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TheHervormd Gereformeerde Staatspartij (in English: Reformed Reformed State Party), HGS) was an orthodox Protestantpolitical party in theNetherlands during theinterwar period. For its orthodox political ideals and its refusal to cooperate in any cabinet, the party is called atestimonial party.
The HGS was founded in 1921. Many of the founders had been members of theChristian Historical Union (CHU). The party's support forfemale suffrage and the Catholic/ProtestantCoalition were important reasons to create the HGS. The direct cause was a series of demonstrations held inAmsterdam by orthodox Protestants, who opposed the lifting of the ban on Catholicprocessions in the Northern provinces. The movement called itself the June Movement, in reference to the April movement of 1853 which had been crucial to the development ofChristian democracy in the Netherlands. A driving force in the creation of the new party was theminister Casper Lingbeek.
The party contested the1925 general election and won one seat, which was taken by Lingbeek. The election was turbulent because the cabinet led byCharles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck had fallen over thediplomatic mission of the Netherlands to the Holy See, an issue that had divided Catholics and Protestants. In the1929 general election, the party retained its seat. In 1931 Lingbeek stood down in favour of Peereboom. In the1933 general election, Lingbeek was asked to return to parliament by his supporters. In the 1930s, the party was methodically isolated by other Protestant parties. The appeal of the ARP's strongmanHendrikus Colijn, who promised to end the economic crisis, on the party's electorate as well as the appeal of theNational Socialist Movement in the Netherlands among prominent party members, caused the party's downfall. The party also lacked a strongpillarized organization around it. It was unable to win a seat in the1937 general election.
AfterWorld War II, former members of the HGS founded the Protestant Union, with several former members of the CHU. It contested the1946 general election but was unable to win any seats. It continued to exist as a study club until the 1980s
The party's name, Hervormd Gereformeerde Staatspartij, is rather difficult to translate because it refers to two Protestant denominations, the mainstreamDutch Reformed Church (Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, whenceHervormd), and theReformed Churches in the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken Nederland, whenceGereformeerd). It sought to unite these two denominations in one national Protestant church. The party called itself a "state party" (staatspartij) because it sought to represented the general interest and not some partial interest. The acronym was taken by the party's founders to also meanHoor Gods Stem ("Hear God's Voice").
The HGS was an orthodox Protestant party with a strong nationalist tendency, based on two core ideas: virulentanti-Catholicism andtheocracy.
The party wanted to, in their view, return the Netherlands to its original form: a Protestant nation, based on principles of theBible. It identified heavily with theGeuzen, the Protestant resistance movement which was crucial inEighty Years' War against the Catholic Spaniards. The HGS feared the emancipation of theDutch Catholics, because it saw Catholicism as a false religion and feared that the Catholics might try to take over the country. The party saw the1886 Dutch Reformed Church split as a historic mistake as it weakened the power of the Protestant part of the population.
In its manifesto of principles, it explained their view on theTen Commandments. The first commandment ("Thou shalt have no other gods before Me...") was interpreted as a rejection of the false gods ofPlutos (capitalism),Demos (democracy) andOchlos (socialism). The party rejected both socialism andstrikes as a political tool, and capitalism andexploitation. Both in their view were in contradiction with the eighth commandment ("Thou shalt not steal").
Practically, this meant that the party was opposed to government control of society, includingcompulsory voting, compulsoryvaccination, andsocial security.
This table show the HGS's results of the HGS in elections to theHouse of Representatives andSenate, as well as the party's political leadership: the parliamentary leader and the lead candidate; these posts are normally taken by the party's leader.
| Year | HoR | S | Lead candidate | Parliamentary leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 1 | 0 | Casper Lingbeek | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1926 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1927 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1928 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1929 | 1 | 0 | Casper Lingbeek | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1930 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1930 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1931 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1932 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Bate Peereboom |
| 1933 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1934 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1935 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
| 1936 | 1 | 0 | no elections | Casper Lingbeek |
The party also held one to two seatsProvincial Council of South Holland andmunicipal councils in cities likeThe Hague,Arnhem andVianen.
Support for the HGS was religiously based. Many of the party's supporters came from was supported by the Confessional Union, the orthodox wing of the Dutch Reformed Church.
The party's youth movement was called the Jonge Geuzen (Young Beggars). Its bi-weekly periodical wasthe State and Church.
The HGS was methodically isolated, and isolated itself. Because of its anti-Catholicism it was opposed to the CatholicRoman Catholic State Party. It was also opposed to the liberalism of theLiberal State Party and the socialism of theSocial Democratic Workers' Party. The CHU and to a lesser extent the ARP were reminded by the party of their original ideals, but they rejected the HGS' ideological orthodoxy.
