Second Gerbrandy cabinet Third London cabinet | |
|---|---|
Cabinet of the Netherlands | |
Meeting of the Second Gerbrandy cabinet in late 1944 | |
| Date formed | 27 July 1941 (1941-07-27) |
| Date dissolved | 23 February 1945 (1945-02-23) (Demissionary from 21 January 1945 (1945-01-21)) |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of state | Queen Wilhelmina |
| Head of government | Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy |
| Deputy head of government | Hendrik van Boeijen (De Facto) |
| No. of ministers | 17 |
| Ministers removed | 6 |
| Totalno. of members | 19 |
| Member party | Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP) Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) Christian Historical Union (CHU) Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) Liberal State Party (LSP) |
| Status in legislature | National unity government |
| History | |
| Legislature terms | 1937–1945 |
| Predecessor | First Gerbrandy cabinet |
| Successor | Third Gerbrandy cabinet |
| This article is part ofa series on |
| Politics of the Netherlands |
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TheSecond Gerbrandy cabinet, also called theThird London cabinet was theDutch government-in-exile from 27 July 1941 until 23 February 1945. The cabinet was formed by thepolitical partiesRoman Catholic State Party (RKSP),Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP),Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP),Christian Historical Union (CHU),Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) and theLiberal State Party (LSP) following the resignation ofFirst Gerbrandy cabinet on 12 June 1941. Thenational unity government was the third of four war cabinets of thegovernment-in-exile inLondon duringWorld War II.[1]
On 12 June 1941 theFirst Gerbrandy cabinet fell after a conflict betweenQueen Wilhelmina andMinister of DefenceAdriaan Dijxhoorn, leading to the dismissal of the minister. Immediately also the other ministers resigned and the cabinet continued for five weeks as ademissionary cabinet until the ministries were redistributed and the Second Gerbrandy cabinet was installed on 27 July 1941.
The cabinet became the main inspiration for many of the resistance fighters in the Netherlands through radio addresses byQueen Wilhelmina. Important actions of the cabinet include the recognition of theSoviet Union in July 1942, thedeclaration of war againstJapan on 7 December 1942, the announcement that after the war the relations between the Netherlands and the Dutch Indies will change and the re-establishment in July 1943 of the representation at theVatican. During the first and second cabinet of Gerbrandy plans are made for post-war prosecution of "wrongful" (Dutch:foute) Dutch civilians (collaborators with the Germans).
On 27 January 1945Minister of the InteriorJaap Burger (SDAP) was asked to resign byPrime MinisterPieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (ARP) after holding a radio speech, differentiating between "wrongful" Dutch civilians (Dutch:foute Nederlanders) and Dutch civilians who made a mistake (Dutch:Nederlanders die een fout hebben gemaakt). But becausePieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy did not discuss this with rest of the cabinet allSocial Democratic Workers' Party ministers resigned in response. Thedemissionary cabinet continued until the installation of theThird Gerbrandy cabinet on 23 February 1945.
On 17 November 1941Minister of Finance,Minister of Commerce, Industry and Shipping andMinister of Agriculture and FisheriesMax Steenberghe (RKSP) andMinister of Colonial AffairsCharles Welter (RKSP) both resigned after disagreements with the cabinet policy.Minister of Water ManagementWillem Albarda (SDAP) took over asMinister of Finance andMinister of Social AffairsJan van den Tempel (SDAP) took over asMinister of Commerce, Industry and Shipping andMinister of Agriculture and Fisheries.
On 31 May 1944Minister of Commerce, Industry and Shipping andMinister of Agriculture and FisheriesPiet Kerstens (RKSP) was dismissed over a disagreement about the post-war food distribution policy. Both theMinistry of Commerce, Industry and Shipping and theMinistry of Agriculture and Fisheries where subsequently reorganized.Minister of FinanceJohannes van den Broek took over asMinister of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture adding the portfolio of Agriculture to the Commerce ministry. Government adviserJim de Booy was appointed asMinister of Shipping and Fisheries combining the portfolios of Shipping and Fisheries.

| Ministers | Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s) | Term of office | Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaap Burger (1904–1986) | Minister | Interior | •Provisional Governmental Affairs | 11 August 1943 – 31 May 1944 [App] | Social Democratic Workers' Party | ||
| Jonkheer Edgar Michiels van Verduynen (1885–1952) | Minister | Foreign Affairs | •Foreign Policy | 1 January 1942 – 25 June 1945 [Continued] | Independent Classical Liberal | ||
| PangeranAdipati Soejono (1886–1943) | Minister | Colonial Affairs | •Dutch East Indies | 9 June 1942 – 5 January 1943 [Died] | Independent Liberal Conservative | ||
| Rang/Title/Position | Military Command | Begin | End | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld | Commander-in-chief | Armed Forces | 3 September 1944 | 13 September 1945 | ||