First Drees cabinet

The First Drees cabinet, also called the Second Drees cabinet[1] was the executive branch of the Dutch Government from 15 March 1951 until 2 September 1952. The cabinet was a continuation of the previous Drees–Van Schaik cabinet and was formed by the christian-democratic Catholic People's Party (KVP) and Christian Historical Union (CHU), the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) and the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) after the fall of the previous cabinet. The cabinet was a centrist grand coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives with Labour Leader Willem Drees serving as Prime Minister. Prominent Catholic politician Frans Teulings the Minister of the Interior in the previous cabinet served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without portfolio for the Interior.

First Drees cabinet Second Drees cabinet
44th Cabinet of the Netherlands
The first meeting of the First Drees cabinet at the Ministry of General Affairs on 14 March 1951
Date formed	15 March 1951
Date dissolved	2 September 1952 1 year, 171 days in office (Demissionary from 25 June 1952)
People and organisations
Monarch	Queen Juliana
Prime Minister	Willem Drees
Deputy Prime Minister	Frans Teulings
No. of ministers	15
Total no. of members	16
Member party	Catholic People's Party (KVP) Labour Party (PvdA) Christian Historical Union (CHU) People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)
Status in legislature	Centrist Majority government (Grand coalition/Roman-Red)
Opposition party	Anti-Revolutionary Party
Opposition leader	Jan Schouten
History
Outgoing election	1952 election
Legislature term(s)	1948–1952
Incoming formation	1948 formation
Outgoing formation	1951 formation
Predecessor	Drees–Van Schaik cabinet
Successor	Second Drees cabinet

The cabinet served during early years of the turbulent 1950s. Domestically the recovery and rebuilding following World War II continued with the assistance of the Marshall Plan, it also able to finalize several major social reforms to social security, welfare, child benefits and education from the previous cabinet. Internationally the decolonization of the Dutch East Indies following the Indonesian National Revolution continued, the European Coal and Steel Community was founded after the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The cabinet suffered no major internal and external conflicts and completed its entire term and was succeeded by the Second Drees cabinet following the election of 1952.[2]

Cabinet Members

Ministers			Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s)			Term of office	Party
		Willem Drees (1886–1988)	Prime Minister	General Affairs		7 August 1948 – 22 December 1958 ^[Retained] ^[Continued]	Labour Party
		Frans Teulings (1891–1966)	Deputy Prime Minister	Interior	• Civil Defence	15 maart 1951 – 2 september 1952	Catholic People's Party
			Minister
		Johan van Maarseveen (1894–1951)	Minister	Interior		15 March 1951 – 18 November 1951 ^[Died]	Catholic People's Party
		Frans Teulings (1891–1966)				18 November 1951 – 6 December 1951 ^[Ad Interim]	Catholic People's Party
		Dr. Louis Beel (1902–1977)				6 December 1951 – 7 July 1956 ^[Continued]	Catholic People's Party
		Dirk Stikker (1897–1979)	Minister	Foreign Affairs		7 August 1948 – 2 September 1952 ^[Retained]	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
		Dr. Piet Lieftinck (1902–1989)	Minister	Finance		25 June 1945 – 1 July 1952 ^[Retained] ^[App]	Labour Party
		Willem Drees (1886–1988)				1 July 1952 – 2 September 1952 ^[Acting]	Labour Party
		Hendrik Mulderije (1896–1970)	Minister	Justice		15 March 1951 – 2 September 1952	Christian Historical Union
		Dr. Jan van den Brink (1915–2006)	Minister	Economic Affairs		20 January 1948 – 2 September 1952 ^[Retained]	Catholic People's Party
		Kees Staf (1905–1973)	Minister	War and Navy		15 March 1951 – 19 May 1959 ^[Continued]	Christian Historical Union
		Dr. Dolf Joekes (1885–1962)	Minister	Social Affairs		7 August 1948 – 15 September 1951 ^[Retained]	Labour Party
			Minister	Social Affairs and Health		15 September 1951 – 2 September 1952
		Dr. Theo Rutten (1899–1980)	Minister	Education, Arts and Sciences		7 August 1948 – 2 September 1952 ^[Retained]	Catholic People's Party
		Hendrik Wemmers (1897–1983)	Minister	Transport and Water Management		15 March 1951 – 2 September 1952	Independent Christian Democratic Protestant
		Sicco Mansholt (1908–1995)	Minister	Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supplies		25 June 1945 – 1 January 1958 ^[Retained] ^[Continued]	Labour Party
		Dr. Joris in 't Veld (1895–1981)	Minister	Reconstruction and Housing		1 March 1948 – 2 September 1952 ^[Retained]	Labour Party
		Dr. Willem Drees (1886–1988)	Minister	Colonial Affairs		15 March 1951 – 30 March 1951 ^[Ad Interim]	Labour Party
		Leonard Peters (1900–1984)				30 March 1951 – 2 September 1952	Catholic People's Party
Minister without portfolio			Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s)			Term of office	Party
		Dr. Guus Albregts (1900–1980)	Minister	Interior	• Public Organisations • Small and Medium-sized Businesses	15 March 1951 – 2 September 1952	Catholic People's Party
State Secretaries			Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s)			Term of office	Party
		Nico Blom (1899–1972)	State Secretary	Foreign Affairs	• Dutch East Indies	16 February 1950 – 2 September 1952 ^[Retained]	Independent Conservative Liberal
		Ferdinand Kranenburg (1911–1994)	State Secretary	War and Navy	• Army • Air Force	1 June 1951 – 1 June 1958 ^[Continued]	Labour Party
		Vice admiral Harry Moorman (1899–1971)			• Navy	1 May 1949 – 19 May 1959 ^[Retained] ^[Continued]	Catholic People's Party
		Dr. Piet Muntendam (1901–1986)	State Secretary	Social Affairs	• Primary Healthcare • Elderly Care • Disability Policy	1 April 1950 – 15 September 1951 ^[Retained]	Labour Party
				Social Affairs and Health		15 September 1951 – 1 October 1953 ^[Continued]
		Dr. Aat van Rhijn (1892–1986)	State Secretary	Social Affairs	• Social Security • Unemployment • Occupational Safety • Social Services	15 February 1950 – 15 September 1951 ^[Retained]	Labour Party
				Social Affairs and Health		15 September 1951 – 22 December 1958 ^[Continued]
		Jo Cals (1914–1971)	State Secretary	Education, Arts and Sciences	• Youth Care • Nature • Media • Culture • Art • Recreation • Sport	15 March 1950 – 2 September 1952 ^[Retained]	Catholic People's Party
		Lubbertus Götzen (1894–1979)	State Secretary	Colonial Affairs	• Netherlands- Indonesian Union • Colonial Fiscal Policy	15 March 1951 – 2 September 1952	Independent Christian Democratic Protestant

^Resigned

^{Retained from the previous cabinet}

^{Continued in the next cabinet}

^Acting

^{Ad Interim}

^{Died in Office}

^{Appointed as Special Representative of the World Bank}

Trivia

• Nine cabinet members had previous experience as scholars and professors: Louis Beel (Administrative Law), Piet Lieftinck (Financial and Business Economics), Jan van den Brink (Public Economics and Economical Statistics), Dolf Joekes (Labour Law), Theo Rutten (Applied Psychology), Joris in 't Veld (Public Administration), Guus Albregts (International Economics), Piet Muntendam (Social Medicine) and Aat van Rhijn (Fiscal Law).

References

1. According to a different numbering this was the First Drees cabinet because it was the second cabinet with Willem Drees as Prime Minister.
2. "Coalities tussen sociaaldemocraten en confessionelen" (in Dutch). Historisch Nieuwsblad. 10 August 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2018.

External links

Official

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