The 1930s in the Netherlands were defined by a period of extreme economic hardship and massive engineering triumphs. This decade is often called “De Crisistijd” or the Crisis Years. Following the 1929 stock market crash in the United States, the global economy collapsed. The Netherlands felt the effects later than many other countries but suffered for a longer duration. Prime Minister Hendrikus Colijn led the country through much of this time. He focused on a policy of “Aanpassing” or adjustment, which meant cutting government spending to match the lower income of the nation.
The Economic Slump and the Gold Standard
The Dutch government decided to stay on the gold standard long after other countries like Great Britain and the United States abandoned it. This meant the Dutch guilder remained very expensive compared to other currencies. Because the guilder was so high, Dutch products like cheese, butter, and flower bulbs became too expensive for other countries to buy. Exports dropped significantly, and the shipping industry in Rotterdam and Amsterdam stalled.
Unemployment reached record levels during this decade. By 1935, over 400,000 people were out of work. In the larger cities, one out of every three workers had no job. The government provided a small amount of financial aid called “de steun,” but the rules to receive it were very strict. Unemployed men had to report to a local office twice a day to get a stamp on a card. This “stempelen” was designed to prevent people from working secret jobs while receiving government money. The low amount of aid led to poverty and malnutrition in working-class neighborhoods like the Jordaan in Amsterdam.
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The Zuiderzee Works and the Afsluitdijk
Despite the lack of money, the Netherlands completed one of the largest engineering projects in its history during this decade. The Afsluitdijk is a massive dam that was finished on May 28, 1932. It stretched 20 miles across the mouth of the Zuiderzee, connecting the provinces of North Holland and Friesland. This dam turned the saltwater Zuiderzee into a freshwater lake called the IJsselmeer.
The primary goal of the Afsluitdijk was to protect the country from North Sea floods and to create new land for farming. Thousands of workers used steam shovels and barges to dump boulder clay and sand into the water. After the dam was closed, the government began to drain large areas of the new lake. The Wieringermeerpolder was the first major section of land reclaimed from the water. Farmers moved onto this new land to grow crops and raise cattle. This project provided essential work for thousands of laborers during the height of the depression.
Pillarization and Social Segregation
Social life in the 1930s was organized through a system called “Verzuiling” or pillarization. The Dutch population was divided into four distinct groups: Protestants, Catholics, Socialists, and Liberals. Each group had its own “pillar” that provided everything a person needed from birth to death. A person in the Catholic pillar went to a Catholic school, joined a Catholic sports club, listened to a Catholic radio station, and read a Catholic newspaper.
Interactions between the different pillars were rare. A Protestant shopkeeper would usually only sell to Protestant customers. Marriage between a Catholic and a Protestant was considered a major scandal. This system created a very stable but divided society. The leaders of the different pillars worked together in the government, but the common people stayed within their own social circles. This structure dictated the political landscape of the 1930s and ensured that no single group could take total control of the country.
Political Tension and the Rise of the NSB
As the economic crisis continued, some people became frustrated with traditional politics. In 1931, Anton Mussert founded the Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging, or the NSB. This was the Dutch Nazi Party. The NSB gained popularity by promising to end unemployment and restore national pride. They used military-style uniforms and held large rallies in cities like Utrecht.
In the 1935 provincial elections, the NSB won eight percent of the vote. This success shocked the traditional political parties. In response, the government banned civil servants from being members of the NSB. The Catholic and Protestant churches also told their followers that they could not join the party. While the NSB remained a minority group, their presence created a sense of tension and fear. They often fought with Socialist groups in the streets, leading to increased police patrols in major cities.
The 1934 Jordaan Riot
Tensions over unemployment benefits boiled over in July 1934. The government announced a cut to the already small “steun” payments. In the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam, residents built barricades in the streets and threw stones at the police. The protesters were angry about the lack of food and the strict rules of the unemployment system.
The government responded with force. They sent in the military and used armored cars to clear the streets. The fighting lasted for several days and resulted in the deaths of five people. Hundreds more were injured or arrested. This event proved how desperate the situation had become for the urban poor. It forced the government to realize that the policy of cutting spending was causing deep social unrest.
Mobilization and the End of the Decade
By the late 1930s, the focus of the country shifted from the economy to the threat of war in Europe. The Netherlands had been neutral during World War I and hoped to remain neutral again. However, the rise of Nazi Germany across the border caused great concern. The government began to increase the military budget for the first time in years. They bought new airplanes and tanks to modernize the army.
In August 1939, the Dutch government ordered a general mobilization. Thousands of men were called away from their homes and jobs to guard the borders and the “Water Line” defenses. The Water Line was a system where the Dutch could flood specific areas of land to stop an invading army. Soldiers dug trenches and built concrete bunkers along the eastern frontier. The decade ended with the country in a state of high alert, waiting to see if their policy of neutrality would protect them from the coming conflict.
