got more than 90% of the vote.
es, with little party discipline
. The weak party organization was dependent on the party's parliamentary party.
, the Catholic farmers' organisation, Catholic Hospitals united in the Yellow-White Cross and Catholic Schools.
, in alliance called the coalition
. Their shared issue was the equal financing for religious schools by the government. The relationship with the ARP, which also supported the extension of suffrage and recognized the Catholic religion, was considerably better than with the CHU, which opposed the extension of suffrage and sought to minimize the rights of Catholics.
or the Swiss Conservative People's Party
. All three were committed to the emancipation of Catholics from their disadvantaged position.
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...
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"...
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...
. The General League is historically linked to the Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
, currently a major party in the Netherlands.
Before 1904
During the 19th century, CatholicsRoman Catholicism in the Netherlands
The Catholic Church in the Netherlands; , is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. Although the number of Catholics in the Netherlands has decreased significantly in recent decades, the Dutch Catholic Church is today the largest...
were a disadvantaged minority in the Netherlands. They enjoyed considerable independence in the southern provinces North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
and 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...
, where they formed 90% of the population. In the North, Catholics were forbidden to organize religious rallies and demonstrations. Until 1848 the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church was forbidden in the Netherlands. A mix of Protestantism and nationalism, inspired by the struggle for independence against the Catholic Spanish lay at the basis of this.
Until the 1890s the most important ally of the Catholics were the liberals
Liberal Union
The Liberal Union was a Dutch liberal political party. A major party in its time, the LU was one of the historic predecessors of the Liberal State Party, and therefore of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy....
, who advocated freedom of religion. Catholic supported several liberal governments. Internally the Catholics were divided between two groups, those around progressive Schaepman and those around the conservative Bahlman. The progressives favoured a corporatist economy and extension of suffrage while the conservatives, who represented business interests opposed both. Meanwhile the organization of the Catholics was concentrated on the district or province. The Brabant caucuses was exceptionally strong.
In the late 1880s the Catholics became disillusioned with the liberals, because although they supported the freedom of religion, they refused to finance Catholic, or otherwise religious, schools. This became an important issue which united the Catholics. In 1888 the Catholic parliamentary party switched their allegiances to 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 became part of the first coalition
Christian democracy in the Netherlands
This article gives an overview of christian democracy in the Netherlands, which is also called confessional politics, including political Catholicism and Protestantism. It is limited to Christian democratic parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament...
cabinet led by Aeneas Mackay. This new cabinet also jump started the formation of a new party, in 1896 all Catholic candidates rally around one program, written by Schaepman. The program was insipred by the encyclical Rerum Novarum
Rerum Novarum
Rerum Novarum is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 15, 1891. It was an open letter, passed to all Catholic bishops, that addressed the condition of the working classes. The encyclical is entitled: “Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour”...
, which advocated social Catholic politics. From 1897 Catholic MPs began to meet regularly.
1904-1926
Finally on October 15, 1904, the General League was founded as a federation of district and provincial Catholic caucuses and parliamentarians.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...
were the first election the League had entered in. It retained the same number of seats as previously held by Catholic candidates: 25 (out of 100). This number remained remarkably stable in the subsequent elections. The party governed between 1908 and 1913 together with the ARP and the Protestant CHU, in the cabinet led by Heemskerk
Theo Heemskerk
Theodorus "Theo" Heemskerk , son of Jan Heemskerk, was a Dutch politician in the party ARP. From 1908 to 1913 Heemskerk was minister of the Interior and president of the Council of Ministers . Heemskerk is particularly known as the founder of the Dutch poverty and vaccination laws....
. Between 1913 and 1918 the party was out of power by a liberal minority cabinet. This cabinet was preparing an important constitutional revision. This revision sought to solve the two most pressing political issues of the past three decades: suffrage and equal financing for religious schools. In this process all parties were involved. In 1917 these changes were implemented.
After that year the General League grew in power. In the 1918 elections
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...
which were held under proportional representation, the League became the largest party and its alliance with the ARP and CHU won a considerable majority. For the first time in Dutch political history a Catholic, Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Jhr. Charles Joseph Maria Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was a Dutch nobleman and Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1918 to 1925 and again from 1929 to 1933...
, became Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
.
This responsibility put considerable pressure on the party. In 1919 the MP Van Groenendael was removed form the party ranks, because he supported the independence of Dutch Limburg. In 1922 another Catholic party, Roman Catholic People's Party, was founded by former members of the General League. It was oriented towards Catholic workers. In 1923 ten Catholic MPs caused the fall of the Second Ruijs de Beerenbrouck cabinet, because they had voted against the budget of the ministry for the Navy. Ruijs de Beerenbrouck continued with a new cabinet. In 1925 the orthodox Protestant MP Kersten caused the fall of the first Colijn
Hendrikus Colijn
Hendrikus Colijn was a successful Dutch soldier, businessman and politician.-Early life:He was born in 1869 in the Haarlemmermeer to Antonie Colijn and Anna Verkuil, who had migrated to the Haarlemmermeer polder from the Land of Heusden and Altena for religious reasons...
cabinet. Kersten had proposed every year that the Dutch representative at the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
should be abolished. Each year the conservative Protestant CHU, which was in government with the General League had supported the proposal. Now the socialist and liberal opposition supported the proposal too, which was unacceptable for the Catholic ministers, whose departure caused the cabinet to fall. These events and the pressure of governing accelerated the General League's change into a tightly organized mass party. In 1926 this new party was formed, the Roman Catholic State Party, the continuation of the General League with a stronger organization.
Name
The name of League conveyed three things: its federative nature, as it was a federal league of caucuses, its Roman Catholic ideology and its opposition to partisan politics, it was a general league. The long name was not abbreviated in an acronym, but just as General League. Before the foundation of the Roman Catholic State Party in 1926 the party was also generally known under that name.Ideology & Issues
The General League was a Catholic party, which explicitly based itself on the papal encyclicalEncyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
Rerum Novarum
Rerum Novarum
Rerum Novarum is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 15, 1891. It was an open letter, passed to all Catholic bishops, that addressed the condition of the working classes. The encyclical is entitled: “Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour”...
. In this encyclical Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
expressed the principles of catholic social teaching. It called for stronger government intervention in the economy, while denouncing 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,...
.
As a Catholic party, it advocated equal finances for religious and public schools. Furthermore the party supported religious freedom for Catholics in the Northern provinces, such as the right to hold religious demonstrations. It wanted a separate envoy at the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
and a strong Catholic mission in the Dutch Indies.
As a Catholic social party, it was a staunch proponent of a corporatist
Corporatism
Corporatism, also known as corporativism, is a system of economic, political, or social organization that involves association of the people of society into corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labor, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common...
economy, where employers' organization
Employers' organization
An employers' organization, employers' association or employers' federation is an association of employers. A trade union, which organizes employees is the opposite of an employers' organization...
s, union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s and state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
work together for the common good. It supported the implementation of 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:...
, protection to develop national industry and the improvement of the position of workers. It advocated householder franchise
Householder Franchise
Householder Franchise or census suffrage is where a homeowner has the right to vote in an election. This is a limited form of suffrage, but different from equal voting because, to borrow a dictum, householder franchise is one Household, one vote because it entitles only the householder one vote....
in which only heads of families could vote.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
it advocated increased spending on defense.
Representation
This table shows the General League's results in elections to the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter, the chair of the parliamentary party, and the lijsttrekker, the party's top candidate in a 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 General League was part of the governing coalition, the "highest ranking" minister is listed.| Year | HoR | S | 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... |
Fractievoorzitter | 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 :... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
25 | 17 | not applicable | Maximilien Kolkman | opposition |
| 1906 | 25 | 17 | no elections | Maximilien Kolkman | opposition |
| 1907 | 25 | 19 | no elections | Maximilien Kolkman | opposition |
| 1908 | 25 | 19 | no elections | Maximilien Kolkman | opposition |
| 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... |
25 | 19 | not applicable | Jan Loeff | Anton Nelissen |
| 1910 | 25 | 18 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | Anton Nelissen |
| 1911 | 25 | 18 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | Robert Regout |
| 1912 | 25 | 18 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | Robert Regout |
| 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... |
25 | 18 | not applicable | Wiel Nolens | opposition |
| 1914 | 25 | 18 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | opposition |
| 1915 | 25 | 18 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | opposition |
| 1916 | 25 | 17 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | opposition |
| 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... |
25 | 17 | not applicable | Wiel Nolens | opposition |
| 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... |
30 | 17 | Wiel Nolens | Wiel Nolens | Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck Jhr. Charles Joseph Maria Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was a Dutch nobleman and Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1918 to 1925 and again from 1929 to 1933... (PM Prime Minister of the Netherlands The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government... ) |
| 1919 | 30 | 17 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (PM) |
| 1920 | 30 | 17 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (PM) |
| 1921 | 30 | 17 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (PM) |
| 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... |
32 | 21 | Wiel Nolens | Wiel Nolens | Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (PM) |
| 1923 | 32 | 16 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (PM) |
| 1924 | 32 | 16 | no elections | Wiel Nolens | Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (PM) |
| 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... |
30 | 16 | Wiel Nolens | Wiel Nolens | Dionysius Koolen |
Municipal and Provincial Government
The General League was particularly strong in North Brabant and Limburg, were it often won more than 90% of the vote, and was in a comfortable position in provincial legislatures and local legislatures.Electorate
The General League was supported by Catholics of all classesSocial class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
. In North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
and 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...
, it often got more than 90% of the vote.
Organizational structure
The party was a loose league of caucusCaucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
es, with little party discipline
Party discipline
Party discipline is the ability of a parliamentary group of a political party to get its members to support the policies of their party leadership. In liberal democracies, it usually refers to the control that party leaders have over its legislature...
. The weak party organization was dependent on the party's parliamentary party.
Pillarized organisations
The General League had close links to many other Catholic institutions such as the Roman-Catholic Church and together they formed the Catholic pillar. These organisations included a Catholic labour union, the Catholic employers' organizationEmployers' organization
An employers' organization, employers' association or employers' federation is an association of employers. A trade union, which organizes employees is the opposite of an employers' organization...
, the Catholic farmers' organisation, Catholic Hospitals united in the Yellow-White Cross and Catholic Schools.
Relationships to other parties
The General League was allied to the Protestant Anti-Revolutionary Party and Christian Historical UnionChristian 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:...
, in alliance called the coalition
Christian democracy in the Netherlands
This article gives an overview of christian democracy in the Netherlands, which is also called confessional politics, including political Catholicism and Protestantism. It is limited to Christian democratic parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament...
. Their shared issue was the equal financing for religious schools by the government. The relationship with the ARP, which also supported the extension of suffrage and recognized the Catholic religion, was considerably better than with the CHU, which opposed the extension of suffrage and sought to minimize the rights of Catholics.
International Comparison
As a Catholic party in a dominantly Protestant country it is similar to the German CentreCentre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
or the Swiss Conservative People's Party
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
. All three were committed to the emancipation of Catholics from their disadvantaged position.