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Republican Society

January 01, 1970

Not to be confused with New Republican Society.

The Republican Society (Dutch: Republikeins Genootschap) is a Dutch republican movement, founded on 11 September 1996 in the Prinsenhof in Delft, at the initiative of Pierre Vinken. Its aim is to abolish the monarchy of the Netherlands.

Founders and goal edit

 
Initiator Pierre Vinken

According to the Republican Society's website, there are fourteen founders:[1]

  • Albert Schuitemaker (1928–2008)
  • Pierre Vinken (1927–2011)
  • Frits Visser
  • Loek van Vollenhoven (1930)
  • Guus Zoutendijk (1929–2005)

The idea was to start with fifteen members, and two absent people –Harry Mulisch and Schuitemaker– would be marked as co-founders in absentia. However, Mulisch withdrew and thus brought the number to fourteen.[2] These were all prominent members of Dutch society with influential positions in politics, science, business, education and journalism.

The society does not have any bylaws. Unlike the New Republican Society, the Republican Society does not undertake actions to bring the republic closer. It proceeds from the notion that the mere existence of the Republican Society will be enough to enable the restoration of the Dutch Republic in the long term. One can only become a member by co-optation.

History edit

Origins, leak and controversy edit

The group originated from Vinken's circle of friends "to discuss the last taboo in the Netherlands". The Republican Society's existence was kept a secret at first; a period of two hidden years was planned, and then to await a blunder on part of the monarchy.[3] This decision was taken, because some members could get in trouble with their professional connections, and because opinion polls showed that 95% of the population favoured the monarchy. Initially, there was some confusion about how serious the fellowship actually was (amongst other things, the proposal "to proclaim the blue-gray napkin of the Prinsenkelder the official Flag of the Republic" suggested the gathering was at least partially in jest[4]). After the first gathering was over, the founders sent letters to others, to confidentially inform them about the Society, with the question if they were interested in joining. In October 1996, Piet Grijs (Hugo Brandt Corstius) already betrayed the cause by writing in Vrij Nederland that, despite his fervent republicanism, he would not partake in the secrecy; however, his (limited) exposé did not cause any uproar yet.[5] Early 1997, one of the people involved leaked the minutes of the founding meeting to de Volkskrant, who revealed it to the public on 26 February 1997.[6][7][8] The also leaked post-foundation correspondence, showed that several members had distanced themselves from the Society in the meantime; for example, Mulisch (absent during the foundation) criticised the exclusion of women and foreigners ("Decision 4: Members will also be selected based on physical characteristics: only native men are eligible.").[2][3] Members approached by the media for comments, reacted annoyed on the leaking of, and/or their membership of, the Republican Society, refused to respond or desired to remain anonymous.[6][8] In the media, especially De Telegraaf that ran the headline "Leave our royal house alone!",[9] and also from politics, including prime minister Wim Kok,[10] the reaction was generally overwhelmingly negative. However, the Young Democrats and Young Socialists enthusiastically sought to join the Society, and hold nationwide discussions on monarchy and republic; the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy stated they were in favour of a purely ceremonial kingship "according to the Swedish model".[11][12][13]

Regrouping edit

Knapen, who had distanced himself from the Society soon after its foundation, accused De Telegraaf and de Volkskrant of taking the Society way too seriously, and called the media controversy a "farce".[14] Van Amerongen, however, stood up defiantly in De Groene Amsterdammer, in which he indeed explained "Decision 4" to be a mere joke, but the republican initiative as a whole "extremely serious" and "serious in every sense", and provided more legitimacy for the cause. He primarily rebuked De Telegraaf, accusing it of hypocrisy by first calling the emergence of the Republican Society "barely noteworthy", before filling page after page about it for an entire week, and write down reviling remarks from several famous Dutch people addressed to the republicans (singer Gerard Joling called them "traitors").[9][15] Some like historian Anton van Hooff joined the ranks of the Society,[16] other republicans such as Socialist Party leader Jan Marijnissen did not (no 'conspiratory clubs'), but did support having a public nationwide debate on the monarchy, which in their opinion unjustly appeared to be a taboo subject.[17] Several politicians and commentators proceeded to sweeten the issue, which, despite the serious undertone, appeared to be a partially "derailed joke", because the prankish remarks in Vinken's minutes such as "Decision 4" were unintentionally taken seriously in print.[18] Although the existence of the Republican Society was revealed prematurely and rather clumsily, it succeeded in having the form of government debated nationally.[19] One year later, the media no longer wrote about the royal house without criticism, and the membership of the Republican Society grew rapidly.[20]

Growth and competition edit

During its first anniversary in September 1997, the Republican Society itself sought publicity by showing a new, expanded list of members, which now included women and foreigners, such as Jeroen Brouwers, Remco Campert, Jaap van Heerden, André Haakmat, Jasperina de Jong, H.U. Jessurun d'Oliveira, Ite Rümke, André Spoor, Jan Timman, Adriaan Morrien, Theo Sontrop, Theo van Gogh and Theodor Holman.[21] However, the Society's exclusivity by co-optation and the lack of public actions formed an obstacle to various politically active youths, who launched the New Republican Society (NRG) on 21 January 1998 in De Balie.[22] On 28 January, the NRG jokingly proclaimed the Third Republic of the Netherlands on Dam Square, preceding queen Beatrix's 60th birthday celebrations.[23] The two republican societies did soon decide to approach each other and possibly cooperate.[24]

In 2005, the Republican Society and the New Republican Society co-founded the magazine De Republikein ("The Republican").[25]

References edit

  1. ^ "Namen". Site van het Republikeins Genootschap. Republikeins Genootschap. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b Hoedeman, Jan (27 February 1997). "Mulisch haakt om 'autochtonen' af als republikein". de Volkskrant. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b Hoedeman, Jan (27 February 1997). "Leve de republiek". de Volkskrant. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  4. ^ Hoedeman, Jan (2005). "Het Republikeins Genootschap". De strijd om de waarheid op het Binnenhof. J.M. Meulenhoff. pp. 131–142. ISBN 9789029076418.
  5. ^ Grijs, Piet (3 March 1997). "Republikeins Genootschap". Het Parool.
  6. ^ a b Hoedeman, Jan (26 February 1997). "Prominente heren knabbelen wat aan het koningschap". de Volkskrant. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Club discussieert over republiek". NRC Handelsblad. 26 February 1997. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  8. ^ a b Albert de Lange (27 February 1997). "Salonrevolutie smoort in openheid". Het Parool.
  9. ^ a b Martin van Amerongen (5 March 1997). "De bende van vijftien". De Groene Amsterdammer. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Kok vindt club republikeinen 'van geen kaliber'". de Volkskrant. 1 March 1997. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Prominenten willen republiek in plaats van monarchie". Algemeen Dagblad. 27 February 1997.
  12. ^ "Republikeins Genootschap moet echter wel serieus genomen worden". Trouw. 27 February 1997. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  13. ^ Jeroen den Blijker (27 February 1997). "Politiek verrast Genootschap tegen monarchie". Brabants Dagblad.
  14. ^ Knapen, Ben (3 March 1997). "Republikeinse klucht leidt tot mediakolder". de Volkskrant. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  15. ^ "'Tijd niet rijp voor discussie over monarchie'". Trouw. 5 March 1997. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  16. ^ Anton van Hooff (13 March 1997). "De Republikeinse Vereniging". NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  17. ^ Marijnissen, Jan. "Waarom Nederland een republiek moet worden (Why the Netherlands should become a republic)". Website SP. Retrieved 21 May 2015. (Originally appeared in the Eindhovens Dagblad on 1 March 1997 under the title "De republiek is het laatste taboe van Nederland", "The republic is the Netherlands' last taboo").
  18. ^ "Krant: Republikeins Genootschap laatste taboe". Eindhovens Dagblad. 7 March 1997.
  19. ^ Fuller, Mark (28 February 1997). "Dutch republican cabal breaks taboo in attack on royalty". The Times.
  20. ^ Martin van Amerongen, "Zeven Dolle Dagen. Een miljoenenverslindend museumstuk ter discussie" in: Tom Rooduijn, De Republiek der Nederlanden. Pleidooien voor het afschaffen van de monarchie (1998) 122-140. Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij.
  21. ^ Frank van Zijl (11 September 1997). "Republikeins Genootschap werft nu zelfs vrouwen". de Volkskrant. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  22. ^ "Blazers en hanenkammen willen gekozen Beatrix". Het Parool. 21 January 1998.
  23. ^ "Republikeinse vlag op de Dam". Algemeen Dagblad. 30 January 1998.
  24. ^ Monden, Marieke (30 January 1998). "Oude en nieuwe oppositie Oranje verenigd". Het Parool.
  25. ^ Meijer, Remco (28 January 2005). "Republikein aardig voor Oranjes". de Volkskrant. Retrieved 2 July 2015.

External links edit

  • Official website

January 01, 1970
republican, society, confused, with, dutch, republikeins, genootschap, dutch, republican, movement, founded, september, 1996, prinsenhof, delft, initiative, pierre, vinken, abolish, monarchy, netherlands, contents, founders, goal, history, origins, leak, contr. Not to be confused with New Republican Society The Republican Society Dutch Republikeins Genootschap is a Dutch republican movement founded on 11 September 1996 in the Prinsenhof in Delft at the initiative of Pierre Vinken Its aim is to abolish the monarchy of the Netherlands Contents 1 Founders and goal 2 History 2 1 Origins leak and controversy 2 2 Regrouping 2 3 Growth and competition 3 References 4 External linksFounders and goal edit nbsp Initiator Pierre Vinken According to the Republican Society s website there are fourteen founders 1 Martin van Amerongen 1941 2002 Arend Jan Dunning 1930 2009 Han Kleiterp 1933 2014 Ben Knapen 1951 Lense Koopmans 1943 2015 Piet Korteweg Sjeng Kremers 1933 Roelof Nelissen 1931 2019 Henny de Ruiter 1934 Albert Schuitemaker 1928 2008 Pierre Vinken 1927 2011 Frits Visser Loek van Vollenhoven 1930 Guus Zoutendijk 1929 2005 The idea was to start with fifteen members and two absent people Harry Mulisch and Schuitemaker would be marked as co founders in absentia However Mulisch withdrew and thus brought the number to fourteen 2 These were all prominent members of Dutch society with influential positions in politics science business education and journalism The society does not have any bylaws Unlike the New Republican Society the Republican Society does not undertake actions to bring the republic closer It proceeds from the notion that the mere existence of the Republican Society will be enough to enable the restoration of the Dutch Republic in the long term One can only become a member by co optation History editOrigins leak and controversy edit The group originated from Vinken s circle of friends to discuss the last taboo in the Netherlands The Republican Society s existence was kept a secret at first a period of two hidden years was planned and then to await a blunder on part of the monarchy 3 This decision was taken because some members could get in trouble with their professional connections and because opinion polls showed that 95 of the population favoured the monarchy Initially there was some confusion about how serious the fellowship actually was amongst other things the proposal to proclaim the blue gray napkin of the Prinsenkelder the official Flag of the Republic suggested the gathering was at least partially in jest 4 After the first gathering was over the founders sent letters to others to confidentially inform them about the Society with the question if they were interested in joining In October 1996 Piet Grijs Hugo Brandt Corstius already betrayed the cause by writing in Vrij Nederland that despite his fervent republicanism he would not partake in the secrecy however his limited expose did not cause any uproar yet 5 Early 1997 one of the people involved leaked the minutes of the founding meeting to de Volkskrant who revealed it to the public on 26 February 1997 6 7 8 The also leaked post foundation correspondence showed that several members had distanced themselves from the Society in the meantime for example Mulisch absent during the foundation criticised the exclusion of women and foreigners Decision 4 Members will also be selected based on physical characteristics only native men are eligible 2 3 Members approached by the media for comments reacted annoyed on the leaking of and or their membership of the Republican Society refused to respond or desired to remain anonymous 6 8 In the media especially De Telegraaf that ran the headline Leave our royal house alone 9 and also from politics including prime minister Wim Kok 10 the reaction was generally overwhelmingly negative However the Young Democrats and Young Socialists enthusiastically sought to join the Society and hold nationwide discussions on monarchy and republic the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy stated they were in favour of a purely ceremonial kingship according to the Swedish model 11 12 13 Regrouping edit Knapen who had distanced himself from the Society soon after its foundation accused De Telegraaf and de Volkskrant of taking the Society way too seriously and called the media controversy a farce 14 Van Amerongen however stood up defiantly in De Groene Amsterdammer in which he indeed explained Decision 4 to be a mere joke but the republican initiative as a whole extremely serious and serious in every sense and provided more legitimacy for the cause He primarily rebuked De Telegraaf accusing it of hypocrisy by first calling the emergence of the Republican Society barely noteworthy before filling page after page about it for an entire week and write down reviling remarks from several famous Dutch people addressed to the republicans singer Gerard Joling called them traitors 9 15 Some like historian Anton van Hooff joined the ranks of the Society 16 other republicans such as Socialist Party leader Jan Marijnissen did not no conspiratory clubs but did support having a public nationwide debate on the monarchy which in their opinion unjustly appeared to be a taboo subject 17 Several politicians and commentators proceeded to sweeten the issue which despite the serious undertone appeared to be a partially derailed joke because the prankish remarks in Vinken s minutes such as Decision 4 were unintentionally taken seriously in print 18 Although the existence of the Republican Society was revealed prematurely and rather clumsily it succeeded in having the form of government debated nationally 19 One year later the media no longer wrote about the royal house without criticism and the membership of the Republican Society grew rapidly 20 Growth and competition edit During its first anniversary in September 1997 the Republican Society itself sought publicity by showing a new expanded list of members which now included women and foreigners such as Jeroen Brouwers Remco Campert Jaap van Heerden Andre Haakmat Jasperina de Jong H U Jessurun d Oliveira Ite Rumke Andre Spoor Jan Timman Adriaan Morrien Theo Sontrop Theo van Gogh and Theodor Holman 21 However the Society s exclusivity by co optation and the lack of public actions formed an obstacle to various politically active youths who launched the New Republican Society NRG on 21 January 1998 in De Balie 22 On 28 January the NRG jokingly proclaimed the Third Republic of the Netherlands on Dam Square preceding queen Beatrix s 60th birthday celebrations 23 The two republican societies did soon decide to approach each other and possibly cooperate 24 In 2005 the Republican Society and the New Republican Society co founded the magazine De Republikein The Republican 25 References edit Namen Site van het Republikeins Genootschap Republikeins Genootschap Retrieved 27 June 2015 a b Hoedeman Jan 27 February 1997 Mulisch haakt om autochtonen af als republikein de Volkskrant Retrieved 21 May 2015 a b Hoedeman Jan 27 February 1997 Leve de republiek de Volkskrant Retrieved 21 May 2015 Hoedeman Jan 2005 Het Republikeins Genootschap De strijd om de waarheid op het Binnenhof J M Meulenhoff pp 131 142 ISBN 9789029076418 Grijs Piet 3 March 1997 Republikeins Genootschap Het Parool a b Hoedeman Jan 26 February 1997 Prominente heren knabbelen wat aan het koningschap de Volkskrant Retrieved 21 May 2015 Club discussieert over republiek NRC Handelsblad 26 February 1997 Retrieved 21 May 2015 a b Albert de Lange 27 February 1997 Salonrevolutie smoort in openheid Het Parool a b Martin van Amerongen 5 March 1997 De bende van vijftien De Groene Amsterdammer Retrieved 21 May 2015 Kok vindt club republikeinen van geen kaliber de Volkskrant 1 March 1997 Retrieved 22 May 2015 Prominenten willen republiek in plaats van monarchie Algemeen Dagblad 27 February 1997 Republikeins Genootschap moet echter wel serieus genomen worden Trouw 27 February 1997 Retrieved 21 May 2015 Jeroen den Blijker 27 February 1997 Politiek verrast Genootschap tegen monarchie Brabants Dagblad Knapen Ben 3 March 1997 Republikeinse klucht leidt tot mediakolder de Volkskrant Retrieved 21 May 2015 Tijd niet rijp voor discussie over monarchie Trouw 5 March 1997 Retrieved 21 May 2015 Anton van Hooff 13 March 1997 De Republikeinse Vereniging NRC Handelsblad Retrieved 31 May 2015 Marijnissen Jan Waarom Nederland een republiek moet worden Why the Netherlands should become a republic Website SP Retrieved 21 May 2015 Originally appeared in the Eindhovens Dagblad on 1 March 1997 under the title De republiek is het laatste taboe van Nederland The republic is the Netherlands last taboo Krant Republikeins Genootschap laatste taboe Eindhovens Dagblad 7 March 1997 Fuller Mark 28 February 1997 Dutch republican cabal breaks taboo in attack on royalty The Times Martin van Amerongen Zeven Dolle Dagen Een miljoenenverslindend museumstuk ter discussie in Tom Rooduijn De Republiek der Nederlanden Pleidooien voor het afschaffen van de monarchie 1998 122 140 Amsterdam De Bezige Bij Frank van Zijl 11 September 1997 Republikeins Genootschap werft nu zelfs vrouwen de Volkskrant Retrieved 12 June 2015 Blazers en hanenkammen willen gekozen Beatrix Het Parool 21 January 1998 Republikeinse vlag op de Dam Algemeen Dagblad 30 January 1998 Monden Marieke 30 January 1998 Oude en nieuwe oppositie Oranje verenigd Het Parool Meijer Remco 28 January 2005 Republikein aardig voor Oranjes de Volkskrant Retrieved 2 July 2015 External links editOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Republican Society amp oldid 1180337142, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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