Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum

Reception of Governor General J.P. Count and his wife. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum

Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum was born in Zwolle, Netherlands, on February 2, 1873. He rose quickly through the ranks of the Dutch diplomatic service, serving as envoy to China and Sweden, among other places.

Because of his knowledge of Asia, Cort van der Linden appointed him Governor General of the Dutch East Indies in 1916. He worked for greater autonomy for the Dutch East Indies, as well as the colony’s economic development.

As Governor General, he followed the Dutch Ethical Policy and implemented administrative reforms, such as expanding the powers of the Dutch East Indies parliament (Volksraad) and decentralizing colonial administration.

1. Johan Paul was appointed as the Dutch ambassador to Germany in 1925

He was a staunch opponent of the Nazi regime, refusing to meet with Hitler or any member of the NSDAP. He served as the Dutch ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1936 until his retirement in 1939.

2. Cort van der Linden appointed him Governor General of the Dutch East Indies in 1916

Cort van der Linden. Photo by Jacob Merkelbach. Wikimedia Commons

The Dutch government deemed Van Limburg Stirum’s administrative abilities and knowledge of Turkey, China, and Japan to be so valuable that he was appointed as the successor to Governor-General AWF Idenburg on March 21, 1916.

People experienced the consequences of the Islamic awakening, Chinese nationalism, and Japan’s expansionism in the then-Dutch East Indies. Th. B. Pleyte, Colonial Secretary, was an international expert, non-partisan governor general of liberal conviction, and an ideal companion for the liberal democrat.

3. The presence of a parliamentary institution was approved by Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum

Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum. Photo by Rijksmuseum. Wikimedia Commons

The Volksraad was established at the request of movement leaders in Indonesia and the Dutch, who were concerned about the native people. They wanted a forum at the time to increase native people’s participation in government. As a result, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies, Johan Paul Van Limburg Stirum (1916-1921), approved the presence of the Colonial Council, a parliamentary institution.

4. After leaving the indies, he became an envoy to Egypt, Germany, and the United Kingdom

During his legation in Berlin, Limburg Stirum was vehemently opposed to National Socialism (1925-1936). According to his cousin Fritz Gunther von Tschirschy, “he personally hated the Nazis and Hitler more than any diplomat at the time,” and refused to receive NSDAP politicians in his legation until he left Berlin.

5. Van Limburg Stirum rose almost everywhere above his surroundings with aristocratic taste and allure

His intelligence, drive to work, courage to make decisions, and high character made him a natural leader who, despite some formalism, cared deeply about people in need. He was naturally optimistic, but his optimism, based on humanity and idealism, never drowned out a pessimistic undercurrent caused by disappointment with mediocrity, the materialistic world.

6. As Governor General, he followed the Dutch Ethical Policy and implemented administrative reforms

Reception of Governor General J.P. Count and his wife. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

The Dutch Ethical Policy (Dutch: Ethische Politiek) was the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia official)’s policy from 1901 until the Japanese occupation in 1942.

The Policy prioritized material living conditions improvement. It suffered, however, from severe underfunding, inflated expectations, and a lack of acceptance in the Dutch colonial establishment, and by the outbreak of the Great Depression in 1930, it had largely ceased to exist.

7. Johan Paul van Limburg had a difficult relationship with minister Andries Cornelis Dirk de Graeff

Andries Cornelis Dirk de Graeff. Photo by N.V. Vereenigde, Fotobureaux. Wikimedia Commons

Cornelis, Andries Dirk de Graef, was a former classmate from Leiden University. He was sent to Egypt after leaving the Dutch East Indies. They relocated to Dutch East, where Andries worked as a secretary official and general secretary to the governor general. He was appointed as an envoy in Tokyo and Washington. From 1926 to 1931, he served as Governor General of the Dutch East Indies.

8. He urged the minister to build a fleet of small and maneuverable equipment 

His primary concern during the war was defense. Because Van Limburg Stirum saw Japan as a real threat, he urged the minister to build a fleet of small and maneuverable equipment from the start of his tenure. However, because defense was a kingdom business and a lack of funds and equipment severely hampered fleet building during those years, the governor general was forced to rely on written exhortations. And, despite the introduction of European conscription in 1918, he was unable to carry out his plans for an indigenous militia. The proposals, which Van Limburg Stirum had already strongly supported in 1916, were tabled in the Volksraad in 1920 and referred to a committee tasked with developing a total defense strategy with cost estimates.

9. During World War II, he took aggressive measures to save the Indies’ economy

Just as the Dutch government was forced to intervene in the economy during World War II, Van Limburg Stirum did not hesitate to take strong measures when the interests of the Indies demanded it. Following the outbreak of the war, Indian exports were forced to concentrate on Japan and the United States.

To the chagrin of the Amsterdam management, the governor general joined this ‘fara da se.’ When the food supply was threatened by the export bans of rice-supplying countries in early 1918, he took a number of measures that affected both European industry and Indonesian farmers: planting second crops alongside rice, forcing the sale of padi to the government, distribution with these, and planting wasteland of European companies with food crops.

Only equivalent imports were permitted for export. There was also the threat of a forced restriction on the area planted with sugar cane at the start of 1919. This demonstrated that the GM did not back down from a measure that was also unpopular in his opinion. However, an unexpectedly good rice and second crop harvest in the Indies rendered a final decision unnecessary.

10. Johan Paul was well-known for his numerous political reform initiatives

Johan Paul van Limburg Stirum. Photo by Rijksmuseum. Wikimedia Commons

Van Limburg Stirum’s tenure is remembered primarily for the numerous initiatives for political reform, which were critical in these years of the nationalist movement. The governor general increased the number of municipal councils and established indigenous councils for a number of living communities under existing decentralization legislation.

Van Limburg Stirum was granted permission to establish the archipelago’s first Volksraad, or proto- parliament, in May 1918. However, due to its purely advisory role and the ensuing irresponsible criticism, this quickly became a stumbling block for both conservative and progressive politicians.