Third Drees cabinet

Third Drees cabinet
Fourth Drees cabinet

Cabinet of the Netherlands
The first meeting of the incoming Third Drees cabinet on 12 October 1956
Date formed13 October 1956 (1956-10-13)
Date dissolved22 December 1958 (1958-12-22)
2 years, 70 days in office
(Demissionary from 11 December 1958 (1958-12-11))
People and organisations
MonarchQueen Juliana
Prime MinisterWillem Drees
Deputy Prime MinisterTeun Struycken
No. of ministers14
Ministers removed2
Total no. of members16
Member partyLabour Party
(PvdA)
Catholic People's Party
(KVP)
Anti-Revolutionary Party
(ARP)
Christian Historical Union
(CHU)
Status in legislatureCentre-left[1]
Majority government
(Grand coalition/Roman-Red)
History
Election1956 election
Outgoing election1959 election
Legislature terms1956–1959
Incoming formation1956 formation
Outgoing formation1958 formation
PredecessorSecond Drees cabinet
SuccessorSecond Beel cabinet

The Third Drees cabinet, also called the Fourth Drees cabinet,[2] was the executive branch of the Dutch Government from 13 October 1956 until 22 December 1958. The cabinet was a continuation of the previous Second Drees cabinet and was formed by the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) and the christian-democratic Catholic People's Party (KVP), Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) and the Christian Historical Union (CHU) after the election of 1956. The cabinet was a Centre-left[3] grand coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives, with Labour Leader Willem Drees serving as Prime Minister. Prominent KVP politician Teun Struycken (a former Governor of the Netherlands Antilles) served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Property and Public Organisations.

The cabinet served during the middle 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 continued. After suffering several major internal and external conflicts, including multiple cabinet resignations, the cabinet fell two years into its term, on 11 December 1958, following a disagreement in the coalition over a proposed tax increase; the cabinet continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced with the caretaker Second Beel cabinet on 22 December 1958.[4]

  1. ^ Changing Liaisons The Dynamics of Social Partnership in 20th Century West-European DemocraciesBy Karel Davids, 2007, P.165
  2. ^ According to a different numbering this was the Fourth Drees cabinet because it was the fourth cabinet with Willem Drees as Prime Minister.
  3. ^ Changing Liaisons The Dynamics of Social Partnership in 20th Century West-European DemocraciesBy Karel Davids, 2007, P.165
  4. ^ "Coalities tussen sociaaldemocraten en confessionelen" (in Dutch). Historisch Nieuwsblad. 10 August 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2018.