Hendrikus Colijn

Hendrikus (Hendrik) Colijn , born with Burgerveen on June 22nd, 1869 and died in Ilmenau on September 18th, 1944, was a politician Dutch. Member of the ARP and several times minister, it was by twice President of the Council: of 1925 with 1926 and of 1933 with 1939.

Political military career and beginnings

As 1892 with 1909, Colijn was used in the Royal army with the Indies Dutchwomen ( KNIL ). It took part in the Guerre of Aceh, where it was Aide-de-camp general Van Heutsz. It received the Ordre of Guillaume for his military actions in the the Eastern Indies Dutchwomen.

In 1910, he was candidate for ARP in the electoral district of Sneek. He was elected and sat at the Lower House until in 1911, when he succeeded the Minister for the War, Wouter Kool, when this one resigns. In 1913, at the time of the defeat of the government in place to the elections, Colijn leaves the Lower House. It engages in a ten year old contract for the oil company of Bataafse Petroleummaatschappij. Thus it is not available, when the queen Wilhelmine requires of him to form a new government in 1918.

Political career

It kept however the contact with the policy, being member of the Upper House. After the death of Abraham Kuyper in 1920, Colijn becomes president of the ARP and editor association of De Standaard, the daily newspaper in favor of the party.

Of 1925 with 1926, he was President of the Council for the first time. In this cabinet, it fulfilled the role of Minister for Finance. In 1926, it regained the Upper House.

In 1929, it does not succeed in its ambition to become the new governor-general of the the Eastern Indies Dutchwomen. It is a disappointment, but it maintains its seat with the Upper House. In 1933, it becomes again President of the Council, for four consecutive cabinets. The reign of the last cabinet-Colijn, in 1939, lasted only two weeks, following an amendment voted at the time of the presentation of the government. For this period, Colijn was also twice Minister for the Colonies and twice Minister for the General Affairs.

During the crisis of the Years 1930, resulting from the consequences of the Crisis of 1929, the policy of Colijn is characterized by strong restrictions budgettaires, in particular in the field of the teaching and the wages of the civils servant. The fall of the assistance to the unemployed even has causes a riot in the district from Amsterdam of Jordaan, on July 4th, 1934, which causes five dead. In 1936, Colijn had to give up its main objective, namely the maintenance of the Gold Standard.

Second world war

When in 1936, the Germany occupied the the Rhineland and broke the Accords of Locarno, Colijn encouraged the people Dutch with going to lie down quietly. He said that in order to reassure the Netherlanders on the various European tensions. In this same speech, it evoked the fact that there would be much more difficult for the Netherlands to remain neutral, as at the time of the First World War.

In 1940, the Dutch government escaped for the England, after the occupation of the Netherlands by the Germans. Colijn severely condemned this escape, asserting which had to be recognized the higher role of Germany in Europe. A few weeks later, it revoked its point of view, and as from this moment, it supported actively the Résistance against the German invader.

In 1941, Colijn was stopped by the Germans, because of this support open to Resistance. He was imprisoned with Valkenburg, then with Berlin, and finally with Ilmenau in Thuringe. His wife was with him, and it profited from a great freedom. Colijn died in Ilmenau on September 18th, 1944. In 1947, its ashes were transported and buried with $the Hague. In 2006, one set up a memorial with Ilmenau to him.

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