Het Volk (Netherlands)
Het Volk was a socialist newspaper from the Netherlands. It was published in Amsterdam, beginning on 2 April 1900, by the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP).
History
Preparations for publishing Het Volk began in 1899. Financial support was provided by the older Social Democratic Party of Germany. A publishing company was established under the name De Arbeiderspers. Its first Editor-in Chief was the head of the SDAP, Pieter Jelles Troelstra. In 1903, after some disagreements arose, he was replaced by the journalist, Pieter Lodewijk Tak.
In 1902, a contest was held to find an artist for the front-page cartoon in the weekly Sunday supplement. The winner was Albert Hahn, who was later signed to a permanent contract. Among the others who contributed regularly were Fritz Behrendt (also a cartoonist), Jan Liber (a sportswriter) and the playwright Inte Onsman (under the pseudonym "Leckie Down"). In 1931, the paper moved into a new building, designed by Jan Buijs, which came to be known as the "Red Castle". A sister edition called Vooruit (Forward), was published in The Hague under the direction of Simon Carmiggelt.
After the German invasion in 1940, the paper's management vainly attempted to maintain some degree of independence. However, on 20 July 1940, Meinoud Rost van Tonningen of the National Socialist Movement began to oversee their operations. After the war, it was re-established under a new name: Het Vrije Volk.
