Cals cabinet

The Cals cabinet was the executive branch of the Dutch Government from 14 April 1965 until 22 November 1966. The cabinet was formed by the christian-democratic Catholic People's Party (KVP) and Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) and the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) after the fall of the previous Cabinet Marijnen. The cabinet was a Centre-left coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives; prominent Catholic politician Jo Cals, a former Minister of Education, served as Prime Minister. Labour Leader Anne Vondeling served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Protestant Leader Barend Biesheuvel continued as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and the responsibility for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs from previous cabinet.

The cabinet served in the middle of the tumultuous 1960s. Domestically it had to deal with the counterculture and implemented several major social reforms to social security, as well as closing the mines in Limburg and stimulating urban development in the Randstad. Internationally, the protests against the Vietnam War were a major point of attention. The cabinet suffered several major internal and external conflicts, including multiple cabinet resignations. The cabinet fell just 18 months into its term on 14 October 1966, following the Night of Schmelzer when Catholic Leader Norbert Schmelzer proposed a counter-motion that called for stronger austerity measures to reduce the deficit than those the cabinet had itself proposed. Prime Minister Cals saw this as an indirect motion of no confidence from his own party, and announced his resignation; the cabinet continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Zijlstra.

Formation

After the fall of the Marijnen cabinet, the confessional parties did not want snap elections because those could centre on the introduction of commercial television, the issue that led to the fall of the former cabinet. So a new cabinet was formed on the basis of the existing situation. A continuation of the Marijnen cabinet was considered to have too narrow a basis, so PvdA was asked to join in. As a result, CHU stepped out. But previous frictions between PvdA and KVP were overcome because there was a desire to form a cabinet fast, which was indeed done, in just over a month.

Term

After two decades of economic growth, this cabinet experienced a slight recession. Plans to build sports halls, roads and houses had to be tempered. In Limburg the coal mines were closed, and plans were devised to educate and re-employ the former miners.

There was also social unrest, which became apparent in the Provo movement, construction worker protests, riots over the marriage of Princess Beatrix in Amsterdam and the rise of new parties: the Farmers' Party (BP), the Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP), the Reformed Political League (GPV) and the Democrats 66 (D'66). The last party, especially, wished to change the political order..

On 14 October 1966 Norbert Schmelzer the Leader of the Catholic People's Party and Parliamentary leader of the Catholic People's Party in the House of Representatives proposed a Motion of no confidence against the cabinet and Prime Minister Jo Cals. A shocking and surprised action in Dutch politics, it marked the first time that a motion of no confidence was proposed against a cabinet of the same party. The cabinet resigned that evening.

Changes

On 5 February 1966 State Secretary for Defense for Air Force Affairs Jan Borghouts (KVP) died following a debilitating disease at the age of 55. On 22 June 1966 former Chairman of the United Defence Staff lieutenant general Heije Schaper, who until then had been working as Chief Adjutant in extraordinary service to Queen Juliana was installed as his successor.

On 31 August 1966 Minister of the Interior Jan Smallenbroek (ARP) resigned after he was involved in a traffic incident while driving under the influence. Minister of Justice Ivo Samkalden (PvdA) served as acting Minister of the Interior until 5 September 1966 when Koos Verdam (ARP), who until then had been working as a professor of Roman and International Private Law at the VU University Amsterdam was appointed as his successor.

File:Staatsbezoek president Nyerere van Tanzania. Op vliegveld Soesterberg, vlnr Luns, Bestanddeelnr 917-6689.jpg

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns, Prime Minister Jo Cals, President of Tanzania Julius Nyerere and Prince Bernhard at Soesterberg Air Base on 21 April 1965.

File:Minister Luns , Averill Hariman (Links) op zijn departement ontvangen, Hariman (, Bestanddeelnr 918-1380.jpg

Former United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 3 September 1965.

File:West-Duitse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Schröder in gesprek met minister Lun, Bestanddeelnr 918-4029.jpg

Belgium Minister of Foreign Affairs Hendrik Fayat, West-German Minister for Foreign Affairs Gerhard Schröder and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns at a Western European Union conference in Brussels on 4 November 1965.

File:Mevrouw Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit en minister president Cals in gesprek, Bestanddeelnr 918-4415.jpg

Indian diplomat Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and Prime Minister Jo Cals at the Catshuis on 12 November 1965.

File:Receptie op Catshuis, Minister President Cals (rechts) gesprek met Alain Poher e, Bestanddeelnr 919-1891.jpg

President of the European Parliament Alain Poher and Prime Minister Jo Cals at the Catshuis on 24 May 1966.

File:Russen te gast op Catshuis, rechts naast Cals de Russisch ambassadeur de heer To, Bestanddeelnr 919-3094.jpg

Soviet Ambassador Ivan Tugarinov and Prime Minister Jo Cals at the Catshuis on 30 June 1966.

File:President Bourguiba in het Catshuis, nummer 28 v.l.n.r. Luns, Bourguiba en Cals, Bestanddeelnr 919-3317.jpg

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns, President of Tunisia Habib Bourguiba and Prime Minister Jo Cals at the Catshuis on 7 July 1966.

File:Vergaderingen, ministers, buitenlandse betrekkingen, Buono Hamengkoe, Luns, JA, Bestanddeelnr 083-0729.jpg

Deputy Prime Minister Anne Vondeling, Indonesian Minister for Economic Affairs Hamengkubuwono IX and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague on 5 September 1966.

Cabinet members

Ministers			Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s)			Term of office	Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Jo Cals	Jo Cals (1914–1971)	Prime Minister	General Affairs		14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966	Catholic People's Party
rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Anne Vondeling	Dr. Anne Vondeling (1916–1979)	Deputy Prime Minister	Finance	14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966		Labour Party
Minister
rowspan=3 style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Barend Biesheuvel	Barend Biesheuvel (1920–2001)	Deputy Prime Minister	Agriculture and Fisheries		24 July 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
Minister
Minister			Interior	• Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Jan Smallenbroek	Jan Smallenbroek (1909–1974)	Minister	Interior		14 April 1965 – 31 August 1966 [Res]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Ivo Samkalden	Dr. Ivo Samkalden (1912–1995)				31 August 1966 – 5 September 1966 [Ad Interim]	Labour Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Koos Verdam	Dr. Koos Verdam (1915–1998)				5 September 1966 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Joseph Luns	Joseph Luns (1911–2002)	Minister	Foreign Affairs		13 October 1956 – 6 July 1971 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Ivo Samkalden	Dr. Ivo Samkalden (1912–1995)	Minister	Justice		14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Joop den Uyl	Joop den Uyl (1919–1987)	Minister	Economic Affairs		14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Piet de Jong	Captain Piet de Jong (1915–2016)	Minister	Defence		24 July 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Gerard Veldkamp	Dr. Gerard Veldkamp (1921–1990)	Minister	Social Affairs and Health		17 July 1961 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Isaäc Arend Diepenhorst	Dr. Isaäc Arend Diepenhorst (1916–2004)	Minister	Education and Sciences		14 April 1965 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Ko Suurhoff	Ko Suurhoff (1905–1967)	Minister	Transport and Water Management		14 April 1965 – 1 May 1966 [Note]	Labour Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Pieter Bogaers	Pieter Bogaers (1924–2008)				1 May 1966 – 30 June 1966 [Acting]	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Ko Suurhoff	Ko Suurhoff (1905–1967)				30 June 1966 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Pieter Bogaers	Pieter Bogaers (1924–2008)	Minister	Housing and Spatial Planning		24 July 1963 – 22 November 1966 [Retained]	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Maarten Vrolijk	Maarten Vrolijk (1919–1994)	Minister	Culture, Recreation and Social Work		14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
Minister without portfolio			Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s)			Term of office	Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Theo Bot	Theo Bot (1911–1984)	Minister	Foreign Affairs	• Development Cooperation	14 April 1965 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
State Secretaries			Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s)			Term of office	Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Theo Westerhout	Theo Westerhout (1922–1987)	State Secretary	Interior	• Municipalities • Provinces	12 July 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Leo de Block	Leo de Block (1904–1988)	State Secretary	Foreign Affairs)	• European Union • Benelux	3 September 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Max van der Stoel	Max van der Stoel (1924–2011)			• United Nations • International Organizations	22 July 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Wiel Hoefnagels	Dr. Wiel Hoefnagels (1929–1978)	State Secretary	Finance	• Fiscal Policy • Tax and Customs • Governmental Budget	31 May 1965 – 22 November 1966	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Joop Bakker	Joop Bakker (1921–2003)	State Secretary	Economic Affairs	• Small and Medium-sized Businesses • Regional Development	3 September 1963 – 22 November 1966 [Retained]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Gerard Peijnenburg	Gerard Peijnenburg (1919–2000)	State Secretary	Defence	• Army	13 May 1965 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Independent Christian Democratic Catholic
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Adri van Es	Vice admiral Adri van Es (1913–1994)			• Navy	14 August 1963 – 16 September 1972 [Retained] [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Jan Borghouts	Colonel Jan Borghouts (1910–1966)			• Air Force	12 July 1965 – 5 February 1966 [Died]	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Heije Schaper	Lieutenant general Heije Schaper (1906–1996)				22 June 1966 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Independent Conservative Liberal
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Louis Bartels	Dr. Louis Bartels (1915–2002)	State Secretary	Social Affairs and Health)	• Primary Healthcare • Elderly Care • Disability Policy • Medical Ethics	3 September 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	José de Meijer	Dr. José de Meijer (1915–2000)			• Occupational Safety • Public Organisations	15 November 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Hans Grosheide	Hans Grosheide (1930–2022)	State Secretary	Education and Sciences	• Primary Education • Secondary Education • Special Education	3 September 1963 – 6 July 1971 [Retained] [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Siep Posthumus	Siep Posthumus (1910–1987)	State Secretary	Transport and Water Management	• Rail Transport • Weather Forecasting	4 May 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
style="background:Template:Party color;"|	Cees Egas	Cees Egas (1913–2001)	State Secretary	Culture, Recreation and Social Work	• Social Services • Youth Care • Nature • Culture • Art • Recreation • Sport	10 May 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
Source: Template:In lang Rijksoverheid.nl

^Resigned

^{Retained from the previous cabinet}

^{Continued in the next cabinet}

^Acting

^{Ad Interim}

^{Died in Office}

^{Medical leave of absence from 1 May 1966 until 30 June 1966}

External links

Official

• Template:In lang Kabinet-Cals Parlement & Politiek
• Template:In lang Kabinet-Cals Rijksoverheid