The Roman Catholic People's Party (in Dutch: ''Roomsch-katholieke Volkspartij'', RKVP) 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 political ideology ...

. The RKVP played only a marginal role in Dutch politics.

Party History

The RKVP was founded in 1922 by Pius Arts. In the 1925 election the party won one seat which was taken by Aarts. In the 1929 election the party lost its one seat. In the 1933 election the party regained one seat. In the same year the party merged with the Catholic Democratic League to form the Catholic Democratic Party. In 1937 this party merged with the

Roman Catholic State Party The Roman Catholic State Party ( nl, Roomsch-Katholieke Staatspartij, RKSP) was a Catholic Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1926 as a continuation of the General League of Roman Catholic Caucuse ...

, the larger, centrist, catholic party.

Ideology & Issues

The RKVP combined a conservative Catholic stance on

ethical issues Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

with a progressive, leftwing stance on economic issues. It advocated the interest of Catholic workers and it wanted just taxation and a strong influence of

labour union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

s in companies. It wanted to increase support for large families and also

price controls Price controls are restrictions set in place and enforced by governments, on the prices that can be charged for goods and services in a market. The intent behind implementing such controls can stem from the desire to maintain affordability of good ...

. The party was in favour of private home-ownership and lower rents. It also supported national

disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as ...

. In ethical issues, it was as conservative as the

, the larger, centrist, Catholic party. It advocated the re-institution of the envoy at the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

and an end to the ban on processions.

Leadership & Support

This table shows the RKVP'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 A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

, 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 catholic workers from the region around

Tiel Tiel () is a municipality and a town in the middle of the Netherlands. The town is enclosed by the Waal river and the Linge river to the South and the North, and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal to the East. Tiel comprises the population centres Kapel ...

, Aarts' home town. {{Dutch Christian political parties Catholic political parties Defunct political parties in the Netherlands Confessional parties in the Netherlands Political parties established in 1922 Defunct Christian political parties Political parties disestablished in 1937 1922 establishments in the Netherlands