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Archief Henk Sneevliet (1901) 1907-1942 (1945-1984, 2011)
publication also includes an English translation of the relevant part of the Sneevliet inventory in 'Appendix
Three: Contents of the Sneevliet Archive (1919-1924)'.
Biographical data
A biography of Sneevliet has been published in French by Fritjof Tichelman with the collaboration of Wim
Bot and Tony Saich: Henk Sneevliet (Montreuil 1988). Biographical data on Sneevliet's Russian and Chinese
period and his preceding career in Holland and the Dutch East Indies can be found in the introduction to
A.J. Saich's: The Origins of the First United Front in China: the role of Sneevliet (alias Maring). A very
concise biographical sketch will have to suffice here. Hendricus Josephus Franciscus Marie Sneevliet was
born in Rotterdam on 13 May 1883. In 1901, he started working as an employee for the Staatspoor railway
company. From 1907 to 1910 he was a member of the city council of Zwolle, representing the Sociaal-
Democratische Arbeiders Partij (SDAP, Social-Democratic Workers' Party). He became president of the
Nederlandse Vereeniging van Spoor- en Tramwegpersoneel (NVSTP), a national union of rail and tramway
personnel, in 1911, but resigned in 1912 after a conflict with the Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen
(NVV, Netherlands Federation of Trade Unions) to which the union was affiliated, over the seamen's strike.
He left for the Dutch East Indies after securing a job as a journalist with Het Soerabajasch Handelsblad.
From 1913 to 1917 he was secretary of the Handelsvereeniging (Trade Association) in Semarang. His
activities in the labour movement included the founding in 1914 of the Indische Sociaal-Democratische
Vereeniging (ISDV, Indian Social Democratic Association) and its presidency until 1918. In December 1918
he was expelled for his political activities. In 1920 he was present at the Second Congress of the Comintern
in Moscow as a representative of the ISDV. From 1921 to 1923 he represented the Comintern in the China.
After his return to the Netherlands he became president of the syndicalist trade union Nationaal Arbeids
Secretariaat (NAS, National Labour Secretariat) from 1924 to 1940. He resigned from the Communist
Party of Holland in 1927. He founded the Revolutionair Socialistische Partij (RSP, Revolutionary Socialist
Party ) in 1929 and was its president until 1935. After a merger the party changed its name to Revolutionair
Socialistische Arbeiders Partij (RSAP, Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party) of which Sneevliet became
first secretary and later president until 1940. He was a Member of Parliament from 1933 to 1937. In the
Second World War he headed a resistance group called Marx-Lenin-Luxemburg-front. He was tracked down
and executed in 1942. Sneevliet was married four times. His first wife, Maartje Visser, whom he married on
11 January 1906, left him for J.A.N. Knuttel .
He was married to E.J. (Betsy) Brouwer from 22 July 1909 until their divorce on 26 September 1924. They
had two sons, twins, born on 9 March 1911, nicknamed Pim (or Rido) and Pam (or Dikkop). Both committed
suicide, Pim in 1932; Pam in 1937. Betsy died on 18 February 1966.
From 1922 Sneevliet had a relationship with Sima L'vovna Žolkovskaja. They had a daughter also called
Sima, born in Kremenchug on 18 September 1923. They were married on 21 December 1926, but Sima left
Sneevliet in 1928 and married Jef Swart . With her daughter she returned to the Soviet Union to join Swart
in 1934. In 1929 Sneevliet married W.H. (Mien) Draaijer. In the Second World War she was caught with
Sneevliet and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. She survived the war and died on 20 August
1965.
Noten:
1. Max Perthus, Henk Sneevliet, revolutionair-socialist in Europa en Azië (Nijmegen 1976), pp. 32, 45-46,
51, 59, 288, 300, 318, 325, 331-332, 346, 348, 385-386, 468;
Sima Sneevliet met medewerking van Arno Langeler, Mijn jaren in stalinistisch Rusland ('s-Gravenhage
1994), pp. 10-19;
Ellen Santen, '"Trots alles". Mien Sneevliet-Draaijer 1894-1965', in Mies Bouhuys, Wilma Soederhuizen, et
al. Vrouw in verzet - toen en nu (Amsterdam 1985), pp. 77-85, 95-101, 113;
IISG, archief Henk Sneevliet, inv. nr. 740-746.
2. Jaarverslag IISG 1937, p. 24.
3. Jaarverslag IISG 1938, p. 23.
4. Jaarverslag IISG 1953, p. 19.
5. Jaarverslag IISG 1965, p. 6; zie ook Sal Santen, De nalatenschap van Henk Sneevliet (Amsterdam
1995).
Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis 11