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Paragraph 3.7

Paragraph 3.7. The Netherlands in the 1950’s. After WW II. To bring the country back to normal: Queen Wilhelmina asked Willem Drees and Willem Schermerhorn to form an emergency cabinet. Drees was popular: a socialist that wanted to help the needy. People called him “the angel of mercy”.

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Paragraph 3.7

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  1. Paragraph 3.7 The Netherlands in the 1950’s

  2. After WW II • To bring the country back to normal: • Queen Wilhelmina asked Willem Drees and Willem Schermerhorn to form an emergency cabinet. • Drees was popular: a socialist that wanted to help the needy. • People called him “the angel of mercy”

  3. Drees is Deputy Prime-Minister • And Minister of social affairs. • 1948: Drees becomes Prime-Minister • Leader of the PvdA party • Led Socialist/Catholic coalition government until 1958.

  4. Netherlands: pillarisation • The Netherlands were split up in 4 groups: • Catholics • Protestants • Socialists • Neutral/ Liberal/the rest • Also called: compartmentalisation • Segregation

  5. No contact with other pillars • Your own pillar was familiar • E.g. Catholic: • Went to a Catholic school • Went to a Catholic doctor • Went to a Catholic butcher • Went to a Catholic church • Went to a Catholic neighbourhood to live • Went to a Catholic factory to work • Read a Catholic newspaper • Listened to the Catholic radio channel.

  6. Drees • So it was hard to cooperate in the government • Catholics and socialists had to work together • Drees was against pillarisation in politics and social care. • He wanted everybody to have the same chances of good healthcare, education and support. • He wanted to stop pillarisation.

  7. Rebuild • After WW II The Netherlands have to be rebuild. • People needed to cooperate. • Drees asked people to accept low wages • Low wages lead to low prices • Good for export/trade • Government controlled prices and wages. • Temporarily !!

  8. Social reform • Drees wanted social reforms • Copied the British system • The Netherlands became a welfare state. • Unemployment benefit was paid by the state, not by own pillar unions. • The government took care of the people. • Education would become state controlled either. • = Less influence of the own pillar

  9. 1947 • Drees introduces emergency legislation that provided a temporary basic state pension for elderly people. • Became permanent in 1956: • AOW: Old Age Pensions Act. • Everybody over 65 had a state pension. • Drees was popular, but resigned 2 years later over a dispute about taxes. • Never left politics, until he died.

  10. The end

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