Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol

Joan Derk baron van der Capellen tot den Poll (November 2, 1741–June 6, 1784) was a Dutch nobleman who played a prominent role in the formation of the Batavian Republic and the revolutionary events that preceded its formation. As a member of the Patriots and inspired by the American Revolution , he wrote the famous pamphlet To the People of the Netherlands ( in Dutch: Aan het Volk van Nederland), in which reclaimed a more liberal society and the end of the Stadtholder regime, which had been marked by corruption and nepotism. He was also an ardent supporter in the legal recognition of the recently created United States.

Predecessor of Pim Fortuyn

A politician who roused the Dutch emotions recently was Pim Fortuyn. In 1992 Fortuyn wrote his address "To the People of the Netherlands" ("Aan het Volk van Nederland"). It was dedecitated to his illustrious predecessor Van der Capellen.

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Fortuyn was murdered on 6 may 2002.

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