This thesis traces the influence of various party groups' ideas in the European Parliament's approach to obtaining direct elections during the period 1965-1979. Central to the analysis are MEPs'...Show moreThis thesis traces the influence of various party groups' ideas in the European Parliament's approach to obtaining direct elections during the period 1965-1979. Central to the analysis are MEPs' viewpoints on whether an increase of the Parliament's powers was desirable before direct elections (maximalist) or direct elections should precede an expansion of its powers (minimalist). Using records of the EP's various committees and the plenary, it argues that the alignment of a majority within the socialist and Christian-democrat groups, strengthened by matching ideas among liberal MEPs, on the desire to correct the Community's (perceived to be) undemocratic institutional balance by improving the Parliament's powers, created a maximalist majority that, until 1975, steered the EP's approach to direct elections towards prioritizing the expansion of power over an increase in democratic legitimacy. Subsequently, these groups' ideas about the expected balance between powers and representativity shifted the Parliament to a more minimalist approach of focusing on obtaining direct elections following the improvement of the Parliament's powers in 1975 through the budgetary treaties.Show less
This thesis examines and contextualises the thought of the Dutch officer, politician, and administrator Johannes van den Bosch (1780-1844). Van den Bosch was an important political figure under the...Show moreThis thesis examines and contextualises the thought of the Dutch officer, politician, and administrator Johannes van den Bosch (1780-1844). Van den Bosch was an important political figure under the reign of King Willem I and held high positions both in the Dutch metropole and overseas in the Dutch West Indies and the Dutch East Indies. He is mainly known for the Society of Benevolence, a poverty alleviation scheme in the Netherlands and the introduction of the cultivation system, a system of rural taxation in the Dutch East Indies. This thesis studies his thought by examining and contextualising Van den Bosch’s ideas on history, poverty, and race in two treatises written by him in 1818. Following the Cambridge School of Intellectual History, it contextualises these thoughts through primary texts of contemporaneous authors and secondary literature. It argues that we should pay attention not just to the actions but also to the ideas of Van den Bosch. He appears as an enlightened conservative, meaning he advocated change but wanted it through slow evolution rather than rapid revolution. He combined this with progressive ideas on the alleviation of poverty and a racialised understanding of human difference. This thesis makes the case that rather than enigmatic, as it has often been described, Van den Bosch’s thought is consistently modern.Show less
In 1895, the Dutch Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SDAP) convened for its first party conference. Two years later, the first SDAP members were elected to Parliament. Between these years and the...Show moreIn 1895, the Dutch Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SDAP) convened for its first party conference. Two years later, the first SDAP members were elected to Parliament. Between these years and the Second World War, the SDAP transitioned from a party with revolutionary aspirations to a fully normalized parliamentary entity. This thesis studies the SDAP’s assembly culture (vergadercultuur) in both the House of Representatives and their own party conferences. The first part of the thesis utilizes a combination of traditional and innovative digital methodologies to demonstrate that the normalisation of the position of the SDAP in the House of Representatives peaked in the mid-1920s. The second part of the thesis explores the development of the internal assembly culture of the SDAP, focusing on the role of the chairperson, procedures, time management, and usage of ‘persoonlijke feiten’, a phenomenon originating from Parliament. This section shows that while the internal assembly culture of the SDAP matured in many respects, this process was non-linear in many other respects, rendering the metaphor of maturation insufficient.Show less
Bij het uitbreken van de Eerste Wereldoorlog ging de Tweede Kamer in Nederland een periode in dat later de 'godsvrede' genoemd zou worden. Het beleid van de regering werd in die periode unaniem...Show moreBij het uitbreken van de Eerste Wereldoorlog ging de Tweede Kamer in Nederland een periode in dat later de 'godsvrede' genoemd zou worden. Het beleid van de regering werd in die periode unaniem door het parlement goedgekeurd. De gedachte hierbij was dat de Nederlandse regering in dat geval zo goed als mogelijk ervoor kon zorgen dat de Nederlandse neutraliteit gewaarborgd zou blijven. Toch waren er wel parlementaire debatten, waarbij lange toespraken van parlementariërs niet zeldzaam bleven. Wat werd er tijdens de debatten besproken, terwijl het beleid unaniem goedgekeurd werd? Hoe keken de parlementariërs naar hun eigen rol en naar de rol van het parlement als instituut? Wat voor retoriek gebruikten de parlementariërs bij hun toespraken? Hoe keek de Nederlandse pers naar de toespraken van de Kamerleden?Show less
The Dutch scientist and Nobel Prize winner Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was thrust into the media spotlight at the beginning of the twentieth century for which he was not quite ready. The aim...Show moreThe Dutch scientist and Nobel Prize winner Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was thrust into the media spotlight at the beginning of the twentieth century for which he was not quite ready. The aim of this thesis is to find out how the media took a scientific public like Lorentz and constructed a public persona for him, what virtues and abilities were associated with this persona, and how this persona changed as a result of new social developments. Furthermore, this thesis will also describe the rise and fall of personas after his death and in his legacy, up to and including how Lorentz is represented in museums today.Show less
A nation’s identity builds on a common past and traditions. After the Second World War, the newborn government of the GDR had to make a concerted effort to create such traditions, building on the...Show moreA nation’s identity builds on a common past and traditions. After the Second World War, the newborn government of the GDR had to make a concerted effort to create such traditions, building on the history of the German working class and their leading historical figures. Among them: Clara Zetkin. A dedicated and respected politician in her time, she was made an icon in the GDR, as she was portrayed as an ideal socialist role model and heroine throughout the public sphere, by means of the memory politics of the SED. The biographies, newspaper articles, films, and museums focused on Zetkin, as well as the street signs, statues, banknotes, and awards bearing her name in the GDR created a particular image of the historical figure: a model socialist heroine. This image differs from the historical figure of Zetkin, as some parts have been emphasized, others downplayed, or left out entirely.Show less
In de jaren dertig kwam het Grootneerlandisme (Nederland en Vlaanderen weer één) in extreemrechts vaarwater terecht. Deze scriptie onderzoekt hoe het Groot-Nederlandse tijdschrift De Dietsche...Show moreIn de jaren dertig kwam het Grootneerlandisme (Nederland en Vlaanderen weer één) in extreemrechts vaarwater terecht. Deze scriptie onderzoekt hoe het Groot-Nederlandse tijdschrift De Dietsche Gedachte zich verhield tot het Duitse nationaalsocialisme. Het blijkt dat er in beginsel een zekere verwantschap bestond.Show less
Regeringsdienst Oog & Oor (1945-1946) functioneerde na de Tweede Wereldoorlog als voorlichter en inlichtingenverzamelaar op lokaal niveau. De taak van deze dienst was om klachten te verzamelen...Show moreRegeringsdienst Oog & Oor (1945-1946) functioneerde na de Tweede Wereldoorlog als voorlichter en inlichtingenverzamelaar op lokaal niveau. De taak van deze dienst was om klachten te verzamelen van burgers en opzoek te gaan naar de stemming van het volk in de steden en dorpen van de provincies. Dit onderzoek gaat specifiek in op de Regeringsdienst in het District Centrum (Provincie Utrecht) en de rol van het districtsbureau in de wederopbouw. Het was een experiment van het eerste naoorlogse kabinet, dat wilde breken met de verzuilde politiek en deze dienst was een product van de gewenste vernieuwing.Show less
This thesis revisits the Japanese student delegation of 1863, which was sent by the Tokugawa Shogunate to the Netherlands. The thesis concentrates especially on the journey of Nishi Amane and Tsuda...Show moreThis thesis revisits the Japanese student delegation of 1863, which was sent by the Tokugawa Shogunate to the Netherlands. The thesis concentrates especially on the journey of Nishi Amane and Tsuda Mamichi, who studied Western academic disciplines with Leiden University professor Simon Vissering between 1863 and 1865 and introduced this knowledge to Japan for the first time in history. The thesis revisits the case in Chapter 1 from the perspective centered around Nishi, Tsuda, and Vissering, who were long thought to be the most important characters of this trip. In chapter 2, with the help of previously unmentioned primary sources, the thesis revisits the case from the Dutch perspective, a perspective never taken by previous historians. By analyzing these new sources in a broader context, the thesis discovers numerous new insights. The most important insight was the pivotal role of Johannes Josephus Hoffmann, the professor of Chinese and Japanese studies at Leiden University and the translator of the Netherlands Indies Government, within this study trip. This thesis finds that Hoffmann was essential for this historical event to happen, due to his envisioning actions to persuade both the Japanese and the Dutch decisionmakers to conduct this event in the way they did. In addition, the thesis finds that Hoffmann was the central figure in preparing, receiving, optimizing, and coordinating the trip. Therefore, this thesis argues that the current public and scholarly attention, as well as the historical recognition granted to Hoffmann, are remarkably inadequate.Show less
Deze scriptie toont de plaats van pathos in de receptie van predikantenwelsprekendheid door de dagboeken van Willem de Clercq (1811-1844) en enkele periodieken in de eerste helft van de 19e eeuw te...Show moreDeze scriptie toont de plaats van pathos in de receptie van predikantenwelsprekendheid door de dagboeken van Willem de Clercq (1811-1844) en enkele periodieken in de eerste helft van de 19e eeuw te bestuderen. Pathos bleek in deze periode belangrijk voor een positieve receptie van predikantenwelsprekendheid. De receptie door Willem de Clercq verschilde van die door de periodieken vanwege zijn sterke hang naar authenciteit, zijn gevoelige persoonlijkheid en zijn orthodoxe identiteit.Show less
