Het noodlot van de burgemeester in oorlogstijd

Abstract

P. Romijn, Burgemeesters in oorlogstijd. Besturen onder Duitse bezetting (Amsterdam 2006)

The fate of the mayor in times of war
In this book review the author argues that Peter Romijn has produced a very sophisticated and beautifully written study about the predicament of local authorities (mayors) in the Netherlands during World War II. Not too long ago it became rather fashionable to discuss the behaviour of the Dutch administrative elite (and of the population as a whole, for that matter) during that era in disparaging terms. Terms that refused to see things clearly in black and white as all this wave of observers could see was greyness. The time had come for an exhaustive study by a scholar who would take it upon himself to approach the subject with an open mind and to create new intellectual space for a precise definition of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ practice by administrators in times that were not only very hard but most ambiguous as well. Peter Romijn has demonstrated a keen awareness of what was at stake and has proved to be a very wise judge.