List of cabinets of the Netherlands facts for kids

The Netherlands is a country in Europe. Like many countries, it has a government. The main part of the government is called the Cabinet. Think of the Cabinet as a team of leaders. This team is led by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet makes important decisions for the country. They help run things day-to-day.

This page lists the different Cabinets that have governed the Netherlands since 1877. Each Cabinet is usually named after its Prime Minister. They serve for a certain period, often after an election. Sometimes, a Cabinet might be a "caretaker" government. This means they are just keeping things running until a new, full government can be formed.

Dutch Cabinets: A Look Back

Here's a simple overview of the Cabinets and their leaders. We'll look at who was in charge and when. We'll also see what kind of political groups they represented.

Cabinets from 1877 to 1900

• Kappeyne van de Coppello Cabinet (1877–1879)
  • Prime Minister: Jan Kappeyne van de Coppello
  • This was a center-right government. It was mostly made up of Liberal politicians. It was a majority government, meaning it had enough support in parliament.

• Van Lynden van Sandenburg Cabinet (1879–1883)
  • Prime Minister: Theo van Lynden van Sandenburg
  • This Cabinet leaned right-wing. It included Christian Democratic and Liberal ideas. It was a minority government. This means it needed support from other parties to pass laws.

• J. Heemskerk Cabinet (1883–1888)
  • Prime Minister: Jan Heemskerk
  • This was another right-wing, Liberal minority government. It also needed support from other parties.

• Mackay Cabinet (1888–1891)
  • Prime Minister: Aeneas Mackay
  • This Cabinet was center-right. It was mainly Christian Democratic. It was a minority government.

• Van Tienhoven Cabinet (1891–1894)
  • Prime Minister: Gijsbert van Tienhoven
  • This was a right-wing, Liberal government. It was a majority government.

• Röell Cabinet (1894–1897)
  • Prime Minister: Joan Röell
  • This was a right-wing, Liberal minority government.

• Pierson Cabinet (1897–1901)
  • Prime Minister: Nicolaas Pierson
  • This Cabinet was left-liberal. It was a minority government.

Cabinets from 1901 to 1945

• Kuyper Cabinet (1901–1905)
  • Prime Minister: Abraham Kuyper
  • This was a center-right, Christian Democratic minority government.

• De Meester Cabinet (1905–1908)
  • Prime Minister: Theo de Meester
  • This was a left-wing, Liberal minority government.

• T. Heemskerk Cabinet (1908–1913)
  • Prime Minister: Theo Heemskerk
  • This was a center-right, Christian Democratic government. It started as a minority and became a majority government.

• Cort van der Linden Cabinet (1913–1918)
  • Prime Minister: Pieter Cort van der Linden
  • This was a left-liberal minority government.

• Ruijs de Beerenbrouck I (1918–1922) and Ruijs de Beerenbrouck II (1922–1925)
  • Prime Minister: Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
  • Both were center-right, Christian Democratic majority governments.

• Colijn I (1925–1926)
  • Prime Minister: Hendrikus Colijn
  • This was a center-right, Christian Democratic majority government.

• De Geer I (1926–1929)
  • Prime Minister: Dirk Jan de Geer
  • This was a center-right, Christian Democratic majority government.

• Ruijs de Beerenbrouck III (1929–1933)
  • Prime Minister: Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
  • This was a center-right, Christian Democratic majority government.

• Colijn II (1933–1935), Colijn III (1935–1937), Colijn IV (1937–1939), and Colijn V (1939)
  • Prime Minister: Hendrikus Colijn
  • These Cabinets were mostly center-right. They combined Christian Democratic and Liberal ideas. Most were majority governments. Colijn V was a right-wing minority caretaker government.

• De Geer II (1939–1940)
  • Prime Minister: Dirk Jan de Geer
  • This was a centrist national unity government. It included many parties during a difficult time.

• Gerbrandy I (1940–1941), Gerbrandy II (1941–1945), and Gerbrandy III (1945)
  • Prime Minister: Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
  • These were centrist national unity governments. They operated during World War II.

Cabinets from 1945 to 1980

• Schermerhorn–Drees Cabinet (1945–1946)
  • Prime Minister: Willem Schermerhorn
  • This was a center-left national unity government. It combined Christian Democratic, Social Democratic, and Liberal ideas.

• Beel I (1946–1948)
  • Prime Minister: Louis Beel
  • This was a center-left majority government. It was a "grand coalition" of Christian Democratic and Social Democratic parties.

• Drees–Van Schaik Cabinet (1948–1951), Drees I (1951–1952), Drees II (1952–1956), and Drees III (1956–1958)
  • Prime Minister: Willem Drees
  • These were all center-left majority governments. They were grand coalitions. They included Christian Democratic, Social Democratic, and Conservative Liberal parties.

• Beel II (1958–1959)
  • Prime Minister: Louis Beel
  • This was a center-right Christian Democratic majority caretaker government.

• De Quay Cabinet (1959–1963)
  • Prime Minister: Jan de Quay
  • This was a center-right majority government. It combined Christian Democratic and Conservative Liberal parties.

• Marijnen Cabinet (1963–1965)
  • Prime Minister: Victor Marijnen
  • This was another center-right majority government. It also combined Christian Democratic and Conservative Liberal parties.

• Cals Cabinet (1965–1966)
  • Prime Minister: Jo Cals
  • This was a center-left majority government. It included Christian Democratic and Social Democratic parties.

• Zijlstra Cabinet (1966–1967)
  • Prime Minister: Jelle Zijlstra
  • This was a center-right Christian Democratic minority caretaker government.

• De Jong Cabinet (1967–1971)
  • Prime Minister: Piet de Jong
  • This was a center-right majority government. It combined Christian Democratic and Conservative Liberal parties.

• Biesheuvel I (1971–1972) and Biesheuvel II (1972–1973)
  • Prime Minister: Barend Biesheuvel
  • Biesheuvel I was a center-right majority government. Biesheuvel II was a center-right minority caretaker government. Both included Christian Democratic and Conservative Liberal parties.

• Den Uyl Cabinet (1973–1977)
  • Prime Minister: Joop den Uyl
  • This was a center-left majority government. It included Social Democratic, Christian Democratic, Green, and Social Liberal parties.

• Van Agt I (1977–1981)
  • Prime Minister: Dries van Agt
  • This was a center-right majority government. It combined Christian Democratic and Conservative Liberal parties.

Cabinets from 1981 to Today

• Van Agt II (1981–1982)
  • Prime Minister: Dries van Agt
  • This was a center-left majority government. It was a grand coalition of Christian Democratic, Social Democratic, and Social Liberal parties.

• Van Agt III (1982)
  • Prime Minister: Dries van Agt
  • This was a center-right minority caretaker government. It included Christian Democratic and Social Liberal parties.

• Lubbers I (1982–1986) and Lubbers II (1986–1989)
  • Prime Minister: Ruud Lubbers
  • Both were center-right majority governments. They combined Christian Democratic and Conservative Liberal parties.

• Lubbers III (1989–1994)
  • Prime Minister: Ruud Lubbers
  • This was a centrist majority government. It was a grand coalition of Christian Democratic and Social Democratic parties.

• Kok I (1994–1998) and Kok II (1998–2002)
  • Prime Minister: Wim Kok
  • Both were centrist majority governments. They were "Purple" coalitions. This means they combined Social Democratic, Conservative Liberal, and Social Liberal parties.

• Balkenende I (2002–2003)
  • Prime Minister: Jan Peter Balkenende
  • This was a right-wing majority government. It included Christian Democratic, Nationalist, and Conservative Liberal parties.

• Balkenende II (2003–2006)
  • Prime Minister: Jan Peter Balkenende
  • This was a center-right majority government. It combined Christian Democratic, Conservative Liberal, and Social Liberal parties.

• Balkenende III (2006–2007)
  • Prime Minister: Jan Peter Balkenende
  • This was a center-right minority caretaker government. It included Christian Democratic and Conservative Liberal parties.

• Balkenende IV (2007–2010)
  • Prime Minister: Jan Peter Balkenende
  • This was a centrist majority government. It was a grand coalition of Christian Democratic and Social Democratic parties.

• Rutte I (2010–2012)
  • Prime Minister: Mark Rutte
  • This was a right-wing minority government. It combined Conservative Liberal and Christian Democratic parties. It also had support from a Nationalist party.

• Rutte II (2012–2017)
  • Prime Minister: Mark Rutte
  • This was a centrist majority government. It was a "Purple" grand coalition of Conservative Liberal and Social Democratic parties.

• Rutte III (2017–2022)
  • Prime Minister: Mark Rutte
  • This was a center-right majority government. It included Conservative Liberal, Christian Democratic, and Social Liberal parties.

• Rutte IV (2022–2024)
  • Prime Minister: Mark Rutte
  • This was a center-right majority government. It included Conservative Liberal, Christian Democratic, and Social Liberal parties.

• Schoof Cabinet (2024–present)
  • Prime Minister: Dick Schoof
  • This is a right-wing majority government. It includes Nationalist, Conservative Liberal, Christian Democratic, and Agrarianist parties. This Cabinet is currently in office.