Editing Anti-Revolutionary Party (section)

===1945–1980===
[[File:Anti-Revolutionaire Partij logo.svg|thumb|left|upright|Logo of the party from 1952 to 1968]]
After World War II, the ARP returned to Dutch politics. The anti-revolutionary [[Jo Meynen]] was minister of War, albeit without support of his parliamentary party.

In the [[1946 Dutch general election|1946 election]], [[Jan Schouten (politician)|Jan Schouten]] led the party. It lost four seats. During the formation, it became clear that the ARP could not govern: it strongly opposed the decolonisation of the [[Dutch Indies]]. It saw maintenance of the Dutch colonial empire as necessary for the continued wealth and power of the Netherlands. The [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] (PvdA) and the [[Catholic People's Party|Catholics]] however favoured decolonisation, under heavy pressure from the United States. For six years the ARP was relatively isolated. In 1944, a theological conflict within the [[Reformed Churches in the Netherlands]] led to a break between the Reformed Church and the Reformed Churches (liberated). This also had political repercussions; in 1948, the [[Reformed Political League]] was set up by members of the liberated churches. They were unable to win seats until 1963. The party remained stable in the [[1948 Dutch general election|1948 election]] and remained in opposition.

[[File:Jelle Zijlstra 1966.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Jelle Zijlstra]], party leader in 1956 and 1958–1959, [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands|Prime Minister]] 1966–1967.]]
After the [[1952 Dutch general election|1952 election]], the ARP returned to the cabinet, which consisted of the confessional ARP, CHU, KVP and the social democratic PvdA, led by the social democrat [[Willem Drees|Drees]]. [[Jelle Zijlstra]] became minister of economic affairs. In the [[1956 Dutch general election|1956 election]] in which Jelle Zijlstra became political leader the ARP kept its 10% of the vote, but due to the enlargement of the House of Representatives it got 15 seats. A conflict between the PvdA and the KVP caused the early downfall of the cabinet. The ARP remained part of the care-taker cabinet led by [[Louis Beel]]. In the [[1959 Dutch general election|1959 election]] the ARP lost another seat. It continued to be part of the cabinet, now led by [[Jan de Quay]]. The three confessional parties were joined by the conservative liberal [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]].

[[File:Barend Biesheuvel 1971.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Barend Biesheuvel]], party leader 1963–1973 and last [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands|Prime Minister]] of the ARP 1971–1973.]]
After the [[1963 Dutch general election|1963 election]], the cabinet continued, now led by Victor Marijnen. The new anti-revolutionary leader [[Barend Biesheuvel]] became [[Minister of Agriculture]]. In 1965 this cabinet fell over a conflict between the liberals and the confessionals. The PvdA joins the ARP and the KVP in a new cabinet, led by [[Jo Cals]]. This cabinet fell after one year, over conflict between the KVP and PvdA over government spending. The ARP joins the PvdA in its plea for more government spending. A caretaker government is formed by the KVP and ARP, led by former ARP-leader Jelle Zijlstra. In the [[1967 Dutch general election|1967 election campaign]], the ARP, CHU and KVP declared that they would continue to govern together. This led to considerable conflict with the KVP, which also spilled over into the ARP, as the younger generation wanted to govern with the PvdA. The ARP gained two seats, but the KVP loses eight seats. A new liberal/confessional cabinet is formed. Biesheuvel does not enter government but instead chooses to remain in parliament.

In the [[1971 Dutch general election|1971 election]], the ARP lost two seats, and its confessional allies (KVP and CHU) lost seven and three seats respectively. They faced competition from the [[christian left|left-wing Christian]] [[Political Party of Radicals]] (PPR), which was formed by former KVP members and joined by some prominent anti-revolutionaries, including [[Bas de Gaay Fortman]], son of [[Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman]], one of the party's ministers. The liberal/confessional cabinet lost its majority. A new government was formed consisting of liberals and confessionals, now joined by [[Democratic Socialists '70]], a group of moderate social democrats who left the "radicalising" PvdA. This cabinet was led by Barend Biesheuvel. [[Willem Aantjes]] became the chair of the party's parliamentary party. Under his leadership the ARP fashioned itself a new left-wing "radical evangelical" image, while the CHU retains its conservative image. The cabinet did not hold together for long: DS '70 were unable to agree with proposed budget cuts, and the cabinet fell. In the subsequent [[1972 Dutch general election|election]] the ARP gained one seat. After long coalition talks several prominent anti-revolutionaries, including Wilhelm de Gaay Fortman, joined the progressive cabinet led by [[Joop den Uyl]]. The cabinet was riddled with conflicts between confessional and progressive politicians.