Johan Rudolf Thorbecke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Johan Rudolf Thorbecke | |
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| In office 4 January 1871 – 6 July 1872 |
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| Preceded by | Pieter Philip van Bosse |
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| Succeeded by | Gerrit de Vries Azn |
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| In office 1 February 1862 – 10 February 1866 |
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| Preceded by | Schelto van Heemstra |
| Succeeded by | Isaäc Dignus Fransen van de Putte |
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| In office 1 November 1849 – 19 April 1853 |
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| Preceded by | Jacob de Kempenaer |
| Succeeded by | Floris Adriaan van Hall |
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| Born | January 14, 1798 Zwolle, Netherlands |
| Died | June 4, 1872 The Hague, Netherlands |
| Constituency | several |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Adelheid Solger |
| Religion | Lutheran[1] |
| Signature |  |
Johan Rudolf Thorbecke (January 14, 1798 – June 4, 1872) was one of the most important Dutch politicians. In 1848, he virtually singlehandedly drafted the revision of the Dutch constitution, giving fewer powers to the king, and more to the parliament.
Thorbecke was born in Zwolle, and began studying classic literature and philosophy in Amsterdam, studies he finished in Leiden defending a thesis on Asinius Pollio. After studying at several universities in Germany he was appointed at the chair of diplomacy (history of international relations) at the university of Gent in Belgium, which in those days was part of the Netherlands. Because of the Belgian insurrection in 1830 he had to give up this position, and one year later he was promoted to professor in diplomacy and modern history at the University of Leiden. In 1839, he published his criticisms of the current dutch constitution in a very detailed study ('Aanteekening op de grondwet'); as a result, he became a well-known political figure. Five years later, together with eight other politicians, he formulated a proposal to change the Dutch constitution. The proposal, known as the Voorstel der Negenmannen ("proposition of the nine men"), did not pass through the Tweede Kamer, the second chamber of the Dutch parliament.
Due to the international unrest in 1848, King William II decided to form a committee for revision of the constitution, and Thorbecke was appointed as the head of that committee. The changes, which were virtually all architected by Thorbecke, were grudgingly approved by the parliament. Most important changes were the limiting of the powers of the monarch, introducing direct elections, establishing liberty of religion, and strengthening the powers of the parliament and the ministers. The new constitution was proclaimed on November 3, 1848.
In 1849, Thorbecke became minister of internal affairs, thereby de facto becoming the first Prime Minister of the Netherlands. During this cabinet, he devised several important laws, most important of which were laws on elections (1850), municipalities (1851) and provinces (1850). His cabinet was forced to resign in 1853 because of the so-called Aprilbeweging ("April Movement"), a Protestant group which protested against re-instituting the Catholic dioceses, which Thorbecke's cabinet had allowed.
On January 31, 1862, Thorbecke again became minister of internal affairs. During his second cabinet, a new law regarding secondary education was among the most important achievements. Important works regarding national transportation were initiated. The cabinet fell on February 10, 1866 and Thorbecke resigned, after a conflict regarding criminal law in the Dutch East Indies.
During the periods he was not part of the government, he was still a very influential member of parliament, quite often pointing out to his colleagues and to the ministers the right way to interpret the constitution.
On January 4, 1871, Thorbecke led his third and last cabinet. His plans for reforms in the army failed, and he became ill in December of that year. He never fully recovered, and he died at home in The Hague. Regretted by many, hated by some (he was not a man of concessions), he is nowadays considered a towering figure in the the dutch parliamentary history. Two statues of his exist (in Amsterdam and in Zwolle), and one of the rooms in the dutch parliament building is named after him.
He has written many articles on history, but also quite a few in newspapers (especially in the 'Journal de La Haye') on topics of the day; he has published a study on the philosophy of history (in german), and all of his speeches in parliament have been published.
