Brocx (L. G. Brocx) was a Dutch politician who served as Minister of Marine in the third ministry Thorbecke and retained his portfolio in the ministry De Vries-Geertsema appointed by Royal Decrees of 6 July 6 July 1872. His tenure covered the immediate prelude to the Atjeh-oorlog and the first months of the war itself, and was marked by the parliamentary crisis occasioned by the rejection of his budget on 11 December 11 December 1873 — a consequence of the war’s sudden exposure of “the miserable condition of our navy and the great lack of matériel.”
The Rejection of the Budget, 11 December 1873
Brocx, “who had sat in three successive ministries and had been able to consider the ideas on our defence with five ministers of war, had hitherto always managed to find a majority for his budgets, although his legislative work had not been fruitful, and he had especially from the military naval specialists in the Chamber often had to hear hard words. Opponent of an active navy, he had always been very modest in his financial demands, until the war with Atjeh suddenly made the miserable condition of our navy and the great lack of matériel clear to every one. Although he held the Minister of Colonies responsible for the Indian military navy, and declared: ‘If the government at that time had made me that demand, to take care to have in Indië a navy that was able to blockade the realm of Atjeh, for a war was in sight, I would have resigned the next day,’ the majority now no longer wished to approve his policy, and his budget was rejected on 11 December 11 December 1873 by 37 to 30 votes.”
The Aftermath
His portfolio was entrusted ad interim to the Minister of Colonies, and only on 16 May 16 May 1874 definitively handed over to W. F. van Erp Taalman Kip, appointed thereto by Royal Decree of 9 May 9 May. The episode illustrates the political impact in the Netherlands of the Atjeh-oorlog, which had exposed the inadequacy of the Dutch navy for the blockade of the coast of Atjeh and for the support of military operations in the archipelago.
See Also
- I. D. Fransen van de Putte
- W. F. van Erp Taalman Kip
- J. Loudon
- First Aceh Expedition (1873)
- Aceh War
Source
De geschiedenis van Nederland in onzen tijd, by J. A. de Bruyne, Directeur der Hoogere Burgerschool te Zierikzee. Deel IV. 1872-1883. Nieuwe uitgave. Schiedam: J. F. Dupont, 1912, Hoofdstuk I-II.
Brocx (L. G. Brocx) was a Dutch politician who served as Minister of Marine in the third ministry Thorbecke and retained his portfolio in the ministry De Vries-Geertsema appointed by Royal Decrees of 6 July 6 July 1872. His tenure covered the immediate prelude to the Atjeh-oorlog and the first months of the war itself, and was marked by the parliamentary crisis occasioned by the rejection of his budget on 11 December 11 December 1873 — a consequence of the war’s sudden exposure of “the miserable condition of our navy and the great lack of matériel.”
The Rejection of the Budget, 11 December 1873
Brocx, “who had sat in three successive ministries and had been able to consider the ideas on our defence with five ministers of war, had hitherto always managed to find a majority for his budgets, although his legislative work had not been fruitful, and he had especially from the military naval specialists in the Chamber often had to hear hard words. Opponent of an active navy, he had always been very modest in his financial demands, until the war with Atjeh suddenly made the miserable condition of our navy and the great lack of matériel clear to every one. Although he held the Minister of Colonies responsible for the Indian military navy, and declared: ‘If the government at that time had made me that demand, to take care to have in Indië a navy that was able to blockade the realm of Atjeh, for a war was in sight, I would have resigned the next day,’ the majority now no longer wished to approve his policy, and his budget was rejected on 11 December 11 December 1873 by 37 to 30 votes.”
The Aftermath
His portfolio was entrusted ad interim to the Minister of Colonies, and only on 16 May 16 May 1874 definitively handed over to W. F. van Erp Taalman Kip, appointed thereto by Royal Decree of 9 May 9 May. The episode illustrates the political impact in the Netherlands of the Atjeh-oorlog, which had exposed the inadequacy of the Dutch navy for the blockade of the coast of Atjeh and for the support of military operations in the archipelago.
See Also
- I. D. Fransen van de Putte
- W. F. van Erp Taalman Kip
- J. Loudon
- First Aceh Expedition (1873)
- Aceh War
Source
De geschiedenis van Nederland in onzen tijd, by J. A. de Bruyne, Directeur der Hoogere Burgerschool te Zierikzee. Deel IV. 1872-1883. Nieuwe uitgave. Schiedam: J. F. Dupont, 1912, Hoofdstuk I-II.