COLIJN, Hendrikus

(1869–1944)

   Orthodox Protestant politi cian. After having distinguished himself as a soldier, Colijn was ap pointed in 1905 as an assistant to the governor-general of the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia), Johannes van Heutsz. In the civil service, Colijn became an expert in colonial policy, and when he returned home he got involved in domestic politics. In 1910, he was appointed minister of defense. In 1914, Colijn accepted the post of director of the Batavian Petroleum Company, and in 1920, he be came a member of the board of directors of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. Two years later, Colijn returned to domestic politics as a member of Parliament and leader of the Antirevolutionaire Partij (ARP)(founded by Abraham Kuyper). He also accepted the post of editor of the daily newspaper De Standaard. In 1923, he was ap pointed minister of financial affairs. After serving on several boards (e.g., the council on the impoldering of the Zuiderzee), Colijn became prime minister in 1933 at a critical phase in politics during the Depression. In spite of cutbacks in ex penses, it proved impossible to balance the budget. In the end, Colijn’s last cabinet fell in June 1939 over a disagreement about the budget. Af ter the Germanoccupation of the Netherlands, Colijn criticized the de parture of Queen Wilhelmina and the government to London. Al though he initially seemed to accept the German supremacy in Europe (as in his pamphlet “Op de grens van twee werelden” [At the Crossing Point of Two Worlds] in summer 1940), Colijn later disapproved of the Nazi totalitarian policy. He was banished to a village in Thuringen, Germany.

   See also CHRISTEN UNIE (CU).