Schermerhorn–Drees cabinet

Schermerhorn–Drees cabinet
41st Cabinet of the Netherlands
The members of the incoming Schermerhorn–Drees cabinet on 4 June 1945
Date formed	25 June 1945 (1945-06-25)
Date dissolved	3 July 1946 (1946-07-03) (Demissionary from 16 May 1946 (1946-05-16))
People and organisations
Head of state	Queen Wilhelmina
Head of government	Willem Schermerhorn
Deputy head of government	Willem Drees
No. of ministers	16
Member party	25 June 1945 – 9 February 1946 Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP) Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) 9 February 1946 – 3 July 1946 Catholic People's Party (KVP) Labour Party (PvdA) Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) Christian Historical Union (CHU) (Confidence and supply)
Status in legislature	National unity government
History
Legislature terms	1937–1946
Incoming formation	1945 formation
Outgoing formation	1946 formation
Predecessor	Third Gerbrandy cabinet
Successor	First Beel cabinet

The Schermerhorn–Drees cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 25 June 1945 until 3 July 1946. The cabinet was formed by the political parties Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP), Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and the Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) a month after the Netherlands were liberated by the Allied Forces after the German occupation. The national unity government cabinet served as a caretaker government and was sometimes referred to as an emergency–cabinet, its main objectives where to reorganise the state and make preparations for the election of 1946.

Introduction

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). The States-General of the Netherlands 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 to 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.

Cabinet Members

Ministers			Title/Ministry		Term of office	Party
style="background:Template:Free-thinking Democratic League/meta/color;"|		Dr. Willem Schermerhorn (1894–1977)	Prime Minister	General Warfare	25 June 1945 – 3 July 1946	Free-thinking Democratic League
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|						Labour Party
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Willem Drees (1886–1988)	Deputy Prime Minister / Minister	Social Affairs	25 June 1945 – 7 August 1948	Social Democratic Workers' Party
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|						Labour Party
style="background:Template:Roman Catholic State Party/meta/color;"|		Dr. Louis Beel (1902–1977)	Minister	Interior	23 February 1945 – 15 September 1947 [Retained]	Roman Catholic State Party
style="background:Template:Catholic People's Party/meta/color;"|						Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"|		Eelco van Kleffens (1894–1983)	Minister	Foreign Affairs	10 August 1939 – 1 March 1946 [Retained] [Appt]	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"|		Dr. Herman van Roijen (1905–1991)			1 March 1946 – 3 July 1946	Independent Social Democrat
style="background:Template:Christian Historical Union/meta/color;"|		Dr. Piet Lieftinck (1902–1989)	Minister	Finance	25 June 1945 – 1 July 1952	Christian Historical Union
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|						Labour Party
style="background:Template:Roman Catholic State Party/meta/color;"|		Hans Kolfschoten (1903–1984)	Minister	Justice	25 June 1945 – 3 July 1946	Roman Catholic State Party
style="background:Template:Catholic People's Party/meta/color;"|						Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Hein Vos (1903–1972)	Minister	Commerce and Industry	25 June 1945 – 3 July 1946	Social Democratic Workers' Party
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|						Labour Party
style="background:Template:Anti Revolutionary Party/meta/color;"|		Jo Meynen (1901–1980)	Minister	War	25 June 1945 – 3 July 1946	Anti-Revolutionary Party
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"|		Jim de Booy (1885–1969)		Navy	23 February 1945 – 3 July 1946 [Retained]	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Dr. Gerard van der Leeuw (1898–1981)	Minister	Education, Arts and Sciences	25 June 1945 – 3 July 1946	Social Democratic Workers' Party
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|						Labour Party
style="background:Template:Roman Catholic State Party/meta/color;"|		Steef van Schaik (1888–1968)	Minister	Transport and Energy	25 June 1945 – 3 July 1946	Roman Catholic State Party
style="background:Template:Catholic People's Party/meta/color;"|						Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Sicco Mansholt (1908–1995)	Minister	Food Supplies, Agriculture and Fisheries	25 June 1945 – 16 October 1945	Social Democratic Workers' Party
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|				Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supplies	16 October 1945 – 1 January 1958	Labour Party
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"|		Jim de Booy (1885–1969)		Shipping	31 May 1944 – 3 July 1946 [Retained]	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"|		Dr. Johan Ringers (1885–1965)	Minister	Public Works and Reconstruction	25 June 1945 – 15 November 1946	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"|		Dr. Johann Logemann (1892–1969)	Minister	Colonial Affairs	25 June 1945 – 3 July 1946	Independent Social Democrat
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|						Labour Party
Ministers without portfolio			Title/Portfolio/Ministry		Term of office	Party
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"|		Dr. Herman van Roijen (1905–1991)	Minister	• Foreign Policy (within Foreign Affairs)	25 June 1945 – 1 March 1946 [Appt]	Independent Social Democrat
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"|		Eelco van Kleffens (1894–1983)			1 March 1946 – 1 July 1947	Independent Liberal (Classical Liberal)
Source: (in Dutch) Rijksoverheid

^Retained Retained this position from the previous cabinet.

^Appt Appointment: Eelco van Kleffens appointed Minister for United Nations Affairs; Herman van Roijen appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.

External links

Official

• (in Dutch) Kabinet-Schermerhorn/Drees Parlement & Politiek
• (in Dutch) Kabinet-Schermerhorn-Drees Rijksoverheid