Schermerhorn-Drees cabinet

The Schermerhorn-Drees cabinet was in office in the Netherlands from 24 June 1945 until 3 July 1946.

Introduction

File:ZetelsSchermerhornDrees.svg

The coalition seat distribution in the Tweede Kamer (Lower House)

The Schermerhorn-Drees cabinet, the first Dutch cabinet after World War II, was appointed by Queen Wilhelmina just a month after the Netherlands were liberated by the Allied forces. It was a royal cabinet (which means that the cabinet is appointed by the Queen, and is not the result of an election) and was sometimes referred to as an emergency-cabinet, in order to reorganize the state after the German occupation of the Netherlands.

Dutch Parliament did not function yet and would not become functional until November 1945.

The Schermerhorn-Drees cabinet consisted of ministers from the SDAP (which in 1946 merged with the VDB and the CDU into the PvdA, which would become the post-war Labour Party), the CHU-minister Dr. Piet Lieftinck (who would become a member of the PvdA on 9 February 1946), the ARP and the RKSP (named the KVP on 22 December 1945). Prime Minister Willem Schermerhorn was a member of the VDB, but would later become a member of the PvdA. Deputy Prime Minister Willem Drees was a member of the SDAP.

Cabinet actions

One of the main tasks of the cabinet was to revive the Dutch economy after the war and to rebuild the devastated infrastructure (ports, railroads, roads). Furthermore the Dutch administration had to be restored. Furthermore the cabinet had to deal with the arrest and prosecution of Dutch war criminals and Dutch collaborators.

Until August 1945 the war against Japan in the Dutch East Indies was also a main objective of the cabinet. After the Japanese surrender the cabinet was faced with the Indonesian nationalists Sukarno and Hatta, who proclaimed the independence of their country.

Another objective of the cabinet was the purification of the black money circuit. During the period the bank accounts in the Netherlands were under investigation by the Ministry of Finance, every Dutch citizen was given 10 guilders by the cabinet, in the Netherlands known as 'Het tientje van Lieftinck' (Lieftinck's tenner), named after the minister of Finance, Dr. Lieftinck.

Ministers

• Prime Minister: Willem Schermerhorn (VDB/PvdA)
• General warfare: Willem Schermerhorn (VDB/PvdA)
• Foreign affairs: Eelco van Kleffens (no party) (June 24, 1945 – March 1, 1946)
• Herman van Roijen (no party) (March 1, 1946 – July 3, 1946)
• Justice: Hans Kolfschoten (RKSP/KVP)
• Interior affairs: Louis Beel (RKSP/KVP)
• Education: Gerard van der Leeuw (no party)
• Finance: Pieter Lieftinck (CHU/PvdA)
• War: Jo Meynen (ARP)
• Navy: Jim de Booy (no party)
• Public works: Johannes Ringers (no party)
• Transport and energy: Theodorus van Schaik (RKSP/KVP)
• Economic affairs: Hendrik Vos (SDAP/PvdA)
• Shipping: Jim de Booy (no party)
• Agriculture and fishery: Sicco Mansholt (SDAP/PvdA)
• Social affairs: Willem Drees (SDAP/PvdA)
• Colonial affairs: Johann Logemann (no party/PvdA)

External links

• Kabinet Schermerhorn/Drees (1945–1946)