Anti Revolutionary Party
Encyclopedia
The Anti Revolutionary Party (in Dutch: Anti-Revolutionaire Partij, ARP) 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.
tendencies within the Dutch Reformed Church
. Under the leadership of Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer
they became a real political force, which opposed the liberal
tendencies within the Dutch Reformed Church and the liberal
tendencies within Dutch politics. The three values of the anti-revolutionaries were "God
, the Netherlands
, and the House of Orange". At the time the anti-revolutionary ideal was a Protestant theocracy
in which Catholics and Jews were second-class citizens.
An important issue was public education
, which in the view of the anti-revolutionaries should be Protestant-Christian in nature. The anti-revolutionaries had ties with the April movement, which opposed the official re-establishment of Roman Catholic bishoprics
, and a mixed relationship with (liberal-)conservatives in the House of Representatives, who also opposed reforms to the social and political system but often on basis of a mix of liberal Protestantism and secular humanism
. During the 1860s Groen van Prinsterer became more isolated from his conservative allies. He also began to reformulate his Protestant-Christian ideals, and began to plead for "souvereiniteit in eigen kring" (sphere sovereignty
) instead of theocracy. This meant that instead of one Protestant-Christian society, Groen van Prinsterer wanted a Protestant society within a pluralistic society. Orthodox Protestants would have their own churches, schools, papers, political parties and sport clubs. This laid the basis for pillarization, which was to dominate Dutch society between 1880 and 1960.
In 1864 Groen van Prinsterer began to correspond with a young Dutch Reformed theologian named Abraham Kuyper
. Kuyper was heavily influenced by Groen van Prinsterer's ideals and began to put the latter's ideal of an orthodox Protestant society within Dutch society into practice.
was founded in 1880), and a paper (De Standaard
). In 1886 Kuyper broke free from the liberal Dutch Reformed Church
(in Dutch: Nederlands-Hervormde Kerk) to found the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
in 1892 (in Dutch: Gerformeerde Kerken Nederland).
The ARP had one practical political goal: equalization of payment between public and religious schools. It had one political strategy: the anti-thesis
between religious and non-religious parties, which meant that he sought to break the cooperation between liberals and Catholics and to create an alliance between Catholics and Protestants.
In 1879 13 (out of 100) anti-revolutionaries were in the House of Representatives, although not all were members of the ARP. During the period 1879-1883 their numbers grew slowly, peaking at 19. After the 1884 election they had 21 members parliament. In 1886 they won their first seat in the Senate.
In the 1888 election
the ARP won 31.4% of the vote and 27 seats. A confessional
cabinet was formed led by the anti-revolutionary Æneas Baron Mackay: it combined anti-revolutionary and Catholic ministers, joined by two conservative independents. Because the liberals still controlled the Senate, many of the cabinet's proposals met resistance there and the cabinet fell before the end of its four year term.
In the 1891 election
the ARP lost 2% of its votes, but 6 of its seats. The confessional parties also lost their majority. A liberal cabinet, led by Van Tienhoven
was formed. It proposed drastic changes to the census
, which would result practically in universal male suffrage, proposed by minister Tak. The ARP was divided on the issue: Kuyper and a majority of the parliamentary party voted in favour of the law, while Alexander de Savorin-Lohman vehemently opposed it. Kuyper had tactical reasons to support enlarged franchise - the 'kleine luyden' (middle class) who would be allowed to vote often supported the ARP. De Savorin-Lohman opposed the law because it would imply some form of popular sovereignty
instead of divine sovereignty
. In 1894 this resulted in a split between the ARP and the group around De Savorin-Lohman. Party discipline
also played a role in the conflict between Kuyper and De Savorin-Lohman: Kuyper, the party leader, favoured strong party discipline, while De Savorin Lohman opposed strong parties. The split results in the foundation of the Free Anti Revolutionary Party
in 1898, which would become the Christian Historical Union
in 1904. With De Savorin-Lohman a group of prominent party politicians left the party, including many of its aristocratic members (who like De Savorin-Lohman have double names
). The CHU continued its opposition against universal suffrage and is more anti-papist than the ARP.
In the 1894 elections
the ARP lost almost half of its vote and six of its twenty-one seats. The Catholics broke their alliance with the ARP and support a conservative cabinet. In the 1897 elections
the ARP won back some ground: it was supported by 26% of the electorate and won seventeen seats. The group around De Savorin Lohman, won 11% of the vote and six seats. A liberal cabinet was formed and the ARP was confined to opposition.
In 1901
the ARP won a decisive victory. It won 27.4% of the vote and twenty-three seats. A cabinet was formed out of the ARP, the Catholics
and the group around De Savorin-Lohman, now called the Christian Historical Party
. The cabinet was led by Kuyper, being the first person to formally lead the cabinet
for four years. It was characterized by Kuypers' authoritarian leadership. This can best be seen by the railway strike
of 1903, in which Kuyper showed no mercy to the strikers and instead pushed several particularly harsh anti-strike laws through parliament. After the Senate, where there was a liberal majority, rejected Kuypers' law on higher education, which sought to bring equal titles for alumni of the Free University, which Kuyper himself founded, Kuyper called for new elections for the Senate. With a confessional majority in the Senate, the law was pushed through.
In the 1905 elections
the ARP lost only 3% of vote, but eight seats, although it was able to strengthen its position in the Senate. Kuyper, the party's leader, lost his own seat in Amsterdam to a progressive liberal. Theo Heemskerk
led the anti-revolutionary parliamentary party. A minority liberal cabinet was formed. Former anti-revolutionary MP Staalman left ARP and founded the Christian Democratic Party, which later became the Christian Democratic Union
, which would play a minor role in the interbellum political landscape.
In a 1908 Kuyper returned to the House of Representatives. After a crisis in the liberal cabinet Theo Heemskerk was given the chance to form a new cabinet. A minority confessional cabinet was formed. In the 1909 elections
the ARP won 3% of vote and twenty-five seats. The Heemskerk cabinet continues.
In 1912 Kuyper left national politics because of health reasons, and in 1913 he was elected to the Senate. In the 1913 election
the ARP lost 6% of the votes, but lost more than half of its seats and was left with 11 seats. Another minority liberal cabinet was formed. The leadership of the ARP lay in the hands of less prominent politicians. Although a relatively small opposition party, the ARP played an important role in Dutch politics. The liberal minority cabinet, led by Cort van der Linden
sought to resolve two important issues in Dutch politics: the conflict over the equalization of payment for religious schools and universal suffrage. In the constitution change of 1917 both items were resolved. The ARP was given equal payment for religious schools, but it had to accept female suffrage and proportional representation
.
The 1918 elections
provided a decisive test for the party, where the party won two additional seats. The three confessional parties won 50 seats. The confessional parties formed a new cabinet, led by the Catholic Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
. The ARP supplied three ministers and former prime minister Theo Heemskerk became minister of Justice. A group of concerned anti-revolutionaries, led by Gerrit Kersten, founded the Political Reformed Party, which opposed universal suffrage and cooperation with the Catholics. The electorate of the ARP changed in the interbellum - the difference between lower class Protestants who voted ARP and middle class Protestant Protestants who voted CHU began to disappear, with religious differences between the Dutch Reformed Church
(CHU) and the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
(ARP) becoming more important.
In the 1922 elections
former minister of war Hendrikus Colijn
becomes the leader of the ARP. He emphasized defense
and fiscal conservatism
as core issues of the party. With him the ARP gets sixteen seats in the House of Representatives and fifteen in the Senate. He becomes Minister of Finance in the second cabinet of Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck. He leads the party in the 1925 elections
and the party lost three seats. The ARP continues to govern with Jan Donner
as minister of Justice. In the 1929 elections
the ARP lost another seat. The confessional parties continued to govern.
In the 1930s with the growing international political
and economic crisis
, the ARP began to regain its popularity, under the leadership of Colijn. In 1933
the ARP gained two seats and Colijn formed a broad cabinet comprising the Roman-Catholic State Party
(RKSP), CHU, ARP, Liberal State Party
(LSP) and Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB). Jan Schouten led the party's parliamentary party. Between 1933 and 1939 Colijn leads several parliamentary and extra-parliamentary cabinets
with changing composition, although the CHU, ARP and RKSP continued to form the core of the cabinet. Colijn kept to classical economic policies
, refused to devalue
the guilder and was unable to resolve the economic crisis. In 1937
the ARP gained three seats and reached a historic seventeen seats. Colijn continued to govern. In 1939 his fifth cabinet fell and Colijn was succeeded by Dirk Jan de Geer
. Pieter Gerbrandy joined the cabinet without support of his parliamentary party.
In the Second World War
members of the ARP played a role in both the governments in exile
, of which many were led by Pieter Gerbrandy and the resistance movements
. The resistance paper Trouw
was founded by ARP members. Many future ARP MPs began their political career in the Dutch resistance.
After the Second World War the ARP returned to Dutch politics. The anti-revolutionary Jo Meynen
was minister of War, albeit without support of his parliamentary party.
In the 1946 elections
Jan Schouten led the party. It lost four seats. During the formation in became clear that the ARP could not govern: it was heavily opposed to decolonization of the Dutch Indies. It saw maintenance of the Dutch colonial empire as necessary for the continued wealth and power of the Netherlands. The Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) and the Catholics
however favoured decolonization, under heavy pressure from the United States
. For six years the ARP was relatively isolated. In 1944 a theological conflict within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
led to a break between the Reformed Church and the Reformed Churches (liberated). This also had political repercussions, as in 1948 the Reformed Political Alliance was set up by members of the liberated churches. They were unable to win seats until 1963. The party remained stable in the 1948 elections
and remained in opposition.
After the 1952 elections
the ARP returned to the cabinet, which was consisted of the confessional ARP, CHU, KVP and the social-democratic PvdA, led by the social-democrat Drees
. Jelle Zijlstra
became minister of economic affairs. In the 1956 elections
in which Jelle Zijlstra became political leader the ARP kept its 10% of the vote, but due to the enlargement of the House of Representatives it got 15 seats. A conflict between the PvdA and the KVP caused the early downfall of the cabinet. The ARP remained part of the care-taker cabinet led by Louis Beel
. In the 1959 elections
the ARP lost another seat. It continued to be part of the cabinet, now led by Jan de Quay
. The three confessional parties were joined by the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
. After the 1963 elections
the cabinet continued, now led by Victor Marijnen. The new anti-revolutionary leader Barend Biesheuvel
became Minister of Agriculture. In 1965 this cabinet fell over a conflict between the liberals and the confessionals. The PvdA joins the ARP and the KVP in a new cabinet, led by Jo Cals
. This cabinet fell after one year, over conflict between the KVP and PvdA over government spending. The ARP joins the PvdA in its plea for more government spending. A caretaker government is formed by the KVP and ARP, led by former ARP-leader Jelle Zijlstra. In the 1967 election campaign
the ARP, CHU and KVP declared that they would continue to govern together. This led to considerable conflict with the KVP, which also spilled over into the ARP, as the younger generation wanted to govern with the PvdA. The ARP gained two seats, but the KVP loses eight seats. A new liberal/confessional cabinet is formed. Biesheuvel does not enter government but instead chooses to remain in parliament.
In the 1971 elections
the ARP lost two seats, and its confessional allies (KVP and CHU) lost seven and three seats respectively. They faced competition from the leftwing Christian
Political Party of Radicals (PPR), which was formed by former KVP members and joined by some prominent anti-revolutionaries, including Bas de Gaay Fortman
, son of Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman, one of the party's ministers. The liberal/confessional cabinet lost its majority. A new government was formed consisting of liberals and confessionals, now joined by Democratic Socialists '70 - a group of moderate social-democrats, who left the "radicalizing" PvdA. This cabinet was led by Barend Biesheuvel. Willem Aantjes
became the chair of the party's parliamentary party. Under his leadership the ARP fashioned itself a new leftwing radical evangelical image, while the CHU retains its conservative image. The cabinet did not hold together for long: DS '70 were unable to agree with proposed budget cuts, and the cabinet fell. In the subsequent elections
the ARP gained one seat. After long coalition talks several prominent anti-revolutionaries, including Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman, joined the progressive cabinet led by Joop den Uyl
. The cabinet was riddled with conflicts between confessional and progressive politicians.
(CDA). In the formation of a common Christian-democratic identity anti-revolutionary Aantjes played a decisive role: he orients the party towards the sermon on the Mount
where Christ says that Christians should clothe the naked and feed the hungry. In the 1977 elections they campaigned together under as the CDA. Some prominent anti-revolutionaries, like Aantjes did not agree the CDA/VVD cabinet that was formed after the elections, and wanted to continue with the PvdA, however they supported the cabinet politically. A group of these anti-revolutionaries left the CDA in 1981 to found the left-wing Christian Evangelical People's Party.
(and certainly against those of Marxists). The label conservative was already taken by a parliamentary group of monarchists and colonialists, who fell from favour during the late 19th century. In its early years the terms anti-revolutionary and Christian-historical were used interchangeable. With the split between the ARP and the Christian Historical Union
the terms began to gain their own separate meanings.
, it favoured divine providence
, instead of equality
it favoured hierarchy
and instead of brotherhood it favoured sovereignty in its own circle. Its ideals could be summed up in the trio "God
, the Netherlands and the House of Orange". For most of its history it had this conservative
Protestant image. In the 1960s and 1970s the party began to adopt a more leftwing radical evangelical image.
.
The concept of sphere sovereignty
was very important for the party. It wanted to create an independent Protestant society within the Dutch society, with its own schools, papers, hospitals etc. It sought equal government finances for its own institutions. Societies should care for their own, therefore they opposed a large role for the state in social-economic policy.
The ARP saw an important role for the state in upholding the values of the Dutch people. It was socially conservative
: it opposed co-education, mandatory vaccination, divorce
, pornography
, euthanasia
, abortion
etc. It also favoured the death penalty.
. It opposed decolonization. It saw the colonies in Indonesia
, as vital for the continued wealth and influence for the Dutch people. It also wanted to enlighten the native population with Christian values.
, opposed popular referendum
s etc. Its commitment to universal suffrage
was only tactical as the ARP expected that it would be able to gain more seats this way. Principally it wanted Householder Franchise
where the father of each family would vote for his family.
The party was fiscally conservative
: the Dutch government should be like a good father: it should not spend more than it got through taxes.
, and internationally, where development aid
became an important issue.
, Overijssel
, Zeeland
and the Veluwe
the party was particularly strong.
. It now houses the national secretariat of the Christian Democratic Appeal
.
its members sat in the Christian Democratic faction
.
, the Protestant broadcaster NCRV
, the employers' organization NCW
, the trade union CNV
, and the paper De Standaard
and after the Second World War, the Trouw
. Together these organizations formed the Protestant pillar.
it has strong links with the Catholic parties (General League
/Roman-Catholic State Party
/Catholic People's Party
(KVP) and the Christian Historical Union
(CHU). In the period 1879 to 1917 it saw the Liberal Union (LU) as its main opponent. After 1917 it saw the social democratic Social Democratic Workers' Party
as its main opponent, and it formed several governments with liberals.
After the Second World War, the ARP became more isolated because of its position on the decolonization of the Dutch Indies. After Indonesia became independent, it joined the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA), |KVP and the CHU in the cabinet. Links with the KVP were exceptionally good and it governed with the KVP and either the CHU and the PvdA. After the 1960s calls to govern with the PvdA became stronger.
, Norwegian
, Danish
and the Finnish
Christian Democrats), that are all socially and fiscally conservative, with a social heart. All have their roots in orthodox tendencies within the national church. In its conservative policies the ARP also shared similarities with the UK Conservatives
and the US Republicans
.
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...
Protestant Christian democratic
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...
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 ARP is one of the predecessors of 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...
. After 1917 the party never received more than twenty percent of the vote.
History before 1879
The anti-revolutionary parliamentary caucus had existed since the 1840s. It represented orthodoxOrthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
tendencies within the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
. Under the leadership of Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer
Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer
Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer , Dutch politician and historian, was born at Voorburg, near the Hague.-Overview:...
they became a real political force, which opposed the liberal
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
tendencies within the Dutch Reformed Church and 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,...
tendencies within Dutch politics. The three values of the anti-revolutionaries were "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, 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...
, and the House of Orange". At the time the anti-revolutionary ideal was a Protestant theocracy
Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
in which Catholics and Jews were second-class citizens.
An important issue was public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
, which in the view of the anti-revolutionaries should be Protestant-Christian in nature. The anti-revolutionaries had ties with the April movement, which opposed the official re-establishment of Roman Catholic bishoprics
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, and a mixed relationship with (liberal-)conservatives in the House of Representatives, who also opposed reforms to the social and political system but often on basis of a mix of liberal Protestantism and secular humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
. During the 1860s Groen van Prinsterer became more isolated from his conservative allies. He also began to reformulate his Protestant-Christian ideals, and began to plead for "souvereiniteit in eigen kring" (sphere sovereignty
Sphere sovereignty
In Neo-Calvinism, sphere sovereignty is the concept that each sphere of life has its own distinct responsibilities and authority or competence, and stands equal to other spheres of life. Sphere sovereignty involves the idea of an all encompassing created order, designed and governed by God...
) instead of theocracy. This meant that instead of one Protestant-Christian society, Groen van Prinsterer wanted a Protestant society within a pluralistic society. Orthodox Protestants would have their own churches, schools, papers, political parties and sport clubs. This laid the basis for pillarization, which was to dominate Dutch society between 1880 and 1960.
In 1864 Groen van Prinsterer began to correspond with a young Dutch Reformed theologian named Abraham Kuyper
Abraham Kuyper
Abraham Kuijper generally known as Abraham Kuyper, was a Dutch politician, journalist, statesman and theologian...
. Kuyper was heavily influenced by Groen van Prinsterer's ideals and began to put the latter's ideal of an orthodox Protestant society within Dutch society into practice.
Foundation
On April 3, 1879 Abraham Kuyper founded the ARP, as part of the larger separate orthodox Protestant society within society. It was the first nationally organized political party in the Netherlands. An 1878 petition for equal payment for religious schools became one of the catalysts for the foundation of the political movement. In 1877 Kuyper had already written "Our Program" in which the political ideals of the ARP were written down (see below). Around the ARP the separate Protestant society began to grow: many Protestant schools were founded, a Protestant university (the Free UniversityVrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
was founded in 1880), and a paper (De Standaard
De Standaard
De Standaard is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Corelio . Circulation was about 102.280 in 2007. It was traditionally a Christian-Democratic paper, associated with the Christian-Democratic and Flemish Party, and in opposition to the Socialist Flemish daily De Morgen...
). In 1886 Kuyper broke free from the liberal Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
(in Dutch: Nederlands-Hervormde Kerk) to found the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands until it merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004.-History:...
in 1892 (in Dutch: Gerformeerde Kerken Nederland).
The ARP had one practical political goal: equalization of payment between public and religious schools. It had one political strategy: the anti-thesis
Antithesis (Netherlands)
The Antithesis is a conflict between Christian-democratic, confessional parties, united in the Coalition and Liberal parties, united in the Concentratie between 1888 and 1918. The conflict concerned the equalization of payment for religious schools...
between religious and non-religious parties, which meant that he sought to break the cooperation between liberals and Catholics and to create an alliance between Catholics and Protestants.
1879-1917
In the 1888 election
Dutch general election, 1888
A general election was held in the Netherlands in 1888.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party * Liberal Union * Social Democratic League...
the ARP won 31.4% of the vote and 27 seats. A confessional
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 was formed led by the anti-revolutionary Æneas Baron Mackay: it combined anti-revolutionary and Catholic ministers, joined by two conservative independents. Because the liberals still controlled the Senate, many of the cabinet's proposals met resistance there and the cabinet fell before the end of its four year term.
In the 1891 election
Dutch general election, 1891
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1891.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party * Liberal Union...
the ARP lost 2% of its votes, but 6 of its seats. The confessional parties also lost their majority. A liberal cabinet, led by Van Tienhoven
Gijsbert van Tienhoven
Gijsbert van Tienhoven was prime minister of the Netherlands from 21 August 1891 until 8 May 1894. He was also mayor of Amsterdam from 1880 to 1891.-History:...
was formed. It proposed drastic changes to the census
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....
, which would result practically in universal male suffrage, proposed by minister Tak. The ARP was divided on the issue: Kuyper and a majority of the parliamentary party voted in favour of the law, while Alexander de Savorin-Lohman vehemently opposed it. Kuyper had tactical reasons to support enlarged franchise - the 'kleine luyden' (middle class) who would be allowed to vote often supported the ARP. De Savorin-Lohman opposed the law because it would imply some form of popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty or the sovereignty of the people is the political principle that the legitimacy of the state is created and sustained by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. It is closely associated with Republicanism and the social contract...
instead of divine sovereignty
Divine Right of Kings
The divine right of kings or divine-right theory of kingship is a political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy. It asserts that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving his right to rule directly from the will of God...
. In 1894 this resulted in a split between the ARP and the group around De Savorin-Lohman. 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...
also played a role in the conflict between Kuyper and De Savorin-Lohman: Kuyper, the party leader, favoured strong party discipline, while De Savorin Lohman opposed strong parties. The split results in the foundation of the Free Anti Revolutionary Party
Free Anti Revolutionary Party
The Free Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch conservative Reformed political party, which existed from 1898 to 1903...
in 1898, which would become the 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:...
in 1904. With De Savorin-Lohman a group of prominent party politicians left the party, including many of its aristocratic members (who like De Savorin-Lohman have double names
Double-barrelled name
In English speaking and some other Western countries, a double-barrelled name is a family name with two parts, which may or may not be joined with a hyphen and is also known as a hyphenated name. An example of a hyphenated double-barrelled surname is Bowes-Lyon; an example of an unhyphenated...
). The CHU continued its opposition against universal suffrage and is more anti-papist than the ARP.
In the 1894 elections
Dutch general election, 1894
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1894.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party * Liberal Union...
the ARP lost almost half of its vote and six of its twenty-one seats. The Catholics broke their alliance with the ARP and support a conservative cabinet. In the 1897 elections
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 ARP won back some ground: it was supported by 26% of the electorate and won seventeen seats. The group around De Savorin Lohman, won 11% of the vote and six seats. A liberal cabinet was formed and the ARP was confined to opposition.
In 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...
the ARP won a decisive victory. It won 27.4% of the vote and twenty-three seats. A cabinet was formed out of the ARP, the Catholics
Algemeene Bond van RK-kiesverenigingen
The General League of Roman Catholic Caucuses was a Dutch Catholic political party...
and the group around De Savorin-Lohman, now called the Christian Historical Party
Christian Historical Party
The Christian Historical Party was a Dutch conservative Reformed political party, which existed from 1903 to 1908...
. The cabinet was led by Kuyper, being the first person to formally lead the cabinet
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...
for four years. It was characterized by Kuypers' authoritarian leadership. This can best be seen by the railway strike
Strike 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...
of 1903, in which Kuyper showed no mercy to the strikers and instead pushed several particularly harsh anti-strike laws through parliament. After the Senate, where there was a liberal majority, rejected Kuypers' law on higher education, which sought to bring equal titles for alumni of the Free University, which Kuyper himself founded, Kuyper called for new elections for the Senate. With a confessional majority in the Senate, the law was pushed through.
In 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 ARP lost only 3% of vote, but eight seats, although it was able to strengthen its position in the Senate. Kuyper, the party's leader, lost his own seat in Amsterdam to a progressive liberal. Theo 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....
led the anti-revolutionary parliamentary party. A minority liberal cabinet was formed. Former anti-revolutionary MP Staalman left ARP and founded the Christian Democratic Party, which later became the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Netherlands)
The Christian-Democratic Union was a minor Christian left party in the Netherlands in the interbellum.-History:...
, which would play a minor role in the interbellum political landscape.
In a 1908 Kuyper returned to the House of Representatives. After a crisis in the liberal cabinet Theo Heemskerk was given the chance to form a new cabinet. A minority confessional cabinet was formed. 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 ARP won 3% of vote and twenty-five seats. The Heemskerk cabinet continues.
In 1912 Kuyper left national politics because of health reasons, and in 1913 he was elected to the Senate. In the 1913 election
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 ARP lost 6% of the votes, but lost more than half of its seats and was left with 11 seats. Another minority liberal cabinet was formed. The leadership of the ARP lay in the hands of less prominent politicians. Although a relatively small opposition party, the ARP played an important role in Dutch politics. The liberal minority cabinet, led by 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....
sought to resolve two important issues in Dutch politics: the conflict over the equalization of payment for religious schools and universal suffrage. In the constitution change of 1917 both items were resolved. The ARP was given equal payment for religious schools, but it had to accept female suffrage and proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
1917-1945
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...
provided a decisive test for the party, where the party won two additional seats. The three confessional parties won 50 seats. The confessional parties formed a new cabinet, led by the 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...
. The ARP supplied three ministers and former prime minister Theo Heemskerk became minister of Justice. A group of concerned anti-revolutionaries, led by Gerrit Kersten, founded the Political Reformed Party, which opposed universal suffrage and cooperation with the Catholics. The electorate of the ARP changed in the interbellum - the difference between lower class Protestants who voted ARP and middle class Protestant Protestants who voted CHU began to disappear, with religious differences between the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
(CHU) and the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands until it merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004.-History:...
(ARP) becoming more important.
In the 1922 elections
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...
former minister of war Hendrikus 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...
becomes the leader of the ARP. He emphasized defense
Defense (military)
Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...
and fiscal conservatism
Fiscal conservatism
Fiscal conservatism is a political term used to describe a fiscal policy that advocates avoiding deficit spending. Fiscal conservatives often consider reduction of overall government spending and national debt as well as ensuring balanced budget of paramount importance...
as core issues of the party. With him the ARP gets sixteen seats in the House of Representatives and fifteen in the Senate. He becomes Minister of Finance in the second cabinet of Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck. He leads the party in the 1925 elections
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...
and the party lost three seats. The ARP continues to govern with Jan Donner
Jan Donner
Jan Donner was a Dutch politician.Donner was Minister of Justice from 1926 to 1933, President of the Dutch Supreme Court from 1946 to 1961, and was named Minister of State in 1971 for his services to the State.He was the father of the chess player Jan Hein Donner and the jurist André Donner and...
as minister of Justice. In the 1929 elections
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...
the ARP lost another seat. The confessional parties continued to govern.
In the 1930s with the growing international political
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
and economic crisis
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the ARP began to regain its popularity, under the leadership of Colijn. In 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...
the ARP gained two seats and Colijn formed a broad cabinet comprising the Roman-Catholic State Party
Roman-Catholic State Party
Roman-Catholic Political Party was a Dutch Catholic Christian-Democratic political party. The party was founded in 1926 as a continuation of the General League. In 1945 the party became the Catholic People's Party .-History:...
(RKSP), CHU, ARP, Liberal State Party
Liberal State Party
The Liberal State Party, "the Freedom League" , was a Dutch conservative liberal political party from 1921 to 1948...
(LSP) and Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB). Jan Schouten led the party's parliamentary party. Between 1933 and 1939 Colijn leads several parliamentary and extra-parliamentary cabinets
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:...
with changing composition, although the CHU, ARP and RKSP continued to form the core of the cabinet. Colijn kept to classical economic policies
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
, refused to devalue
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 was unable to resolve the economic crisis. In 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...
the ARP gained three seats and reached a historic seventeen seats. Colijn continued to govern. In 1939 his fifth cabinet fell and Colijn was succeeded by Dirk Jan 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...
. Pieter Gerbrandy joined the cabinet without support of his parliamentary party.
In the Second World War
The Netherlands in World War II
The history of the Netherlands from 1939 to 1945 covers the events in the Netherlands that took place under the German occupation that started on May 10, 1940 with the Battle of the Netherlands. The Netherlands hoped to stay neutral when World War II broke out in 1939 but this failed to happen when...
members of the ARP played a role in both the governments 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....
, of which many were led by Pieter Gerbrandy and the resistance movements
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...
. The resistance paper Trouw
Trouw
Trouw is a Dutch daily newspaper. "Trouw" is a Dutch word meaning "fidelity", "loyalty", or "allegiance", and is cognate with the English adjective "true"...
was founded by ARP members. Many future ARP MPs began their political career in the Dutch resistance.
1945-1980
Jo Meynen
Johannes Meynen was a Dutch politician.-References:...
was minister of War, albeit without support of his parliamentary party.
In the 1946 elections
Dutch general election, 1946
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on May 17, 1946.After the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, parties that existed prior to the war underwent mergers and reorganizations.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti...
Jan Schouten led the party. It lost four seats. During the formation in became clear that the ARP could not govern: it was heavily opposed to decolonization of the Dutch Indies. It saw maintenance of the Dutch colonial empire as necessary for the continued wealth and power of the Netherlands. The Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) and the Catholics
Catholic People's Party
The Catholic People's Party was a Catholic Christian democratic Dutch political party. During its entire existence, the party was in government. The party is one of the precursors of the Christian Democratic Appeal.- 1945-1965 :The KVP was founded on 22 December, 1945...
however favoured decolonization, under heavy pressure from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. For six years the ARP was relatively isolated. In 1944 a theological conflict within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands until it merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004.-History:...
led to a break between the Reformed Church and the Reformed Churches (liberated). This also had political repercussions, as in 1948 the Reformed Political Alliance was set up by members of the liberated churches. They were unable to win seats until 1963. The party remained stable in the 1948 elections
Dutch general election, 1948
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on July 7, 1948.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
and remained in opposition.
Dutch general election, 1952
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on June 25, 1952.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
the ARP returned to the cabinet, which was consisted of the confessional ARP, CHU, KVP and the social-democratic PvdA, led by the social-democrat 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....
. Jelle Zijlstra
Jelle Zijlstra
Jelle Zijlstra was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from November 22, 1966 until April 5, 1967....
became minister of economic affairs. In the 1956 elections
Dutch general election, 1956
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on June 13, 1956.The 1956 election marks an important change in the history of the Dutch House of Representatives: the number of seats in the House was increased from 100 to 150.-National...
in which Jelle Zijlstra became political leader the ARP kept its 10% of the vote, but due to the enlargement of the House of Representatives it got 15 seats. A conflict between the PvdA and the KVP caused the early downfall of the cabinet. The ARP remained part of the care-taker cabinet led by Louis Beel
Louis Beel
Louis Joseph Maria Beel was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from July 3, 1946 until August 7, 1948 and again from December 22, 1958 until May 19, 1959...
. In the 1959 elections
Dutch general election, 1959
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on March 12, 1959.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
the ARP lost another seat. It continued to be part of the cabinet, now led by Jan de Quay
Jan de Quay
Jan Eduard de Quay was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from May 19, 1959 until July 24, 1963....
. The three confessional parties were joined by the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
. After the 1963 elections
Dutch general election, 1963
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on May 15, 1963.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
the cabinet continued, now led by Victor Marijnen. The new anti-revolutionary leader Barend Biesheuvel
Barend Biesheuvel
Barend Willem Biesheuvel was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from July 6, 1971 until May 11, 1973.He previously served as a Member of the House of Representatives from...
became Minister of Agriculture. In 1965 this cabinet fell over a conflict between the liberals and the confessionals. The PvdA joins the ARP and the KVP in a new cabinet, led by Jo Cals
Jo Cals
Jozef Maria Laurens Theo "Jo" Cals was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal...
. This cabinet fell after one year, over conflict between the KVP and PvdA over government spending. The ARP joins the PvdA in its plea for more government spending. A caretaker government is formed by the KVP and ARP, led by former ARP-leader Jelle Zijlstra. In the 1967 election campaign
Dutch general election, 1967
A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on 15 February 1967.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party...
the ARP, CHU and KVP declared that they would continue to govern together. This led to considerable conflict with the KVP, which also spilled over into the ARP, as the younger generation wanted to govern with the PvdA. The ARP gained two seats, but the KVP loses eight seats. A new liberal/confessional cabinet is formed. Biesheuvel does not enter government but instead chooses to remain in parliament.
Dutch general election, 1971
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on April 28, 1971.-National summary:turnout: 79.1%...
the ARP lost two seats, and its confessional allies (KVP and CHU) lost seven and three seats respectively. They faced competition from the leftwing Christian
Christian left
The Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice....
Political Party of Radicals (PPR), which was formed by former KVP members and joined by some prominent anti-revolutionaries, including Bas de Gaay Fortman
Bas de Gaay Fortman
Bastiaan de Gaay Fortman is a Dutch politician and scholar. He has been a member of both the Dutch House of Representatives and the Senate for the PPR and GroenLinks parties...
, son of Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman, one of the party's ministers. The liberal/confessional cabinet lost its majority. A new government was formed consisting of liberals and confessionals, now joined by Democratic Socialists '70 - a group of moderate social-democrats, who left the "radicalizing" PvdA. This cabinet was led by Barend Biesheuvel. Willem Aantjes
Willem Aantjes
Willem Aantjes is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal party. A prominent member the Christian Democratic Appeal party.-Early life:...
became the chair of the party's parliamentary party. Under his leadership the ARP fashioned itself a new leftwing radical evangelical image, while the CHU retains its conservative image. The cabinet did not hold together for long: DS '70 were unable to agree with proposed budget cuts, and the cabinet fell. In the subsequent elections
Dutch general election, 1972
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 29, 1972.-National summary:...
the ARP gained one seat. After long coalition talks several prominent anti-revolutionaries, including Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman, joined the progressive cabinet led by Joop den Uyl
Joop den Uyl
Johannes Marten den Uijl, known as Joop den Uyl was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from May 11, 1973 until December 19, 1977....
. The cabinet was riddled with conflicts between confessional and progressive politicians.
Dissolution
Meanwhile a process of merger had started between the KVP, ARP and CHU. In 1974 they founded a federation called the Christian Democratic AppealChristian 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...
(CDA). In the formation of a common Christian-democratic identity anti-revolutionary Aantjes played a decisive role: he orients the party towards the sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
where Christ says that Christians should clothe the naked and feed the hungry. In the 1977 elections they campaigned together under as the CDA. Some prominent anti-revolutionaries, like Aantjes did not agree the CDA/VVD cabinet that was formed after the elections, and wanted to continue with the PvdA, however they supported the cabinet politically. A group of these anti-revolutionaries left the CDA in 1981 to found the left-wing Christian Evangelical People's Party.
Name
The ARP derived its name "Anti Revolutionary Party" from its opposition to the ideals of the liberal French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
(and certainly against those of Marxists). The label conservative was already taken by a parliamentary group of monarchists and colonialists, who fell from favour during the late 19th century. In its early years the terms anti-revolutionary and Christian-historical were used interchangeable. With the split between the ARP and the 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:...
the terms began to gain their own separate meanings.
Ideology and issues
The ARP started out as an orthodox Protestant party, heavily opposed to the ideals of the French revolution. Against the revolution, they put the Bible: instead of libertyLiberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
, it favoured divine providence
Divine providence
In Christian theology, divine providence, or simply providence, is God's activity in the world. " Providence" is also used as a title of God exercising His providence, and then the word are usually capitalized...
, instead of equality
Social equality
Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...
it favoured hierarchy
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
and instead of brotherhood it favoured sovereignty in its own circle. Its ideals could be summed up in the trio "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the Netherlands and the House of Orange". For most of its history it had this conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Protestant image. In the 1960s and 1970s the party began to adopt a more leftwing radical evangelical image.
God
The ARP was a confessional Protestant party which based its politics on the bible and opposed the concept of popular sovereigntyPopular sovereignty
Popular sovereignty or the sovereignty of the people is the political principle that the legitimacy of the state is created and sustained by the will or consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. It is closely associated with Republicanism and the social contract...
.
The concept of sphere sovereignty
Sphere sovereignty
In Neo-Calvinism, sphere sovereignty is the concept that each sphere of life has its own distinct responsibilities and authority or competence, and stands equal to other spheres of life. Sphere sovereignty involves the idea of an all encompassing created order, designed and governed by God...
was very important for the party. It wanted to create an independent Protestant society within the Dutch society, with its own schools, papers, hospitals etc. It sought equal government finances for its own institutions. Societies should care for their own, therefore they opposed a large role for the state in social-economic policy.
The ARP saw an important role for the state in upholding the values of the Dutch people. It was socially conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
: it opposed co-education, mandatory vaccination, divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
etc. It also favoured the death penalty.
The Netherlands
The party can be seen as rather nationalist. It favoured a strong defense to retain Dutch neutralityNeutral 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...
. It opposed decolonization. It saw the colonies in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, as vital for the continued wealth and influence for the Dutch people. It also wanted to enlighten the native population with Christian values.
Orange
The ARP favoured monarchy, and saw the House of Orange as historically and religiously linked to the Dutch people. It opposed changes to Dutch political system, it wanted to retain bicameralismBicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
, opposed popular referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
s etc. Its commitment to 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...
was only tactical as the ARP expected that it would be able to gain more seats this way. Principally it wanted 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....
where the father of each family would vote for his family.
The party was fiscally conservative
Fiscal conservatism
Fiscal conservatism is a political term used to describe a fiscal policy that advocates avoiding deficit spending. Fiscal conservatives often consider reduction of overall government spending and national debt as well as ensuring balanced budget of paramount importance...
: the Dutch government should be like a good father: it should not spend more than it got through taxes.
Christian radicalism
In the 1960s and 1970s the party became more leftwing on many issues. Social justice became an important ideal of the party, both nationally, where it began to favour a stronger welfare stateWelfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
, and internationally, where development aid
Development aid
Development aid or development cooperation is aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social and political development of developing countries.It is distinguished...
became an important issue.
Representation
This table shows the results of the ARP in elections to the House of Representatives and Senate, 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. If the party is in government, a high ranking minister, often the prime minister can also be party leader. If the high ranking minister is the Prime Minister, this can be seen by the "PM" behind his name. If he is in the cabinet without support of his party his is listed as "independent". The party's membership is also presented in this figure.| Year | HoR | S | 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 :... |
Membership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1879 | 13 | 0 | Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuijper generally known as Abraham Kuyper, was a Dutch politician, journalist, statesman and theologian... |
n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1880 | 13 | 0 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1881 | 16 | 0 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1882 | 19 | 0 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1883 | 18 | 0 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1884 | 21 | 0 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1885 | 21 | 0 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1886 | 18 | 1 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1887 | 18 | 1 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1888 Dutch general election, 1888 A general election was held in the Netherlands in 1888.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party * Liberal Union * Social Democratic League... |
27 (31.4%) | 1 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | Aeneas baron Mackay (PM) | unknown |
| 1889 | 27 | 1 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | Aeneas baron Mackay (PM) | unknown |
| 1890 | 27 | 1 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | Aeneas baron Mackay (PM) | unknown |
| 1891 Dutch general election, 1891 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1891.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party * Liberal Union... |
21 (29.5%) | 1 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1892 | 21 | 2 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1893 | 21 | 3 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1894 Dutch general election, 1894 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands in 1894.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party * Liberal Union... |
15 (17.1%) | 2 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1895 | 15 | 2 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1896 | 15 | 3 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 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... |
17 (26.2%) | 3 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1898 | 17 | 1 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1899 | 17 | 3 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1900 | 17 | 3 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 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... |
23 (27.4%) | 4 | Jan van Alphen | n/a | Abraham Kuyper (PM) | unknown |
| 1902 | 23 | 5 | Jan van Alphen | n/a | Abraham Kuyper (PM) | unknown |
| 1903 | 23 | 5 | Theo 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.... |
n/a | Abraham Kuyper (PM) | unknown |
| 1904 | 23 | 8 | Theo Heemskerk | n/a | Abraham Kuyper (PM) | unknown |
| 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... |
15 (24.7%) | 10 | Theo Heemskerk | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1906 | 15 | 9 | Theo Heemskerk | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1907 | 15 | 9 | Theo Heemskerk | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1908 | 15 | 9 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | Theo Heemskerk (PM) | unknown |
| 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 (27.9%) | 9 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | Theo Heemskerk (PM) | unknown |
| 1910 | 25 | 10 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | Theo Heemskerk (PM) | unknown |
| 1911 | 25 | 10 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | Theo Heemskerk (PM) | unknown |
| 1912 | 25 | 10 | Abraham Kuyper | n/a | Theo Heemskerk (PM) | unknown |
| 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... |
11 (21.5%) | 10 | Gerrit Middelberg | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1914 | 11 | 10 | Coenraad van der Voort van Zijp | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1915 | 11 | 10 | Coenraad van der Voort van Zijp | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 1916 | 11 | 9 | Victor Rutgers | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 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... |
11 | 10 | Victor Rutgers | n/a | opposition | unknown |
| 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... |
13 | 9 | Victor Rutgers | multiple | Theo Heemskerk | unknown |
| 1919 | 13 | 9 | Victor Rutgers | no elections | Theo Heemskerk | unknown |
| 1920 | 13 | 10 | Victor Rutgers | no elections | Theo Heemskerk | unknown |
| 1921 | 13 | 10 | Victor Rutgers | no elections | Theo Heemskerk | unknown |
| 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... |
16 | 15 | Hendrikus Colijn | multiple, including 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... , Schouten and 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.... |
Theo Heemskerk | unknown |
| 1923 | 16 | 15 | Victor Rutgers | no elections | Hendrikus Colijn | unknown |
| 1924 | 16 | 10 | Victor Rutgers | no elections | Hendrikus Colijn | unknown |
| 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... |
13 | 9 | Theo Heemskerk | Hendrikus Colijn | Hendrikus Colijn | unknown |
| 1926 | 13 | 9 | Theo Heemskerk | no elections | Hendrikus Colijn | unknown |
| 1927 | 13 | 7 | Theo Heemskerk | no elections | Jan Donner Jan Donner Jan Donner was a Dutch politician.Donner was Minister of Justice from 1926 to 1933, President of the Dutch Supreme Court from 1946 to 1961, and was named Minister of State in 1971 for his services to the State.He was the father of the chess player Jan Hein Donner and the jurist André Donner and... |
unknown |
| 1928 | 13 | 7 | Theo Heemskerk | no elections | Jan Donner | unknown |
| 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... |
12 | 7 | Hendrikus Colijn | multiple including Colijn | Jan Donner | unknown |
| 1930 | 12 | 7 | Hendrikus Colijn | no elections | Jan Donner | unknown |
| 1931 | 12 | 7 | Hendrikus Colijn | no elections | Jan Donner | unknown |
| 1932 | 12 | 7 | Hendrikus Colijn | no elections | Jan Donner | unknown |
| 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... |
14 | 7 | Jan Schouten | Hendrikus Colijn | Hendrikus Colijn (PM) | unknown |
| 1934 | 14 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Hendrikus Colijn (PM) | unknown |
| 1935 | 14 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Hendrikus Colijn (PM) | unknown |
| 1936 | 14 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Hendrikus Colijn (PM) | unknown |
| 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... |
17 | 8 | Jan Schouten | Hendrikus Colijn | Hendrikus Colijn (PM) | unknown |
| 1938 | 17 | 8 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Hendrikus Colijn (PM) | unknown |
| 1939 | 17 | 8 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Pieter Gerbrandy Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy was a Dutch politician of the Anti Revolutionary Party . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from September 3, 1940 until June 24, 1945. He was the Prime Minister of the Dutch government in exile during World War II... (as independent) |
unknown |
| 1940 | out of session | Pieter Gerbrandy (PM) | unknown | |||
| 1941 | out of session | Pieter Gerbrandy (PM) | unknown | |||
| 1942 | out of session | Pieter Gerbrandy (PM) | unknown | |||
| 1943 | out of session | Pieter Gerbrandy (PM) | unknown | |||
| 1944 | out of session | Pieter Gerbrandy (PM) | unknown | |||
| 1945 | 17 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Jo Meynen Jo Meynen Johannes Meynen was a Dutch politician.-References:... (as independent) |
unknown |
| 1946 Dutch general election, 1946 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on May 17, 1946.After the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, parties that existed prior to the war underwent mergers and reorganizations.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti... |
13 | 7 | Jan Schouten | Jan Schouten | opposition | 86.500 |
| 1947 | 13 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | opposition | unknown |
| 1948 Dutch general election, 1948 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on July 7, 1948.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
13 | 7 | Jan Schouten | Jan Schouten | opposition | unknown |
| 1949 | 13 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | opposition | unknown |
| 1950 | 13 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | opposition | 102.737 |
| 1951 | 13 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Lubertus Götzen Lubertus Götzen Lubbertus Götzen was a Dutch accountant and politician.He embarked upon a civil service career in the Dutch East Indies. He was a minister of the Department of Finance. In Indonesia he was politically active in the Christian political party.-References:... (as independent) |
unknown |
| 1952 Dutch general election, 1952 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on June 25, 1952.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
12 | 7 | Jan Schouten | Jan Schouten | Jelle Zijlstra Jelle Zijlstra Jelle Zijlstra was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from November 22, 1966 until April 5, 1967.... |
unknown |
| 1953 | 12 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Jelle Zijlstra | unknown |
| 1954 | 12 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Jelle Zijlstra | unknown |
| 1955 | 12 | 7 | Jan Schouten | no elections | Jelle Zijlstra | 98.028 |
| 1956 Dutch general election, 1956 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on June 13, 1956.The 1956 election marks an important change in the history of the Dutch House of Representatives: the number of seats in the House was increased from 100 to 150.-National... |
15 | 8 | Sieuwert Bruins Slot | Jelle Zijlstra Jelle Zijlstra Jelle Zijlstra was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from November 22, 1966 until April 5, 1967.... |
Jelle Zijlstra | 95.038 |
| 1957 | 15 | 8 | Sieuwert Bruins Slot | no elections | Jelle Zijlstra | 97.186 |
| 1958 | 15 | 8 | Sieuwert Bruins Slot | no elections | Jelle Zijlstra | 99.340 |
| 1959 Dutch general election, 1959 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on March 12, 1959.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
14 | 8 | Sieuwert Bruins Slot | Jelle Zijlstra | Jelle Zijlstra | 99.613 |
| 1960 | 14 | 8 | Sieuwert Bruins Slot | no elections | Jelle Zijlstra | 97.980 |
| 1961 | 14 | 8 | Sieuwert Bruins Slot | no elections | Jelle Zijlstra | 98.544 |
| 1962 | 14 | 8 | Sieuwert Bruins Slot | no elections | Jelle Zijlstra | 100.847 |
| 1963 Dutch general election, 1963 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on May 15, 1963.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
13 | 7 | Henk van Eijsden | various including Biesheuvel Barend Biesheuvel Barend Willem Biesheuvel was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from July 6, 1971 until May 11, 1973.He previously served as a Member of the House of Representatives from... Smallenbroek Jan Smallenbroek Jan Smallenbroek was a Dutch politician.-References:... and Roolvink Bauke Roolvink Bauke Roolvink was a Dutch politician.-References:... |
Barend Biesheuvel Barend Biesheuvel Barend Willem Biesheuvel was a Dutch politician of the defunct Anti Revolutionary Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from July 6, 1971 until May 11, 1973.He previously served as a Member of the House of Representatives from... |
98.016 |
| 1964 | 13 | 7 | Jan Smallenbroek Jan Smallenbroek Jan Smallenbroek was a Dutch politician.-References:... |
no elections | Barend Biesheuvel | 95.796 |
| 1965 | 13 | 7 | Bauke Roolvink Bauke Roolvink Bauke Roolvink was a Dutch politician.-References:... |
no elections | Barend Biesheuvel | 94.164 |
| 1966 | 13 | 7 | Bauke Roolvink | no elections | Jelle Zijlstra (PM) | 93.398 |
| 1967 Dutch general election, 1967 A general election of the House of Representatives of the Dutch Parliament was held in the Netherlands on 15 February 1967.-National summary:-Parties:* Anti Revolutionary Party... |
15 | 7 | Barend Biesheuvel | Barend Biesheuvel | Joop Bakker Joop Bakker Johannes Age "Joop" Bakker was a Dutch politician.-References:... |
90.904 |
| 1968 | 15 | 7 | Barend Biesheuvel | no elections | Joop Bakker | 87.378 |
| 1969 | 15 | 7 | Barend Biesheuvel | no elections | Joop Bakker | 83.127 |
| 1970 | 15 | 7 | Barend Biesheuvel | no elections | Joop Bakker | 80.695 |
| 1971 Dutch general election, 1971 The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on April 28, 1971.-National summary:turnout: 79.1%... |
13 | 7 | Willem Aantjes Willem Aantjes Willem Aantjes is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal party. A prominent member the Christian Democratic Appeal party.-Early life:... |
Barend Biesheuvel | Barend Biesheuvel (PM) | 74.118 |
| 1972 Dutch general election, 1972 The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 29, 1972.-National summary:... |
14 | 7 | Willem Aantjes | Barend Biesheuvel | Barend Biesheuvel (PM) | unknown |
| 1973 | 14 | 7 | Willem Aantjes | no elections | Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman | 69.742 |
| 1974 | 14 | 6 | Willem Aantjes | no elections | Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman | 61.116 |
| 1975 | 14 | 6 | Willem Aantjes | no elections | Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman | 61.761 |
| 1976 | 14 | 6 | Willem Aantjes | no elections | Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman | 59.495 |
Municipal and provincial government
The party was particularly strong in rural municipal and provincial governments. Especially in FrieslandFriesland
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...
, 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...
, 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...
and the Veluwe
Veluwe
The Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts....
the party was particularly strong.
Electorate
The electorate of the ARP has seen three decisive shifts, especially in its relation with the CHU, the other Protestant party. Although dates are given here, the changes were gradual- Between 1879 and 1917 the ARP appealed to "kleine luyden" (Dutch for the little people), the middle class, farmers, and workers, as a confessional party that favoured universal suffrageUniversal suffrageUniversal 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...
. - Between 1917 and 1967 the ARP appealed to members of the Reformed Churches in the NetherlandsReformed Churches in the NetherlandsThe Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands until it merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004.-History:...
. - Between 1967 and 1977, in the time of secularization and depillarization the party was able to appeal to younger generations, as the more leftwing confessional party.
National organization
The party's national secretariat was long housed in the Kuyper House in The HagueThe 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...
. It now houses the national secretariat of 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...
.
Linked organisations
The party published the magazine "Nederlandse Gedachten" ("Dutch Thoughts"). Its youth organization was the Anti-Revolutionaire Jongeren Studieclubs (Anti-Revolutionary Youth Studyclubs). Its scientific institute was the Dr. A. Kuyper foundation.International organisations
Internationally the ARP was a relatively isolated party. In the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
its members sat in the Christian Democratic faction
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
.
Pillarized organisations
The party had close ties to many Protestant organizations, such as the Reformed Churches in the NetherlandsReformed Churches in the Netherlands
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands until it merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004.-History:...
, the Protestant broadcaster NCRV
NCRV
NCRV is a public radio and television broadcaster in the Netherlands, mostly transmitting on Nederland 1 and Nederland 2....
, the employers' organization NCW
NCW
NCW may refer to:* National Commission for Women, an Indian government organization* Newcastlewest, a town in Limerick, Ireland* New College Worcester* Network Centric Warfare* New construction waste* Northern Championship Wrestling...
, the trade union CNV
Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond
The Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond is a federation of trade unions of the Netherlands.-History:...
, and the paper De Standaard
De Standaard
De Standaard is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Corelio . Circulation was about 102.280 in 2007. It was traditionally a Christian-Democratic paper, associated with the Christian-Democratic and Flemish Party, and in opposition to the Socialist Flemish daily De Morgen...
and after the Second World War, the Trouw
Trouw
Trouw is a Dutch daily newspaper. "Trouw" is a Dutch word meaning "fidelity", "loyalty", or "allegiance", and is cognate with the English adjective "true"...
. Together these organizations formed the Protestant pillar.
Relationships to other parties
Because of the philosophy of anti-thesisChristian 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...
it has strong links with the Catholic parties (General League
Algemeene Bond van RK-kiesverenigingen
The General League of Roman Catholic Caucuses was a Dutch Catholic political party...
/Roman-Catholic State Party
Roman-Catholic State Party
Roman-Catholic Political Party was a Dutch Catholic Christian-Democratic political party. The party was founded in 1926 as a continuation of the General League. In 1945 the party became the Catholic People's Party .-History:...
/Catholic People's Party
Catholic People's Party
The Catholic People's Party was a Catholic Christian democratic Dutch political party. During its entire existence, the party was in government. The party is one of the precursors of the Christian Democratic Appeal.- 1945-1965 :The KVP was founded on 22 December, 1945...
(KVP) and the 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). In the period 1879 to 1917 it saw the Liberal Union (LU) as its main opponent. After 1917 it saw the social democratic Social Democratic Workers' Party
Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands)
The Social Democratic Workers' Party was a Dutch socialist political party and a predecessor of the social-democratic PvdA.-1893-1904:...
as its main opponent, and it formed several governments with liberals.
After the Second World War, the ARP became more isolated because of its position on the decolonization of the Dutch Indies. After Indonesia became independent, it joined the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA), |KVP and the CHU in the cabinet. Links with the KVP were exceptionally good and it governed with the KVP and either the CHU and the PvdA. After the 1960s calls to govern with the PvdA became stronger.
International comparison
Internationally the ARP was very similar to the Scandinavian Christian Democratic parties (such as the SwedishChristian Democrats (Sweden)
The Christian Democrats ) is a political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1964 but did not enter parliament until 1985 in an electoral cooperation with the Centre Party and on the Christian Democrats' own accord in 1991. The leader since April 3, 2004 is Göran Hägglund. He succeeded Alf...
, Norwegian
Christian People's Party (Norway)
The Christian Democratic Party , is a Christian Democratic Norwegian political party founded in 1933. The Norwegian name literally translates to Christian People's Party...
, Danish
Christian Democrats (Denmark)
The Christian Democrats are a political party in Denmark. The party was founded in 1970 to oppose the liberalization of restrictions on pornography and the legalization of abortion....
and the Finnish
Christian Democrats (Finland)
The Christian Democrats is a Christian democratic political party in Finland. Formerly known as the Finnish Christian League , the Christian Democrats have six seats in the Finnish Parliament and one in the European Parliament.The party was founded in 1958, chiefly from the Christian faction of...
Christian Democrats), that are all socially and fiscally conservative, with a social heart. All have their roots in orthodox tendencies within the national church. In its conservative policies the ARP also shared similarities with the UK Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and the US Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Further reading
- Changing Procedures and Changing Strategies in Dutch Coalition Building by Hans Daalder In: Legislative Studies Quarterly Vol. 11, No. 4 (Nov., 1986), pp. 507–531.
- Conservatism in the Netherlands by Hermann von der Dunk In: Journal of Contemporary HistoryJournal of Contemporary HistoryThe Journal of Contemporary History is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the study of twentieth-century history. It was established in 1966 by Walter Laqueur and George L. Mosse and is now published quarterly by Sage Publications and edited by Richard J...
, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct., 1978), pp. 741–763 .