The Den Uyl cabinet was the executive branch of the Dutch Government from 11 May 1973 until 19 December 1977. The cabinet was formed by the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA), the christian-democratic Catholic People's Party (KVP) and Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP), the progressive Political Party of Radicals (PPR) and the social-liberal Democrats 66 (D'66) after the election of 1972. The cabinet was a Centre-left^[1] grand coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives with Labour Leader Joop den Uyl serving as Prime Minister. Prominent Catholic politician Dries van Agt, the Minister of Justice from the previous cabinet, served as Deputy Prime Minister until his resignation. Prominent Protestant politician Gaius de Gaay Fortman the Minister of the Interior assumed the office of Deputy Prime Minister on 8 September 1977.

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Den Uyl cabinet
55th Cabinet of the Netherlands
The installation of the Den Uyl cabinet on 11 May 1973
Date formed	11 May 1973 (1973-05-11)
Date dissolved	19 December 1977 (1977-12-19) (Demissionary from 22 March 1977 (1977-03-22))
People and organisations
Head of state	Queen Juliana
Head of government	Joop den Uyl
Deputy head of government	Dries van Agt (1973–1977) Gaius de Gaay Fortman (1977)
No. of ministers	16
Ministers removed	3
Total no. of members	18
Member party	Labour Party (PvdA) Catholic People's Party (KVP) Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) Political Party of Radicals (PPR) Democrats 66 (D'66)
Status in legislature	Centre-left Majority government (Grand coalition)
History
Election(s)	1972 election
Outgoing election	1977 election
Legislature term(s)	1972–1977
Incoming formation	1972–1973 formation
Outgoing formation	1977 formation
Predecessor	Second Biesheuvel cabinet
Successor	First Van Agt cabinet

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The cabinet served during the tumultuous 1970s and had to deal with several major crises such as the 1973 oil crisis, the Lockheed scandal, the Moluccans incidents and the fallout of the Yom Kippur War. Internally the cabinet suffered several conflicts, including the poor working relationship between Prime Minister Den Uyl and Deputy Prime Minister Van Agt, and multiple resignations. The cabinet fell on 22 March 1977, just before the end of its term, following a major political crisis, and continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced following the election of 1977.^[2][3][4]

After the 1972 election the Labour Party (PvdA) of Joop den Uyl was the winner of the election, winning four new seats and having now a total of 43 seats. Prior to the election the PvdA had formed a political alliance with the progressive Christian Political Party of Radicals and the social-liberal Democrats 66, but this alliance failed to achieve a majority in the House of Representatives. After lengthy negotiations the Christian-democratic Catholic People's Party (KVP) and Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) agreed to start talks about joining the coalition. During the formation negotiations between the parties were difficult because of disputes between uncompromising left-wing radicals and the moderate factions of the left-wing parties and the left-wing Christians. In the end both the KVP and the ARP joined the cabinet.

The Den Uyl cabinet was confronted with many problems, starting with the 1973 oil crisis following Dutch support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War. Prime Minister Joop den Uyl said in a speech on national television that "things would never return to the way they were" and implemented fuel rationing and a ban on Sunday driving.^[5]

Domestically the cabinet had several major conflicts, including the terrorist attacks by Moluccans seeking independence from Indonesia, the Lockheed affair (bribes accepted by the queen's husband) and the closing of the abortion clinic Bloemenhove. Many plans could not be implemented because of these problems.

The cabinet fell because of a disagreement over land development plans. A deeper cause was the left-wing distrust of the Christian ministers, especially in the case of war criminal Pieter Menten, where Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Dries van Agt was ridiculed (so believed Van Agt) by some party members of Prime Minister Joop den Uyl.^[6]

^Resigned

^{Retained from the previous cabinet}

^{Continued in the next cabinet}

^{Appointed as European Commissioner}

^{Appointed as Mayor of Amsterdam}

^{Appointed as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries}

^{Appointed as Minister of Defence}

• Den Uyl shadow cabinet