Second Drees cabinet
Encyclopedia
Drees II was the third Dutch
cabinet under prime minister Willem Drees
, with ministers from PvdA, KVP
, ARP
and CHU
and one independent minister.
The economic recovery after World War II
continued. This made further expansion of social security possible, of which the best example is the institution of the state pension AOW
in 1956. Also, a major housing scheme was executed, building 80 000 houses per year.
A major setback was the North Sea flood of 1953
, which resulted in damage equivalent to 5% of the GDP. An emergency law was made to recover the dykes and plans were made for the Delta Works
, the world's largest flood protection project, which should protect the South West Netherlands against another such combination of storm and spring tide.
An episcopal 'mandement' called for Catholics to give up their PvdA-membership, but without result.
The 29 December 1952 Statute for the kingdom granted Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles
a certain degree of independence within the kingdom.
On 15 February 1956 the Dutch-Indonesia
n Union officially ended. Relationships between the two countries continued to deteriorate.
When the PvdA voted with the opposition over a combined law to lower taxes and raise rents on 17 May 1955 , this led to a crisis. The cabinet fell, but returned after 17 days when PvdA chairman Burger had reconciled the parties.
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...
cabinet under prime minister Willem Drees
Willem Drees
Willem Drees was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from August 7, 1948 until December 22, 1958....
, with ministers from PvdA, KVP
KVP
KVP could refer to:*Katholieke Volkspartij, a Dutch political party*Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment, a defunct papermill once headquartered in Parchment, Michigan, USA*Karur Vysya Bank...
, ARP
Anti Revolutionary Party
The Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. The ARP is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal. After 1917 the party never received more than twenty percent of the vote.-History before 1879:The anti-revolutionary parliamentary caucus...
and CHU
Chu
Chu or CHU may refer to:Surname:* Chu , a common Chinese surname for 朱 , but it can also refer to any Chinese surname whose pinyin is "chu", such as 楚, 储, 褚, 初, 除 and other possible surnames....
and one independent minister.
The economic recovery after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
continued. This made further expansion of social security possible, of which the best example is the institution of the state pension AOW
Algemene Ouderdoms Wet
The Algemene Ouderdoms Wet is a 1956 Dutch law that installed a state pension, guaranteed for all. This law was a continuation of a 1947 temporary law. The old law was a proposal by Willem Drees and the new one came about when he was prime minister...
in 1956. Also, a major housing scheme was executed, building 80 000 houses per year.
A major setback was the North Sea flood of 1953
North Sea flood of 1953
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...
, which resulted in damage equivalent to 5% of the GDP. An emergency law was made to recover the dykes and plans were made for the Delta Works
Delta Works
The Delta Works is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea. The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, levees, and storm surge barriers...
, the world's largest flood protection project, which should protect the South West Netherlands against another such combination of storm and spring tide.
An episcopal 'mandement' called for Catholics to give up their PvdA-membership, but without result.
The 29 December 1952 Statute for the kingdom granted Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
a certain degree of independence within the kingdom.
On 15 February 1956 the Dutch-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...
n Union officially ended. Relationships between the two countries continued to deteriorate.
When the PvdA voted with the opposition over a combined law to lower taxes and raise rents on 17 May 1955 , this led to a crisis. The cabinet fell, but returned after 17 days when PvdA chairman Burger had reconciled the parties.