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41-559: In the 1860s, a socialist movement began to develop in the Netherlands. The development was aided by the foundation of the First International and the foundation of the first trade unions . Most of those unions however were united in the moderate Algemeen Nederlandsch Werklieden Verbond  [ nl ] (General Dutch Workingmans' Association; ANWV) in 1871, which was founded by Protestants and liberals to combat

82-399: A Marxist ideology. Social democrat was not more or less radical than socialist. The organisations called itself League ( Bond ) because it did not see itself as a party in the traditional sense. It was entrenched in the extra-parliamentary opposition and only entered elections once. The SDB was a Marxist party, and it saw a socialist revolution, which would replace the capitalist system with

123-951: A programme and constitution. Most of the British members of the committee were drawn from the Universal League for the Material Elevation of the Industrious Classes and were noted trade-union leaders like Odger, George Howell (former secretary of the London Trades Council, which itself declined affiliation to the IWA, although remaining close to it), Cyrenus Osborne Ward and Benjamin Lucraft and included Owenites and Chartists . The French members were Denoual, Victor Le Lubez and Bosquet. Italy

164-485: A socialist one, as inevitable. Important issues for the party were the prohibition of alcohol, the abolition of the army and the replacement of the monarchy with a republic and the independence of the Dutch East Indies . Practical social-economic reforms the party wanted to implement were the free education, better pay for teachers, a ban on child labour, a limited working day for women, the implementation of

205-621: A strong anarchist orientation. This led to a split; during the SDB party conference of 1893 in Groningen, a majority voted to stop participating in the elections. A minority of members led by Pieter Jelles Troelstra tried to prevent this, and later left the party in order to create a new party. The split mirrored a larger conflict in the First International between reformists and revolutionaries, and Marxists and anarchists. In 1893,

246-458: A system of social security and a better housing for workers. This table shows the SDB's results in elections to the House of Representatives and Senate , as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter is the chair of the parliamentary party and the, in this case sole, candidate in the general election, these posts are normally taken by the party's leader. The electorate of

287-530: A theory of the State and without the knowledge about social classes struggles and the economic factor. Portuguese section was one of the first to evolve into a party structure. But while debates to create a socialist party began in 1873 (this did come in 10 January 1875). The anarchist wing of the First International held a separate congress in September 1872 at St. Imier, Switzerland. The anarchists rejected

328-667: The Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) in 1894. In 1896, the radical wing of the party, led by Domela Nieuwenhuis, left the SB and continued without a party organisation. They chose for an anarchist course and direct action . They founded the paper De Vrije Socialist ("The Free Socialist") and became strongly linked to the Nationaal Arbeidssecretariaat ( National Workers' Secretariat ; NAS) an anarcho-syndicalist union founded in 1893. In 1901

369-520: The election . Domela Nieuwenhuis was elected to the House of Representatives for the district of Schoterland . The party was supported by the liberal Frisian People's Party ( Friesche Volkspartij ). Domela Nieuwenhuis won the seat in the second round with the support from the Protestant Anti-Revolutionary Party , which preferred a socialist over a liberal MP. In parliament Domela Nieuwenhuis tried to gain attention for

410-613: The Alliance. National Workers%27 Secretariat The National Labor Secretariat ( Dutch : Nationaal Arbeids-Secretariaat , NAS ) was a trade union federation in the Netherlands from 1893 to 1940. In the late 1880s and early 1890s the idea that trade unions should no longer be branches of the Social Democratic League (SDB), as they had been up to this point, became increasingly influential. In 1893,

451-705: The Communist Party and many of the union's leaders helped form the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) in 1928. A further wave of militancy in the Dutch labor movement helped the NAS gain members in the late 1920s, but in 1933 and 1934 the government took measures against the left after a mutiny on board the cruiser De Zeven Provinciën , dealing the NAS a heavy blow. Municipal employees and civil servants could now be fired for their adherence to

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492-570: The Industrious Classes at 18 Greek Street. At first, the IWA had mostly male membership, although in April 1865 it was agreed that women could become members. The initial leadership was exclusively male. At the IWA General Council meeting on 16 April 1867, a letter from the secularist speaker Harriet Law about women's rights was read and it was agreed to ask her if she would be willing to attend council meetings. On 25 June 1867, Law

533-523: The NAS also started co-operating with political parties again, specifically it collaborated with the SDAP-breakaway Social Democratic Party on both a transport workers' strike in 1911 and protests against price increases in 1912. As a result of this many anarchists left the organization. Like most European syndicalist unions, the NAS saw its membership boom after World War I . Although the Netherlands were neutral in

574-555: The NAS had seceded from the RILU, it was reaching to the German revolutionary trade-unions and the international revolutionary-syndicalism, which opposed soviet politics. A merge with the NSV failed because the NSV wanted to return to a pure independent foundation, while the NAS executive thought that political and economic struggle were intertwined due to increasing state intervention. Eventually,

615-429: The NAS supported in principle all strikes - be they by NAS members or by non-affiliated unions or even individuals, because all strikes were seen as a learning experience for the working class. The financial shortage that resulted from this as well as increasing anarchist tendencies in the NAS soon led many of the larger unions to leave the organization. By 1903, only fifteen national, but 61 local organizations were part of

656-620: The NAS. 1903 saw relations between the NAS on the one hand and the SDAP and many of the large non-NAS unions deteriorate further. A successful general strike , which started in January 1903, led to strict laws prohibiting such strikes. A "Resistance Committee" consisting of the NAS, the SDAP, and the General Diamond Workers' Union of the Netherlands (ANDB), the largest non-NAS union in the country, soon fell apart. In late 1903,

697-848: The National Labor Secretariat (NAS) was thus founded. At first, it encompassed both the SDB and the seven unions involved in its founding — the Dutch Cigar Makers' and Tobacco Workers' Union , General Dutch Typographers' Union , the Dutch Furniture Makers' Union , the Brushmakers' Federation , the Carpenters' Federation , the General Dutch Diamond Workers' Union , and the railway union Steeds Voorwaarts . The NAS

738-530: The SDAP leader Pieter Jelles Troelstra then claimed the NAS was "done for". In 1906, the Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions (NVV) was founded as an SDAP-loyal union federation. It had more members than the NAS from the start. In the following years the NAS slowly turned to syndicalism . This development was influenced by the competition with the NVV and by Christiaan Cornelissen . Cornelissen, who

779-399: The SDB was forbidden by the court because the party had promoted illegal means to attain its goal. In response the party renamed itself Socialists' League ( Socialistenbond , SB). When the anarchist elements began to take full control of the SDB, important regional social democratic figures joined the group around Troelstra. Together they formed a group called "the twelve apostles". They founded

820-566: The SDB was mainly located in the poor rural province of Friesland . In the 1888 the party profited from the extension of suffrage to small farmers and other members of the middle class. In the second round the support of the Protestant ARP was crucial. They supported the SDB because they preferred a socialist over a liberal. In the 1890s the party began to win support in the poor rural province of Groningen and larger cities, like Amsterdam and Zaandam . The SDAP would however soon overtake

861-473: The Socialist League and the SDAP were expelled from the NAS, leaving only unions in the organization. By 1896 thirteen national and 16 local unions were part of the NAS. Conflict soon ensued over the distribution of financial means within the NAS. All unions in the federation had one vote, no matter what their size, but financial contributions to the union funds were on a per capita basis. Moreover,

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902-532: The St. Martin's Hall assembly. This subcommittee deferred the task of collective writing in favour of sole authorship by Marx and it was he who ultimately drew up the fundamental documents of the new organisation. On 5 October, the General Council was formed with co-opted additional members representing other nationalities. It was based at the headquarters of the Universal League for the Material Elevation of

943-610: The claim that Bakunin and Guillaume had been expelled and repudiated The Hague Congress as unrepresentative and improperly conducted. Over two days on 15–16 September 1872 at Saint-Imier, the Anarchist St. Imier International declared itself to be the true heir of the International. The Spanish Regional Federation of the IWA formed the largest national chapter of the anarchist bloc. In the Iberian Peninsula,

984-454: The communist opposition within the NAS was expelled. As a counterpart of the communist network of unions, the NAS founded additional organizations and an innate political party, the RSP , in 1929. After 1920, the membership of the NAS waned reaching 13,000 in 1924. Its members were now primarily transport workers, construction workers, and Amsterdam municipal employees. In 1927, the NAS broke with

1025-524: The conflict within the IWA was acutely felt, rapidly transforming the region into another battleground between the two factions. The General Council attempted to curb the Alliance’s influence through the new Madrid Federation and Portuguese internationalists. On the opposing side, the anarchists, who held complete control of the working-class movement in Spain, persistently tried to recruit Portuguese socialists to

1066-538: The district of Schoterland elected the independent Socialist candidate, Geert van der Zwaag as its MP. His views were similar to those of Domela Nieuwenhuis in the 1880s. In 1900, the SB joined the SDAP which had become electorally successful. When Domela Nieuwenhuis died in 1919, the anarchist movement in the Netherlands lost significance. Before the Russian Revolution , the term social democrat , socialist and communist were used interchangeably to denote

1107-557: The influence of the Dutch section of the First International. Some prominent Dutch representatives of the First International joined the ANWV in order to radicalise the organisation. In 1878 they, led by Willem Ansigh, left the ANWV to found the Sociaal-Democratische Vereeniging (Social-Democratic Association; SDV). It had branches in major cities like Amsterdam , The Hague , Haarlem and Rotterdam The SDB

1148-470: The interests of the Dutch workers, but he was ignored by other MPs. In the 1891 general election , Domela decided not stand for reelection. His seat was taken by Willem Treub , a member of the left-liberal Radical League . This electoral defeat led to debate within the party. A group of 'moderates' wanted to continue the parliamentary work and the reformist course, another group, led by Domela Nieuwenhuis, wanted to pursue an anti-parliamentary course with

1189-428: The party in these regions. International Workingmen%27s Association The International Workingmen's Association ( IWA ; 1864–1876), often called the First International , was a political international which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist , social democratic , communist and anarchist groups and trade unions that were based on the working class and class struggle . It

1230-495: The party's strongman, he retained the position when he was in prison in 1886–1887 for insulting the monarchy. The party published the paper "Justice for All" ( Recht voor Allen ) of which Domela was editor. The SDB was also affiliated to the League for General Suffrage, which was a dominantly liberal organisation which campaigned for universal suffrage. In 1888, despite the party's revolutionary orientation it decided to participate in

1271-542: The pro-Soviet Red International of Labour Unions (RILU), although many in the federation favored the anarcho-syndicalist International Workers' Association (IWA). In 1923, the question of international affiliation led to a split. About 8,000 members left to found the IWA-affiliated Dutch Syndicalist Trade Union Federation (NSV). The NAS, however, split from the RILU in 1927 due to fear of Moscow control. After

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1312-472: The revolutionary movement. In the 1930s the NAS also started turning its back on syndicalism arguing that the idea that the workers should build up a socialist society themselves had failed. Although it continued losing members, the NAS existed until the German occupation of the Netherlands in 1940. The Germans forced the organization to be disbanded, but a few members continued its activities in illegality. After

1353-463: The war, they were not untouched by it: food shortages plagued the country and the revolutionary wave that swept Europe from 1917 to 1920 left its mark on the country. The massive wave of strikes greatly benefited the NAS, its membership rose from 10,500 in 1916 to 51,000 in 1920. During this time NAS members had great influence on the Socialist and Communist Parties . In 1922, the NAS decided to join

1394-470: Was a somewhat obscure 46-year-old émigré journalist Karl Marx , who would soon come to play a decisive role in the organisation. The positivist historian Edward Spencer Beesly , a professor at London University , was in the chair. The meeting unanimously decided to found an international organisation of workers. The centre was to be in London, directed by a committee of 21, which was instructed to draft

1435-777: Was admitted to the General Council and for the next five years was the only woman representative. The fifth Congress of the IWA was held in early September 1872 in The Hague , the Netherlands. After the Paris Commune (1871), Bakunin characterised Marx's ideas as authoritarian and argued that if a Marxist party came to power its leaders would end up as bad as the ruling class they had fought against (notably in his Statism and Anarchy ). In 1874, Marx wrote some decisive notes rebutting Bakunin's affirmations on this book, referring to them as mere political rhetoric without

1476-399: Was declaredly politically neutral, but in practice it was dominated by the SDB. After the SDB split into the revolutionary Socialist League and the parliamentary Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) in 1894, both remained members and the NAS did not get involved in the conflict between them, but the relations between the NAS and the parties soon deteriorated to the point that in 1896 both

1517-653: Was founded in 1864 in a workmen's meeting held in St. Martin's Hall , London. Its first congress was held in 1866 in Geneva . In Europe, a period of harsh reaction followed the widespread Revolutions of 1848 . The next major phase of revolutionary activity began almost twenty years later with the founding of the IWA in 1864. At its peak, the IWA reported having 8 million members while police reported 5 million. In 1872, it split in two over conflicts between statist and anarchist factions and dissolved in 1876. The Second International

1558-496: Was founded in 1881 by members of the SDV and similar local socialist parties. The strongest of these local socialist parties were located in the poor rural province Friesland . The party was based on Marxist principles and therefore expected a proletarian revolution . In 1882, Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis , a lapsed Lutheran minister, was elected as general secretary of the party. He would hold this position until 1887 and grow to become

1599-511: Was founded in 1889. On 28 September an international crowd of workers gathered to welcome the French delegates in St Martin's Hall in London. Among the many European radicals were English Owenites , followers of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Louis Auguste Blanqui , Irish and Polish nationalists, Italian republicans and German socialists. Included among the last-mentioned of this eclectic band

1640-486: Was influenced by the French syndicalism of the CGT developed a syndicalist theory adapted to the local orientation of the NAS. Nevertheless, the chaotic internal organization of the NAS weakened it until Harm Kolthek took over as national secretary in 1907. Under his leadership, the NAS was able to broaden its base by emphasizing its political and religious neutrality and its membership doubled to 7,200 by 1913. During this time,

1681-403: Was represented by Fontana. Other members were Louis Wolff , Johann Eccarius and at the foot of the list Marx, who participated in his individual capacity and did not speak during the meeting. This executive committee in turn selected a subcommittee to do the actual writing of the organisational programme—a group which included Marx and which met at his home about a week after the conclusion of

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