Editing History of the Netherlands (section)

===1848 Constitutional reform and liberalism===
[[File:Van Gogh - Bäuerin, sitzend, mit weißer Haube.jpeg|thumb|''Peasant woman, seated, with a white hood'', painted in Nuenen in December 1884 by [[Vincent van Gogh]] (1853–1890). Born in [[Zundert|Groot-Zundert]], van Gogh was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter whose work, notable for its rough beauty, emotional honesty and bold color, had a far-reaching influence on [[20th-century art]].]]

In 1840 William I abdicated in favor of his son, [[William II of the Netherlands|William II]], who attempted to carry on the policies of his father in the face of a powerful liberal movement. In 1848 [[Revolutions of 1848|unrest broke out all over Europe]]. Although there were no major events in the Netherlands, these foreign developments persuaded King [[William II of the Netherlands|William II]] to agree to liberal and democratic reform. That same year [[Johan Rudolf Thorbecke]], a prominent liberal, was asked by the king to draft a constitution that would turn the Netherlands into a [[constitutional monarchy]]. The new constitution was proclaimed on 3 November 1848. It severely limited the king's powers (making the government accountable only to an elected parliament), and it protected [[civil liberties]]. The new liberal constitution, which put the government under the control of the States General, was accepted by the legislature in 1848. The relationship between monarch, government and parliament has remained essentially unchanged ever since. In fact, the current Constitution of the Netherlands is the 1848 Constitution, albeit with amendments.

William II was succeeded by [[William III of the Netherlands|William III]] in 1849. The new king reluctantly chose Thorbecke to head the new government, which introduced several liberal measures, notably the extension of suffrage. However, Thorbecke's government soon fell, when Protestants rioted against the Vatican's reestablishment of the Catholic episcopate, in abeyance since the 16th century. A conservative government was formed, but it did not undo the liberal measures, and the Catholics were finally given equality after two centuries of subordination. Dutch political history from the middle of the 19th century until the [[First World War]] was fundamentally one of the extension of liberal reforms in government, the reorganization and modernization of the Dutch economy, and the rise of trade unionism and socialism as working-class movements independent of traditional liberalism. The growth in prosperity was enormous, as real per capita GNP soared from 106 guilders in 1804 to 403 in 1913.{{Sfnp|Kossmann|1978|loc=chapter 5}}