Agrarian parties in the Netherlands: the Plattelandersbond and the Boerenpartij

Abstract

Throughout most of the twentieth century, agrarian parties have been a common phenomenon in European party systems. In Scandinavian countries and Switzerland, agrarian parties developed into enduring and relevant parties, while in other countries, such as France, Belgium and Germany, agrarian parties were flash-in-the-pan parties. The Dutch agrarian parties are a somewhat unusual case compared to many other countries. In terms of electoral strength and influence, they were rather irrelevant, although the pre-war Plattelandersbond and the post-war Boerenpartij both managed to hold at least one seat in parliament for nearly twenty years. Between 1963 and 1967, the Boerenpartij even served as the main populist party in the Netherlands. This contribution will analyse the similarities and differences between the two parties, as well as the political opportunity structure related to each of the parties in the Netherlands.