Jan Peter Balkenende

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/jan-peter-balkenende

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Jan Peter Balkenende born?May 7, 1956
2. Where was Jan Peter Balkenende born?Amsterdam, Netherlands
3. What is the post-premiership role?Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Corporate Director
4. What is the honorary title?Minister of State (awarded October 14, 2022)
5. Who is Jan Peter Balkenende?Jan Peter Balkenende was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands for almost ten years, leading four different cabinets from 2002 to 2010.
6. What did he study before becoming a politician?Before politics, he studied History and Law at the Free University Amsterdam and later taught Christian theology as a professor.

Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA): A centrist political party in the Netherlands advocating for Christian democratic principles, social market economy, and European integration.
Cabinet Formation: The complex process of negotiating and forming a new government coalition after an election or a government collapse.
Caretaker Government: A government that continues to perform essential duties temporarily after the resignation or fall of the main government, awaiting a new formation.
Deficit Reduction: Government policies aimed at decreasing the difference between government spending and revenue, often through spending cuts or tax increases.