The Vereeniging ter Beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap was a learned society based in ‘s-Gravenhage dedicated to the scholarly study of military science, which served as an important platform for the dissemination of critical defense ideas concerning Netherlands Indies in the years preceding and during the First World War.
Founding and Purpose
The society brought together military officers, defence officials, and interested civilians in ‘s-Gravenhage for the purpose of studying and debating questions of military strategy, organisation, and policy. Its meetings and publications provided a venue where professional military opinion could be aired outside the formal channels of the Ministry of Colonies and the Indische Legerbestuur.
The Van der Weyden Defence Brochure
The society published a defence brochure authored by Overste J. Van der Weyden, entitled Weerplicht voor Inlanders en samenstelling van de weermacht in Nederlandsch-Indië. This pamphlet set out proposals for the introduction of native military service and the reorganisation of the colonial defence forces, proposals that became central to the defence debate of 1916 and 1917.
Meeting of 9 January 1914
On 9 January 1914, the society held a meeting at which Van der Weyden delivered a significant address. With the explicit authorisation of J. B. van Heutsz, Van der Weyden quoted Van Heutsz’s devastating private judgment on the report of the Staatscommissie. Van Heutsz had written:
“Het is mijn vaste overtuiging, dat, bij uitvoering van de voorstellen der S. C., Nederland — hoewel echt Nederlandsch langzaam en zuinigjes — zal wegwerpen veel geld voor: Een vloot, die niet vechten zal — en Een leger, dat niet vechten kan.”
Van Heutsz had further declared: “Ik ben blijde, dat mijn naam niet onder dat Staatsrapport staat.” The public airing of these remarks by a former Governor-General lent enormous weight to the criticism of the Staatscommissie report and galvanised opposition to its recommendations.
Meeting of 27 February 1914
On 27 February 1914, the society convened another meeting at which Van der Weyden continued his discussion of the Staatscommissie and its deficiencies. These successive meetings demonstrated the society’s role as a sustained forum for critique of official colonial defence policy.
Scheduled Lecture of 23 February 1917
Overste Merens was scheduled to deliver a lecture before the society on 23 February 1917, addressing the same questions of colonial defence organisation that Van der Weyden had raised. This scheduling indicated that the defence debate remained active within the society’s programme throughout the wartime period.
Role in the Defence Debate
The Vereeniging ter Beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap functioned as a critical intermediary between professional military opinion and public policy discussion. By publishing Van der Weyden’s brochure and hosting meetings at which the views of J. B. van Heutsz were aired, the society helped to channel the authority of Aceh veterans into the broader Netherlands Indies defence debate. Its activities complemented those of other organisations such as the Indische Krijgsvereeniging and the Bond van Vrije Liberalen in shaping the terms of discussion about colonial military reform.
Significance
The society’s meetings and publications provided a legitimising institutional framework through which the defence ideas of J. B. van Heutsz and Van der Weyden reached a wider audience. The quoting of Van Heutsz’s private condemnation of the Staatscommissie report at the 9 January 1914 meeting was a particularly consequential moment, transforming confidential military criticism into a public political weapon in the ongoing struggle over the future of Netherlands Indies defence.
See Also
- J. B. van Heutsz
- Lieutenant-Colonel J. Van der Weyden
- Staatscommissie
- Indische Krijgsvereeniging
- Bond van Vrije Liberalen
- Overste Merens
- Netherlands Indies
- Inlandsche Militieplicht
- Kader-quaestie
- ‘s-Gravenhage
Source
K. van der Maaten, Z. E. De Oud Gouverneur-Generaal J. B. van Heutsz en de Defensie van Nederlandsch-Indië (‘s-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, 1917)
The Vereeniging ter Beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap was a learned society based in ‘s-Gravenhage dedicated to the scholarly study of military science, which served as an important platform for the dissemination of critical defense ideas concerning Netherlands Indies in the years preceding and during the First World War.
Founding and Purpose
The society brought together military officers, defence officials, and interested civilians in ‘s-Gravenhage for the purpose of studying and debating questions of military strategy, organisation, and policy. Its meetings and publications provided a venue where professional military opinion could be aired outside the formal channels of the Ministry of Colonies and the Indische Legerbestuur.
The Van der Weyden Defence Brochure
The society published a defence brochure authored by Overste J. Van der Weyden, entitled Weerplicht voor Inlanders en samenstelling van de weermacht in Nederlandsch-Indië. This pamphlet set out proposals for the introduction of native military service and the reorganisation of the colonial defence forces, proposals that became central to the defence debate of 1916 and 1917.
Meeting of 9 January 1914
On 9 January 1914, the society held a meeting at which Van der Weyden delivered a significant address. With the explicit authorisation of J. B. van Heutsz, Van der Weyden quoted Van Heutsz’s devastating private judgment on the report of the Staatscommissie. Van Heutsz had written:
“Het is mijn vaste overtuiging, dat, bij uitvoering van de voorstellen der S. C., Nederland — hoewel echt Nederlandsch langzaam en zuinigjes — zal wegwerpen veel geld voor: Een vloot, die niet vechten zal — en Een leger, dat niet vechten kan.”
Van Heutsz had further declared: “Ik ben blijde, dat mijn naam niet onder dat Staatsrapport staat.” The public airing of these remarks by a former Governor-General lent enormous weight to the criticism of the Staatscommissie report and galvanised opposition to its recommendations.
Meeting of 27 February 1914
On 27 February 1914, the society convened another meeting at which Van der Weyden continued his discussion of the Staatscommissie and its deficiencies. These successive meetings demonstrated the society’s role as a sustained forum for critique of official colonial defence policy.
Scheduled Lecture of 23 February 1917
Overste Merens was scheduled to deliver a lecture before the society on 23 February 1917, addressing the same questions of colonial defence organisation that Van der Weyden had raised. This scheduling indicated that the defence debate remained active within the society’s programme throughout the wartime period.
Role in the Defence Debate
The Vereeniging ter Beoefening van de Krijgswetenschap functioned as a critical intermediary between professional military opinion and public policy discussion. By publishing Van der Weyden’s brochure and hosting meetings at which the views of J. B. van Heutsz were aired, the society helped to channel the authority of Aceh veterans into the broader Netherlands Indies defence debate. Its activities complemented those of other organisations such as the Indische Krijgsvereeniging and the Bond van Vrije Liberalen in shaping the terms of discussion about colonial military reform.
Significance
The society’s meetings and publications provided a legitimising institutional framework through which the defence ideas of J. B. van Heutsz and Van der Weyden reached a wider audience. The quoting of Van Heutsz’s private condemnation of the Staatscommissie report at the 9 January 1914 meeting was a particularly consequential moment, transforming confidential military criticism into a public political weapon in the ongoing struggle over the future of Netherlands Indies defence.
See Also
- J. B. van Heutsz
- Lieutenant-Colonel J. Van der Weyden
- Staatscommissie
- Indische Krijgsvereeniging
- Bond van Vrije Liberalen
- Overste Merens
- Netherlands Indies
- Inlandsche Militieplicht
- Kader-quaestie
- ‘s-Gravenhage
Source
K. van der Maaten, Z. E. De Oud Gouverneur-Generaal J. B. van Heutsz en de Defensie van Nederlandsch-Indië (‘s-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, 1917).