The Netherlands and the Boer War

Abstract

Her Majesty was troubled. Perhaps she could overcome her personal antipathy for the man vying to form a new government, but she could not conceal her distrust of his political agenda. As a member of the opposition in parliament, Abraham Kuyper had always prided himself on being a man of principles. At the same time, this leader of the orthodox Protestants had proven to be a talented opportunist. What were his intentions? This is what Queen Wilhelmina wished to know for certain before asking him to form a new government, after the confessional parties’ election victory in June 1901. During Kuyper’s first audience with her, on 11 July, the monarch demanded sure-fire guarantees about the future of South Africa and the Dutch East Indies colony. With regard to East Indies policy, Queen Wilhelmina wanted the new government to continue the war against the implacable sultanate of Aceh. Furthermore, the queen wished “the Netherlands to remain a neutral power concerning the events in South Africa”. Wilhelmina received these promises two days later. Kuyper assured her in writing that he would seek no change of policy in either area. True, he had spoken out against the declaration of war on Aceh, but that was nearly 30 years earlier, in 1873. In the years since, he had become an outspoken advocate of a policy of “perseverance”. On South Africa, he stressed that “however painful it was to the hearts of all Dutch people to see the rights of our kinsmen trampled by violence and dominance, to my mind our powerlessness required us to maintain strict neutrality”. With these assurances in hand, Her Majesty could rest at ease. She officially ordered Abraham Kuyper to form a government and within just a few days the Kuyper cabinet was a fact.2