Drees–Van Schaik cabinet
Drees–Van Schaik cabinet First Drees cabinet | |
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Cabinet of the Netherlands | |
| The members of the Drees–Van Schaik cabinet in the House of Representatives on 10 December 1948 | |
| Date formed | 7 August 1948 |
| Date dissolved | 15 March 1951 2 years, 220 days in office (Demissionary from 24 January 1951) |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of state | Queen Wilhelmina (1948) Queen Juliana (1948–1951) |
| Head of government | Willem Drees |
| Deputy head of government | Josef van Schaik |
| No. of ministers | 15 |
| Ministers removed | 3 |
| Total no. of members | 18 |
| 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 | Centre-left Majority government (Grand coalition/Roman-Red) |
| History | |
| Election | 1948 election |
| Legislature terms | 1948–1952 |
| Incoming formation | 1948 formation |
| Outgoing formation | 1951 formation |
| Predecessor | First Beel cabinet |
| Successor | First Drees cabinet |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Politics of the Netherlands |
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The Drees–Van Schaik cabinet, also called the First Drees cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 7 August 1948 until 15 March 1951. The cabinet was formed by the Catholic People's Party (KVP), the Labour Party (PvdA), the Christian Historical Union (CHU) and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) after the 1948 general election. The cabinet was a centre-left grand coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives with Labour Leader Willem Drees serving as Prime Minister. Prominent KVP politician Josef van Schaik, a former Minister of Justice, served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without portfolio for the Interior.
The cabinet served during final years of the post-war 1940s and the first years of the turbulent 1950s. Domestically the beginning of the recovery and rebuilding following World War II started with the Marshall Plan, it was also to implement several major social reforms to social security, welfare, child benefits and education. Internationally the beginning of the decolonisation of the Dutch East Indies started following the Indonesian National Revolution and the forming of the Netherlands New Guinea following the West New Guinea dispute. The cabinet suffered several major internal and external conflicts including multiple cabinet resignations, the cabinet fell 29 months into its term on 24 January 1951 following a disagreement in the coalition over the handling of the New Guinea policy and the cabinet continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced with the First Drees cabinet on 15 March 1951.
Commenting on divisions within the cabinet, one study has noted that "In spite of the centre-left coloration of the Drees-van Schaik cabinet, ideological differences between Socialists and Catholics prevented the rapid expansion of the welfare state."