J.R. Thorbecke Monument
Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, a 19th century statesman, played a key role in transforming Dutch government into its structure of today. In 2017 a monument to him was established in The Hague.
THORBECKE’S FORMATIVE YEARS
J.R. Thorbecke was born in Zwolle in 1798. During his youth, Dutch politics and government were in a constant state of flux. Following France’s invasion in 1795, the Dutch Republic fell, replaced by the Batavian Republic. The new republic and its democratic system of government lasted only 11 years. In 1806, the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, formerly established a new monarchy called the ‘Kingdom of Holland‘, and installed his brother, Louis Bonaparte, as its first king.
But the new kingdom lasted just four years. Napoleon grew frustrated that his brother was making decisions in support of Dutch interests which weren’t beneficial to those of France. In 1810 Napoleon forced King Louis to abdicate the throne, at which point he officially dissolved the kingdom and annexed the entire territory to France.
This change too was short lived. In 1813, Napoleon’s army was defeated at the Battle of Leipzig and a year later was forced out of power and into exile. As a result, Willem V, Prince of Oranje (son of the last stadholder), returned to Holland from his own exile in England, to lay claim to his hereditary right as Prince of Oranje.
Thorbecke would have grown up during those chaotic years, which saw constant upheaval in the way Holland was governed and the rights of its citizens. Undoubtedly, it set the course he would later pursue in professional life.
UNIVERSITY YEARS
Johan Rudolph Thorbecke received a doctorate from the University of Leiden in 1820 and traveled Europe for the next several years, where he learned more about history, philosophy, governance and citizenship. He taught modern history and diplomacy at both Ghent and Leiden universities.
FORAY INTO GOVERNMENT
Thorbecke, who originally supported the establishment of the Dutch monarchy, began to change his opinion over time. In the 1830’s he wrote several opinion papers on governance which became more anti-autocratic in stance. His first foray into politics came in 1844 when he was elected to the South Holland House of Representatives. By this time, King Willem I had been ruling for nearly 30 years.
CHANGES TO DUTCH CONSTITUTION
J.R. Thorbecke was a strong force and quickly developed into the leader of the opposition. He joined with several other representatives to come up with suggested changes to the Dutch constitution, but it was Thorbecke’s ideas which proliferated the revisions. The proposed changes would greatly reduce the power of the monarch and put it into the hands of parliament. By 1848 they were able to pressure King Willem into setting up a committee to evaluate the proposed changes and Thorbecke was appointed head of the committee. The new version of the constitution was approved by the States General in November of 1848.
PRIME MINISTER OF THE NETHERLANDS
Among the changes was the direct election of members of the House of Representatives by Dutch citizens. King Willem appointed Thorbecke as formateur of the first Council of Ministers, effectively making him the Netherlands first Prime Minister in 1849.
King Willem was pressured to accept all the changes due to a poor Dutch economy, the Belgian Revolution and general unrest. He abdicated the throne a year later with his eldest son, Willem II, becoming King. The position he inherited from his father was one greatly diminished in power and the monarch’s role in government..
J.R. Thorbecke would spend the rest of his life in politics, holding the position of Prime Minister on three occasions: 1849-1853, 1862-1866 and 1871 until his death in June 1872 at age 74.
J.R. THORBECKE MONUMENT
The Johan Rudolph Thorbecke monument in The Hague was designed by Thom Puckey in collaboration with Stroom Den Haag. It was unveiled in February 2017 and is a combination of marble and stainless steel. The statue conveys how Thorbecke’s ideas in the 19th century have influenced modern day Dutch society and governance.
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