The Middenstandspartij (in Dutch: ''Middenstandspartij'', MP) was a Dutch

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 ...

representing

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Co ...

interests. It played only a marginal role in Dutch politics.

Party History

The MP was founded by

Abraham Staalman Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...

a businessman from Amsterdam. The

1918 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1918. Many of these were disrupted by the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, and the First World War. Europe * 1918 Danish Folketing election * 1918 Danish Landsting election * 1918 Dutch general election * 1918 ...

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 about 12500 votes (1% of the votes) the MP won 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 MP cooperated in the neutral parliamentary party, with four other one or two seat parties, namely the Peasants' League, the Economic League, the Neutral Party and the Alliance for Democratization of the Army. The parliamentary party was led by former minister

Willem Treub Marie Willem Frederik Treub (30 November 1858, Voorschoten – 24 July 1931, The Hague) was a Dutch politician. Biography Marie Willem Frederik Treub was born to Jacobus Petrus Treub, mayor of Voorschoten, and his wife Marie Louise Cornaz. Toget ...

. In 1921 several of these parties, including the Middle Class Party merged into the Liberal State Party, together with two larger liberal parties. The Middle Class Party continued as an independent part of this new party, with a separate list for the elections (some times combined with the Neutral Party). In

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholi ...

this special position was abolished and Staalman left the Liberal State Party to found the Middle Party for City and Country,Vossen, Koen, ''Vrij Vissen in het Vondelpark. Kleine politieke partijen in Nederland 1918-1940'', Wereldbibliotheek, Amsterdam which won one seat in the 1929 elections. In 1971 the New Middle Party entered in the elections, which saw itself as a continuation of the Middle Class Party.

Ideology & Issues

The MP was a typical special interest party. Its main goal was to represent the interests of the middle class, those "stuck between the proletariat and capital". It advocated

progressive taxation A progressive tax is a tax in which the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases.Sommerfeld, Ray M., Silvia A. Madeo, Kenneth E. Anderson, Betty R. Jackson (1992), ''Concepts of Taxation'', Dryden Press: Fort Worth, TX The term ''progre ...

, reduced government interference and bureaucracy, recognition of

employers' organization An employers' organization or employers' association is a collective organization of manufacturers, retailers, or other employers of wage labor. Employers' organizations seek to coordinate the behavior of their member companies in matters of mutual ...

s and equal pension-rights for businessmen and workers.

Leadership & Support

This table show the MP'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 of its support from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, where Abraham Staal was a well-known figure. The party also had a seat in the city's municipal council.

References

{{Historical Dutch political parties Defunct political parties in the Netherlands