First Beel cabinet

First Beel cabinet
Cabinet of the Netherlands
First meeting of the cabinet at the Ministry of General Affairs on 3 July 1946
Date formed	3 July 1946 (1946-07-03)
Date dissolved	7 August 1948 (1948-08-07) 2 years, 35 days in office (Demissionary from 7 July 1948 (1948-07-07))
People and organisations
Monarch	Queen Wilhelmina
Prime Minister	Louis Beel
Deputy Prime Minister	Willem Drees
No. of ministers	17
Ministers removed	5
Total no. of members	19
Member party	Catholic People's Party (KVP) Labour Party (PvdA)
Status in legislature	Centre-left majority government (Roman/Red grand coalition)
History
Election	1946 general election
Outgoing election	1948 general election
Legislature terms	1946–1948
Incoming formation	1946 formation
Outgoing formation	1948 formation
Predecessor	Schermerhorn–Drees cabinet
Successor	Drees–Van Schaik cabinet

The First Beel cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 3 July 1946 until 7 August 1948. The cabinet was formed by the Christian democratic Catholic People's Party (KVP) and the social democratic Labour Party (PvdA) after the 1946 general election. The cabinet was a centre-left ^[1] grand coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives with prominent Catholic politician Louis Beel serving as Prime Minister, and dual serving as Minister of the Interior continuing from the previous cabinet. Labour leader Willem Drees continued as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs from the previous cabinet. According to one study, "Beel was of the opinion that a joint KVP–PvdA programme should be presented to other political groups. According to Beel, that programme should be socio-economically progressive, that is to say reform-oriented in favour of broad layers of the population. The socialists should not have to fear that a conservative wing within the KVP would rule the roost." ^[2]

The cabinet served during the early years of the post-war 1940s. Domestically the beginning of the recovery and rebuilding following World War II continued with the Marshall Plan, it was also to implement several major social reforms to social security, including the Algemene Ouderdomswet . Internationally the beginning of the decolonization of the Dutch East Indies was continued. The cabinet suffered no major internal and external conflicts. Following a major revision of the Constitution, a snap election was called to simultaneously elect a new parliament. Following the election, the cabinet continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the Drees–Van Schaik cabinet. ^{[3] [4]}

Term

A major issue was the independence of the Dutch East Indies. This required a change in the Constitution. In November 1946, the Linggadjati Agreement was signed, but different interpretations led to Dutch military intervention (police actions). Under international pressure through the UN, this ended and negotiations restarted, ultimately resulting in the new country Indonesia, but only under the next cabinet, Drees I. An important new law was the Noodwet Ouderdomsvoorziening by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs Willem Drees.

Composition

Title	Minister				Term of office
	Image	Name	Party		Start	End
Prime Minister		Louis Beel		KVP	3 July 1946	7 August 1948
Minister of General Affairs					13 October 1947	7 August 1948
Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Social Affairs		Willem Drees		PvdA	3 July 1946	7 August 1948
Minister of the Interior		Louis Beel		KVP	3 July 1946	15 September 1947
		Piet Witteman		KVP	15 September 1947	7 August 1948
Minister of Foreign Affairs		Pim van Boetzelaer van Oosterhout		Indep.	3 July 1946	7 August 1948
Minister of Finance		Piet Lieftinck		PvdA	3 July 1946	7 August 1948
Minister of Justice		Johan van Maarseveen		KVP	3 July 1946	7 August 1948
Minister of Economic Affairs		Gerardus Huysmans		KVP	3 July 1946	14 January 1948
		Sicco Mansholt (ad interim)		PvdA	14 January 1948	20 January 1948
		Jan van den Brink		KVP	20 January 1948	7 August 1948
Minister of War		Alexander Fiévez		KVP	3 July 1946	7 August 1948
Minister of the Navy		Alexander Fiévez (ad interim)		KVP	3 July 1946	7 August 1946
		Jules Schagen van Leeuwen		Indep.	7 August 1946	25 November 1947
		Alexander Fiévez (ad interim)		KVP	25 November 1947	7 August 1948
Minister of Education, Arts and Sciences		Jos Gielen		KVP	3 July 1946	7 August 1948
Minister of Transport (1946–1947) Minister of Transport and Water Management (1947–1948)		Hein Vos		PvdA	3 July 1946	7 August 1948
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supplies		Sicco Mansholt		PvdA	3 July 1946	7 August 1948
Minister of Public Works and Reconstruction (1946–1947) Minister of Reconstruction and Housing (1947–1948)		Johan Ringers		Indep. Lib.	3 July 1946	15 November 1946
		Hein Vos (acting)		PvdA	15 November 1946	3 March 1947
		Lambertus Neher		PvdA	3 March 1947	1 March 1948
		Joris in 't Veld		PvdA	1 March 1948	7 August 1948
Minister of Overseas Territories		Jan Jonkman [Note]		PvdA	3 July 1946	30 August 1947
Minister for Foreign Affairs		Eelco van Kleffens		Indep.	3 July 1946	3 July 1947
Minister for Budgetary Affairs Overseas Territories		Lubbertus Götzen		Indep. AR	11 November 1947	7 August 1948

^{Replaced by Louis Beel during a medical leave of absence from 30 August 1947 until 3 November 1947}

References

1. Changing Liaisons The Dynamics of Social Partnership in 20th Century West-European DemocraciesBy Karel Davids, 2007, P.165
2. III. De kabinetsformatie van 1946 a. De formatie tot 17 juni 1946
3. "Coalities tussen sociaaldemocraten en confessionelen" (in Dutch). Historisch Nieuwsblad. 10 August 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
4. F.J.F.M. Duynstee; J. Bosmans (1977). Parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederland na 1945 , deel 1, Het kabinet-Schermerhorn-Drees (1945-1946) (PDF). Van Gorcum. p. 5. ISBN   90-232-1412-9.

External links

• Kabinet-Beel I Parlement & Politiek (in Dutch)
• Kabinet-Beel I Rijksoverheid (in Dutch)

Further reading

• Boogaarts, M.D. De periode van het kabinet Beel, 3 juli 1946 - 7 augustus 1948, Band A. Parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederlandd sinds 1945 (in Dutch). The Hague: Sdu. hdl: 2066/98796 . ISBN   90-12-06403-1.
• Boogaarts, M.D. (1989). De periode van het kabinet Beel, 3 juli 1946 - 7 augustus 1948, Band B. Parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederlandd sinds 1945 (in Dutch). The Hague: Sdu. hdl: 2066/98797 . ISBN   90-12-06403-1.
• Boogaarts, M.D. (1989). De periode van het kabinet-Beel: 3 juli 1946 - 7 augustus 1948: Band C. Parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederlandd sinds 1945 (in Dutch). The Hague: Sdu. hdl: 2066/157810 . ISBN   90-12-06403-1.
• Boogaarts, M.D. (1995). De periode van het kabinet Beel, 3 juli 1946 - 7 augustus 1948, Band D, eerste helft a: Nederlands-Indië. Parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederlandd sinds 1945 (in Dutch). Nijmegen: GNI. hdl: 2066/98798 . ISBN   90-71478-37-8.
• Boogaarts, M.D. (1995). De periode van het kabinet Beel, 3 juli 1946 - 7 augustus 1948, Band D, eerste helft b: Nederlands-Indië. Parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederlandd sinds 1945 (in Dutch). Nijmegen: GNI. hdl: 2066/98799 . ISBN   90-71478-37-8.
• Boogaarts, M.D. (1995). De periode van het kabinet Beel, 3 juli 1946 - 7 augustus 1948, Band D, tweede helft a: wederopbouw en volkshuisvesting; verkeer en waterstaat; bijlagen; bronnen en literatuur. Parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederlandd sinds 1945 (in Dutch). Nijmegen: GNI. hdl: 2066/91110 . ISBN   90-71478-46-7.
• Boogaarts, M.D. (2004). De periode van het kabinet Beel, 3 juli 1946 - 7 augustus 1948, Band D, tweede helft b: register. Parlementaire geschiedenis van Nederlandd sinds 1945 (in Dutch). Nijmegen: Centrum voor Parlementaire Geschiedenis. hdl: 2066/98800 . ISBN   90-71852-17-2.