The Alliance for the Democratisation of the Army (in Dutch: ''Verbond tot Democratisering der Weermacht'', VDW) was a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

representing

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

interests. The VDW played only a marginal role in Dutch politics.

Party History

The VDW was founded as a political arm of the officers' union ''Ons Belang'' (Our Interest). The 1918 elections were the first election in the Netherlands which used a system of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

. With only 7000 votes (0.5% of the votes) the VDW one seat, as did several other one or two person parties. After the elections the election law became more restrictive. Between 1918 and 1921 the VDW cooperated in the neutral parliamentary party, with other four one or two seat parties, namely the

Peasants' League The Peasants' League (in Dutch: ''Plattelandersbond'', PB) was a Politics of the Netherlands, Dutch agrarianism, agrarian political party. The League played only a minor role in Dutch politics. Party history The party was founded on February 17, ...

, the Economic League, the

Middle Class Party The Middenstandspartij (in Dutch: ''Middenstandspartij'', MP) was a Dutch political party representing middle class interests. It played only a marginal role in Dutch politics. Party History The MP was founded by Abraham Staalman a businessman f ...

and the Neutral Party. The parliamentary party was led by former minister Willem Treub. The alliance ended in 1921 when the Economic League, the Middle Class Party and the Neutral Party all merged into the

Liberal State Party The Liberal State Party, "the Freedom League" ( nl, Liberale Staatspartij "de Vrijheidsbond", LSP), was a conservative liberal political party in the Netherlands from 1921 to 1948. It is historically linked to the People's Party for Freedom and ...

, together with two larger liberal parties. The VDW did not take part in the 1922 election.

Ideology & Issues

The VDW was a typical special interest party. Its main goal was to represent the interests of officers and petty officers. It favoured the implementation of a conscripted army in which men would serve as soldiers and women as nurses. It wanted schools to teach more

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

and youth to do more sports and shooting exercises. It advocated free

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

and free healthcare for students. It wanted a stronger army and fleet. It favoured a more democratic army, with a stronger role for military unions, better salaries and pensions for officers.

Leadership & Support

This table show the VDW's results in elections to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and Senate, as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter, is the chair of the parliamentary party and the lijsttrekker is the party's top candidate in the general election, these posts are normally taken by the party's leader.

Electorate

The party drew most its support from

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, under officer and

petty officers A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be super ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alliance For The Democratisation Of The Army Defunct political parties in the Netherlands