Antithesis (Netherlands)

The Antithesis (Antithese in Dutch) is a conflict between Christian-democratic, confessional parties, united in the Coalition and Liberal parties, united in the Concentratie between 1888 and 1918. The conflict concerned the equalization of payment for religious schools. To realize this a constitutional revision was necessary, which needed the support of two-thirds of both houses of parliament. Both political parties held about fifty percent of the MPs however. The issue was forced by ARP-leader Abraham Kuyper, who hoped that an alliance of Catholics and Protestants would gain the necessary number of seats, but this strategy failed. The issue was finally resolved in the Pacification of 1917.

See also

• History of the Netherlands#Pillarization