Our history

history of the communist movement in the Netherlands

The CPN stands in the long tradition of the communist movement in the Netherlands. That history is very extensive and it still requires a lot of study even for us to understand and assess it properly, and especially to draw the right lessons from it for future struggles. The following is a very brief outline of this history.

1881–1918

The founding of the Communist Party of the Netherlands

The labor movement in the Netherlands has a rich history. Some milestones included the founding of the Social Democratic League (SDB) by Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis in 1881 and the Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SDAP) in 1894. As with the labor parties of many other countries at the time, there was both a reformist and a revolutionary (Marxist) wing within the SDAP. The reformists wanted to improve the existing capitalist system and achieve socialism through it. The revolutionaries, drawing on the analyses of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, recognized that the bourgeois state could not be used to build socialism, making revolution necessary. At that time, the term “social democracy” was still used by both reformists and revolutionaries.

In the early 20th century, a split emerged between the reformist and revolutionary branches of the SDAP. The latter founded the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on March 14, 1909. In 1914, the imperialist First World War broke out, in which millions of human lives were sacrificed in a struggle that was solely about the interests of the monopolies, which fought for the redistribution of resources, markets and colonies. The reformist parties like the SDAP, which were affiliated with the Second International, supported their bourgeoisie in this imperialist war. This marked the final break between the reformist social democratic parties, which used socialism merely as a slogan and sought to preserve capitalism, and the revolutionary parties, which called themselves communist and continued the struggle against capital.

Memorial plaque of the Social Democratic League with a trowel and bricks and Marx’s quote on the emancipation of the working class — Memorial plaque for the Social Democratic League (SDB) in Groningen, founded in 1885.

Portrait of David Wijnkoop — David Wijnkoop (1876–1941), leader of the SDP and first chairman of the communist party, c. 1935.

1917

In 1917, the Socialist October Revolution took place. Under the leadership of the Communists, the Russian working class succeeded in overthrowing capitalism and beginning to build socialism. Lenin played an important role in this. This inspired ordinary people around the world and gave great impetus to the revolutionary labor movement. The SDP changed its name to Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) in 1918, as did all other revolutionary workers’ parties around the world. In 1919, the Communist International (Comintern) was founded and the CPN became a member of it.

Cover of the book Correspondence of V.I. Lenin with Dutch communists, with a drawing of Lenin — Correspondence of V.I. Lenin with Dutch communists (Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1988).

1918–1940

The heroic struggle of Dutch communists in the 20^th century

During the 1920s and 1930s, the CPN was at the forefront of every struggle that expressed the interests of working people. The CPN played a decisive role in the struggles of the working class and trade unions, spoke out against Dutch colonialism and for the independence of colonized countries, fought for the emancipation of women and minorities, and fought every social injustice. The CPN vehemently opposed the rise of fascism and the coming war.

Red election poster Indonesia free from Holland now – Vote communist, with workers, sailors and Lenin — Election poster of the Communist Party Holland (CPH): ‘Indonesia free from Holland now’, 1933.

1940–1945

Resistance and the February Strike

During World War II, the CPN played a leading role in the resistance. One of the highlights was undoubtedly the organization of the February Strike on February 25, 1941. The CPN organized a strike in response to the persecution of Jews and oppression by the fascist occupiers. Hundreds of thousands of people in Amsterdam and other cities stopped work. It was one of the first mass, open protests in occupied Europe. The Communists took the lead in resistance, not only by helping people in hiding and illegally printing and distributing the party newspaper De Waarheid to inform the population of developments, but also with the liquidation of dangerous Nazis and collaborators, sabotage and other life-threatening missions. For this, thousands of CPN members, such as Hannie Schaft, Jan Bonekamp and many others, were killed during the occupation.

Typed pamphlet calling Strike! Strike! Strike! — Pamphlet calling for the February Strike, 24 February 1941.

Hannie Schaft standing in the street — Resistance fighter Hannie Schaft, 1938–1940.

Jewish men forced to their knees on the Jonas Daniël Meijerplein during a German raid — German raid on the Jonas Daniël Meijerplein, Amsterdam, February 1941: the direct cause of the February Strike.

Striking workers on the Raamplein in Amsterdam during the February Strike — The February Strike on the Raamplein, Amsterdam, 25 February 1941.

Front page of the illegal De Waarheid with the headline Now liberation approaches — The illegal De Waarheid, 12 April 1945.

Front page of the liberation issue of De Waarheid: a woodcut of workers under the Dutch and the red flag, with Vrij (Free) in large red letters — ‘Vrij!’ (‘Free!’): the liberation issue of De Waarheid, people’s daily for the Netherlands, May 1945.

Abandoned bicycles, clothing and shoes on the corner of Dam Square and the Eggertstraat after the shooting of 7 May 1945; people take cover in doorways — Liberation of Amsterdam: Dam Square after the shooting of 7 May 1945, with abandoned bicycles and clothing. A De Waarheid poster hangs on the wall of the travel agency.

Funeral of Hannie Schaft and other resistance fighters at the Cemetery of Honour in Overveen — Funeral of Hannie Schaft and other resistance fighters, Overveen Cemetery of Honour, 27 November 1945.

Unveiling of the memorial stone for Hannie Schaft and Jan Bonekamp — Unveiling of the memorial stone for resistance heroes Hannie Schaft and Jan Bonekamp, 1980.

1945–1980

After the war

After the war, the CPN was at the forefront of the working class’ struggle for its rights and interests, and against any social injustice. The CPN contributed greatly to the acquisition of many social rights and public benefits. The existence of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries also played an important role. For it was there that many social rights and public services, for the population in general and for women and minorities in particular, were first established and realized. The CPN fought against colonial policies and the foreign interference and interventions of Dutch imperialism.

CPN poster In the interest of peace: Job Pruijser on a motorcycle, with the text Join the CPN — CPN poster ‘In the interest of peace – Join the CPN’, featuring Job Pruijser, later party chairman of the NCPN.

Five boys on bicycles with paper hats and signs Vote communist and Daily De Waarheid — The ‘Flying Brigade’ at a CPN demonstration on the Waterlooplein, Amsterdam, 26 June 1948.

Young ANJV members with signs demonstrating on the Amsteldijk in Amsterdam, 1948 — Young members of the ANJV demonstrate on the Amsteldijk in Amsterdam for the release of their arrested comrade Ratio Kostermars, 9 June 1948.

The Dutch team with Dutch flags enters the stadium in Bucharest behind the OLANDA sign, 1953 — The Dutch delegation, with the ANJV, enters the stadium at the 4th World Festival of Youth and Students in Bucharest, 1953.

CPN election board, 1963 — CPN election board with party leader Paul de Groot: ‘Raise wages, cut armament’. General election, May 1963.

Paul de Groot speaking at the lectern at the 23rd congress of the CPN — Paul de Groot speaking at the 23rd congress of the CPN in Amsterdam, 1970.

Fré Meis speaking at a People’s Congress in the Korenbeurs in Groningen, 1972 — CPN trade union militant Fré Meis speaks at the CPN People’s Congress in the Korenbeurs in Groningen, 15 April 1972.

CPN meeting in Felix Meritis in Amsterdam, 1974 — CPN meeting in Felix Meritis, the party building in Amsterdam, with the call ‘Subscribe to De Waarheid now’, 27 March 1974.

Overview of the CPN rally in Amsterdam, 1976 — A packed hall at the big CPN meeting in Amsterdam, under the banner ‘Join the CPN’, 21 February 1976.

Overview of the hall during the CPN meeting in Amsterdam, 1976 — ‘CPN – Unity’: the stage of the CPN meeting in Amsterdam, 21 February 1976.

CPN May Day demonstration in the rain, with a large C.P.N. banner and red flags — CPN May Day demonstration in Amsterdam, 1977.

CPN demonstration in The Hague, 1977 — ‘Stop the neutron bomb’: CPN demonstration in The Hague against the neutron bomb, 17 September 1977.

Marcus Bakker speaking at the CPN congress in Amsterdam, 1978 — Marcus Bakker speaks at the 26th congress of the CPN in Amsterdam, 22 January 1978.

Fré Meis in discussion in the corridors of the CPN congress, 1984 — Fré Meis (centre) in discussion in the corridors of the CPN congress in Amsterdam, 12 February 1984.

The Dutch delegation with a large Dutch flag and banners at the opening of the World Youth Festival in Moscow, 1985 — The Dutch delegation, with the ANJV and the CJB (youth of the VCN), with flag and banners at the opening of the 12th World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow, 1985.

Party veteran Koert Stek (left) places the mayoral chain on a laughing Hanneke Jagersma, surrounded by photographers — Hanneke Jagersma receives the mayoral chain from party veteran Koert Stek (left) at her installation as mayor of Beerta, 1 April 1982. Stek later co-founded the NCPN and remained a member until his death in 2012. She was the first and only communist mayor in the Netherlands, was active in the VCN and opposed the merger of the CPN into GroenLinks.

VCN poster for a new communist party, 4 February 1985 — Poster of the League of Communists in the Netherlands (VCN) for a new communist party, 4 February 1985.

1983

The crisis in the international communist movement and the struggle to rebuild the communist party

Within the international communist movement, the current of Eurocommunism emerged in the decades after World War II. These were opportunist and reformist views and positions, which resulted in communist parties being stripped of their revolutionary character and transformed into social democratic parties. During the 1970s and 1980s, these opportunist positions gradually took over in the international communist movement, including the CPN. The result was a real crisis in the international communist movement, which was greatly inflamed by the fall of socialism in the Soviet Union and other countries of Eastern Europe. In the Netherlands, this led to the dissolution of the CPN in 1991.

That dissolution was not without internal strife. The party’s reformist course led to the abandonment of democratic centralism and the emergence of all kinds of “horizontal consultations”. In response to the reformist course, the Horizontal Corresponding Committee of Communists (HOC) was founded in 1982. The HOC opposed the organized attempt by the majority of the party leadership to transform the CPN into a social democratic party. From February 1983, the HOC published the newspaper Manifest to warn against the reformist course and to offer a communist view of the struggle and developments. When the CPN formally abandoned Marxism-Leninism in 1984, a new party emerged from the HOC and Manifest: the League of Communists in the Netherlands (VCN). After the CPN was dissolved, the New Communist Party of the Netherlands (NCPN) was founded in 1992 by the VCN and groups of CPN members who believed that the Netherlands needed a communist party. The use of the name CPN was not permitted at the time.

1992 → now

Rebuilding the communist party

Since then, the period of rebuilding the communist party has begun. This party building takes place under difficult circumstances, in which the labor movement is still weak, and in which the communist movement has not yet overcome its crisis, even internationally. But step by step, progress is being made, in the Netherlands and internationally. The establishment of the Communist Youth Movement of the Netherlands (CJB) in 2003 and its tremendous growth in recent years is an important development in this regard.

From its founding, the NCPN struggled tirelessly and without interruption for the ideals and principles of communism and for the building of the communist party. In September 2026, the NCPN decided to change its name to Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN), the name that best fits our party politically and ideologically. The legal obstacles that stood in the way of this at the time of its founding had since lapsed, but the need for a communist party is still just as great.

Capitalism is, after all, characterized by great internal contradictions. People are getting poorer, while the development of science and the productive forces should actually help society move forward. The economic crises follow one another and are used as an opportunity to break down social and political rights more and more. The system is rotten and has nothing more to offer the people. In the 21st century, too, working people are constantly faced with the dilemma: socialism or barbarism? Sooner or later, conditions will be ripe for revolutionary upheavals. But socialism does not come naturally. It requires great effort to build a party that can lead the working class in the struggle for the overthrow of capitalism, and to build socialism-communism. It requires building the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the CPN.