Editing Anti-Revolutionary Party (section)

===1879–1917===

In 1879, thirteen anti-revolutionaries were among the hundred members of the [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]], although not all were members of the ARP. During the period between 1879 and 1883, their numbers grew slowly, peaking at 19. After the 1884 election they had 21 members of parliament. In 1886 they won their first seat in the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]].

In the [[1888 Dutch general election|1888 election]], the ARP won 31.4% of the vote and 27 seats. A [[Christian democracy in the Netherlands|confessional]] cabinet was formed led by the anti-revolutionary [[Aeneas Mackay Jr.]]: it combined anti-revolutionary and Catholic ministers, joined by two conservative independents. Because the liberals still controlled the Senate, many of the cabinet's proposals met resistance there and the cabinet fell before the end of its four-year term.

In the [[1891 Dutch general election|1891 election]], the ARP lost 2% of its votes, but six of its seats. The confessional parties also lost their majority. A [[Liberale Unie|liberal]] cabinet, led by [[Gijsbert van Tienhoven|Van Tienhoven]] was formed. It proposed drastic changes to the [[Householder Franchise|census]], which would result practically in universal male suffrage, proposed by minister Tak. The ARP was divided on the issue: Kuyper and a majority of the parliamentary party voted in favour of the law, while [[Alexander de Savornin Lohman]] vehemently opposed it. Kuyper had tactical reasons to support enlarged franchise – the 'kleine luyden' (middle class) who would be allowed to vote often supported the ARP. De Savorin-Lohman opposed the law because it would imply some form of [[popular sovereignty]] instead of [[Divine right of kings|divine sovereignty]]. In 1894, this resulted in a split between the ARP and the group around De Savorin-Lohman. [[Party discipline]] also played a role in the conflict between Kuyper and De Savorin-Lohman: Kuyper, the party leader, favoured strong party discipline, while De Savorin Lohman opposed strong parties. The split results in the foundation of the [[Free Anti Revolutionary Party]] in 1898, which would become the [[Christian Historical Union]] in 1904. With De Savorin-Lohman a group of prominent party politicians left the party, including many of its aristocratic members (who like De Savorin-Lohman have [[Double-barrelled name|double names]]). The CHU continued its opposition against universal suffrage and was more [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-papist]] than the ARP.

In the [[1894 Dutch general election|1894 election]], the ARP lost almost half of its vote and six of its twenty-one seats. The Catholics broke their alliance with the ARP and supported a conservative cabinet. In the [[1897 Dutch general election|1897 election]], the ARP won back some ground: it was supported by 26% of the electorate and won seventeen seats. The group around De Savorin Lohman, won 11% of the vote and six seats. A liberal cabinet was formed and the ARP was confined to opposition.

In [[1901 Dutch general election|1901]], the ARP won a decisive victory. It won 27.4% of the vote and 23 seats. A cabinet was formed out of the ARP, the [[General League of Roman Catholic Caucuses|Catholics]] and the group around De Savorin-Lohman, now called the [[Christian Historical Party]]. The cabinet was led by Kuyper, being the first person to [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands|formally lead the cabinet]] for four years. It was characterised by Kuypers' authoritarian leadership. This can best be seen by the railway [[Strike action|strike]] of 1903, in which Kuyper showed no mercy to the strikers and instead pushed several particularly harsh anti-strike laws through parliament. After the Senate, where there was a liberal majority, rejected Kuypers' law on higher education, which sought to bring equal titles for alumni of the Free University, which Kuyper himself founded, Kuyper called for new elections for the Senate. With a confessional majority in the Senate, the law was pushed through.

In the [[1905 Dutch general election|1905 election]], the ARP lost only 3% of the vote, but eight seats, although it was able to strengthen its position in the Senate. Kuyper, the party's leader, lost his own seat in Amsterdam to a [[Free-thinking Democratic League|progressive liberal]]. [[Theo Heemskerk]] led the anti-revolutionary [[Parliamentary group|parliamentary party]]. A minority liberal cabinet was formed. Former anti-revolutionary MP Staalman left ARP and founded the Christian Democratic Party, which later became the [[Christian Democratic Union (Netherlands)|Christian Democratic Union]], which would play a minor role in the interbellum political landscape.

In 1908, Kuyper returned to the House of Representatives. After a crisis in the liberal cabinet Theo Heemskerk was given the chance to form a new cabinet. A minority confessional cabinet was formed. In the [[1909 Dutch general election|1909 election]] the ARP won 3% of vote and twenty-five seats. The Heemskerk cabinet continues.

In 1912, Kuyper left national politics because of health reasons, and in 1913, he was elected to the Senate. In the [[1913 Dutch general election|1913 election]], the ARP lost 6% of the votes. The party lost more than half of its seats, leaving them with 11 seats overall. Another minority liberal cabinet was formed. The leadership of the ARP lay in the hands of less prominent politicians. Although a relatively small opposition party, the ARP played an important role in Dutch politics. The liberal minority cabinet, led by [[Pieter Cort van der Linden|Cort van der Linden]] sought to resolve two important issues in Dutch politics: the conflict over the equalisation of payment for religious schools and universal suffrage. In the [[Pacification of 1917|constitution change of 1917]] both items were resolved. The ARP was given equal payment for religious schools, but it had to accept [[women's suffrage]] and [[proportional representation]].