General strike against Leopold III of Belgium
Encyclopedia
The Royal Question refers to the 1950 political conflict surrounding the question whether King Leopold III should return to Belgium after World War II. A referendum was organised, in which the majority voted in favour of his return (Flanders and the Ardennes mostly in favour; industrialised Wallonia mostly against). Leopold III of Belgium
returned to the throne on 22 July 1950 after five years' exile in Switzerland, and few days later, on 26 July 1950, a general strike broke out against his return, mainly in Wallonia. Eventually, during the night from 31 July to 1 August, the king was forced by the Belgian government
of Jean Duvieusart
to offer to abdicate in favour of his son. A march to Brussels was announced for 2 August. In Liège leaders of the General Federation of Belgian Labour
(as for instance André Renard
), of the Walloon Movement
, of the Belgian Socialist Party
threatened to form a provisional government in Wallonia that would declare Walloon independence.
In 1944-1945 the Belgian public opinion and the politicians suspected the king (who was staying in occupied Belgium after Belgian army surrendered on 28 May 1940 until June 1944 when the Germans took him to Germany as they did Philippe Pétain
, for instance) of being a collaborationist of the nazis
during Belgium's occupation. At least a soft kind of collaborationism, named in French attentisme i.e. a wait and profit attitude
, Austria, on 7 May 1945, the day before the Allies' victory. On 9 May 1945 Prince Charles, Leopold III's brother (who was appointed Regent
when the German occupation of Belgium ended in September 1944) and Achille Van Acker
's government were going immediately to Strobl. Prince Charles had a violent discussion with his brother on 9 May evening. Van Acker met the king on 10 May and 11 May and negotiated conditions for his return: Leopold was requested to publicly praise the Allied forces, purge his entourage, and renew his commitment to parliamentary democracy. At first, an agreement remained out of reach. After Van Acker's return from Strobl, the split over the monarchy deepened and when negotiations resumed in June, the king's commitment to meet the conditions was no longer sufficient for an agreement. The government no longer wanted to take the responsibility for a royal return and offered to resign. Leopold did not succeed in replacing the government, and decided against returning before a referendum on the Royal Question had been held. He moved temporarily to Pregny-Chambésy
in Switzerland.
The Belgian Socialist Party bureau and the socialist trade union came out against a return of the king in June 1945. Others resisted his return as well. On 12 June, Robert Gillon
, the President of the Belgian Senate
, told the king that there was a threat of serious disorder: "If there are only ten or twenty people killed, the situation would become terrible for the King." On the same day the President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, the Catholic Frans Van Cauwelaert
, a member of the Flemish movement
, was concerned that there would be a General strike
in Wallonia and revolt in Liège. He wrote, "The country is not able to put down the disorders because of the insufficient forces of the police and a lack of weapons."
and after to London
. On 19 September 1944 at its first meeting after the occupation the Parliament approved the Government's policy and ipso facto its declaration about the king's inability to reign. But after the king was liberated in Strobl, there was no more justification of this inability. On 19 July 1945, Parliament acted to interpret the article 82 of the Belgian constitution about this inability to reign:
In the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, 137 voted yes, six voted no and 32 abstained. In the Senate, 78 senators voted yes, 58 voted no (mainly the Catholics) and 5 abstained. The majority in the Belgian Chambers of Representatives and in the Senate was a leftwing majority, i.e. an anti-Leopold majority. Some Catholics, even in the Senate, voted with this leftwing majority.
(mainly the Catholics), became little a little more indulgent, the Flemish public opinion too. The leftwing political parties (mainly the Socialists), dominating in Wallonia and Brussels remained hostile to the king's return on the throne, the Walloon public opinion too. The Consultation populaire of March 1950 revealed these deep differences between the two parts of the country linked to all the Belgian political issues (ethnic, religious, linguistic and economic) : catholic, rightwing, Dutchspeaking and Flemish Flanders (in majority) against secularised, leftwing, Frenchspeaking and Walloon Wallonia (in majority)., these two parts of the country having their minorities (e.g. Socialists in Flanders and Catholics in Wallonia).
The Catholics, who generally supported the king's return, won a majority in the Senate during the election of 26 June 1949. The Catholics formed a government with the Liberals. The date of the referendum (Consultation populaire) the king wanted was set by this government for 12 March 1950.
Socialist Leader Paul-Henri Spaak
opposed holding a referendum. He foresaw that the vote for Leopold might fall between 55% and 65%, giving no decisive mandate for the king's return, and that the King would carry Flanders and lose Wallonia. In that case, said Spaak, "the government would not only have on its hands the King's abdication or return, it would also have to appease the anger, acerbity and rancor of Flanders or Wallonia." A majority voted in favour of his return (57.6%), but the YES votes in Flanders
were 72%, the NO votes in Wallonia 58%, with Brussels
about evenly divided.
Immediately after World War II, Walloon national conscience was reinforced. The term national even figured in the heading of a Congress: the Congrès national wallon (20–21 October 1945). After a vote in favour of reunification with France (among the 1048 voters, 486 were in favour of the reunification, 391 preferred federalism), a second vote was cast in favour of autonomy within the Belgian framework. The Walloon movement
was unable to keep up this fervour: But the Royal Question
brought about a new dynamic. Its very roots went back to the period of the German occupation when the Walloon Movement
had been very critical of Leopold III, who was looked upon as the King of the Flemings. Some within the Walloon Movement wanted to seize the "Royal Question" in order to solve the "Walloon Question". A special Congrès National Wallon gathered on 26 March 1950, after the referendum. Some important politicians attended, including Jean Rey
(who was a minister at that time) and Fernand Dehousse
. "For the first time", wrote Chantal Kesteloot, "an important rapprochement occurred between the Walloon Movement and the working class : in March 1950, André Renard the Liégeois union leader offered the Congrès the support of 85,000 steel workers. Still, this rapprochement was short-lived and existed only within the context of the 'Royal Question'. Indeed, from the end of July 1950 onwards, it became obvious that Renard's involvement focused on workers' solidarity rather than on the Walloon Movement itself - although, in all fairness, it should be pointed out that he was not any longer indifferent to the Walloon problem."
wrote to Leopold (already on 25 June 1945) about concerns for serious disorder in Wallonia, The question is not whether the accusations against you are right or not [but that ...] You are no longer a symbol of the Belgian unity.
Before the results, on 26 January 1950, Jean Rey
, member of the Government stated that the king would be allowed to return on the condition each region would pronounce in his favor.
But when, as a result of the general elections on 4 June 1950
, the Catholics received an absolute majority in seats in Parliament (both Senate and Chamber of the Representatives), this majority, according the bill of July 1945, voted, on 20 July 1950 that the impossibility to reign had come to an end. So the king was able to return. This majority did it also according to the results of the Consultation populaire, even if there was not a majority in Wallonia (and Brussels).
killed seven workers at the end of the Belgian general strike of 1893
(ordered to gain the Universal suffrage
), even according the Otago Witness
a weekly magazine of New Zealand far from Belgium; during Introduction of Universal Suffrage; during the 1960-1961 Winter General Strike
, when André Renard took a part in socialists' attempts to negotiate (at the beginning of January 1961), a solution to the crisis with Baudouin I of Belgium, perhaps because Renard knew the king was afraid by a complete victory against the strikers i.e. Flanders against Wallonia
Arango explores why the major antagonists would reach such an impasse by midsummer of 1950. He thought a modern constitutional monarch to be the embodiment of historical unity and national self-identification. But that he functions successfully in this capacity only if his subjects share a common tradition, and if the people are united. "The monarch, in other words, is the result, not the cause of homogenity and consensus." For Arango the royal question would focus "all the other issues over which there was a lack of harmony in Belgian society": the ethnic, linguistic, religious, and economic problems. I;e., as already said above: catholic, rightwing, Dutchspeaking and Flemish Flanders (in majority) against secularised, leftwing, Frenchspeaking and Walloon Wallonia (in majority), these two parts of the country having their minorities (e.g. Socialists in Flanders and Catholics in Wallonia). Arango wrote that Belgium did not, in fact, share a common tradition: throughout the centuries of the history of Belgium
, the Flemings and the Walloons maintained separate identities. At the time of the Belgian revolution
of 1830, they were still separate, living in separate territories from the beginning, "and even to the present", he added.
was named in French le Pays noir
), was paralized by strike. On 12 July 20,000 workers were walking through Charleroi with banners with words such as We defy Leopold III to put a foot in Charleroi. These demonstrations have been called Journée de protestation wallonne and Arthur Gailly stated in the park of Charleroi: It is better to separate than to submit But some trade unionists were again limited or partial strikes (as for instance in Liège
and in the Borinage). They wanted only a strike when it would be clear that Leopold would came back. And then, they wanted a general strike
. On 14 July, there were 10,000 demonstrators in La Louvière
with banners: Leopold to the gallows, Abdication!, Down with Leopold, Hang him, hang him! On the same day strikes broke out in Ghent
, Namur
, Mons
, the Borinage
, Verviers
the Centre
...
, future Mayor of Mons
and future president of the Belgian Socialist Party, stated in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives: An uncontrollable and irrational movement is threatening to break in Wallonia which will have a moral and psychological nature.
The first bomb attack happened in Mons, against a secondary rail track, on 21 July morning.
The king came back to Belgium on 22 July in the early morning accompanied by only a few civilians but 5,000 troops: Even in 1960, Belgians speak of the "cowardly" return in the early morning when there would be few people on the streets.
(on the military plan). The General strike followed.
wrote there was in the Borinage
a civil war climate The Borinage
became similar to a fortified camp. Road traffic was prevented: the roads were cut off by barricades, for instance in Jemappes
, Quaregnon
, between Mons
and Valenciennes
, Mons and Ghlin
; There were also checkpoints halting vehicles, although some exceptions were made including doctors.
In Mons
, on 29 July, Leo Collard
, alderman
of the City, speaking from the balcony of the town hall, made a speech inviting 10,000 demonstrators to consider the Walloon Flag as the symbol of Wallonia's Resistance and to sing the Marseillaise.
in Liège
, Renard made this statement for the trade union newspaper La Wallonie on 26 July, published two days later by Le Soir
: On 27 July, he repeated this statement in front of 1,200 activists and on the same day, the Liégeois Committee for strike confirmed this statement. Renard didn't only launch a major offensive against the economic and political organisation of the state, but also seized control over the city of Liège. On 28 July the Minister of Labour Oscar Behogne wanted to negotiate with the trade union about the protection of industrial equipment. The FGTB
replied that it did not refuse to discuss the issue, but could not assure that it would be taken care of. The minister replied that in this case there would be a crisis state. The next day, on 29 July, Paul Finet, Secretary General of the FGTB, stated that if there would be a crisis state, the strikers would refuse to protect the equipment. On the same day, Renard wrote in La Wallonie that the working-class people, ensuring the country's prosperity since 1945 in favour of other people, were not concerned about these other people's wealth. They were fighting for liberty and democracy and it was not suitable to make concessions to an anti working-class regime.
According to the Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws
, the strikers were issuing laissez-passers in Liège: In the center of the City, pickets are stopping the cars. If the drivers refuse, the cars are turned upside down... The state policemen tear off the laissez-passers stickers on the cars.
Near Liège, in Grâce-Berleur (now as an ex-commune, a part of Grâce-Hollogne
), on 30 July, three protesters were killed when the gendarmerie
opened fire on the protesters with automatic weapons.
The Belgian banners in Wallonia were being replaced by Walloon flags (in Liège and other municipalities of Wallonia).
In Charleroi
there were 60,000 demonstrators on the Ville Basse square. Arthur Gailly, the regional leader of the General Federation of Belgian Labour
made a speech, the day after the Grâce-Berleur fusillade on 31 July 1950.
, the Belgian Socialist Party
and General Federation of Belgian Labour
's plan against Leopold III was composed of five stages: 1. Parliamentary debate
s, 2. Strike
s, 3. Sabotage
s, 4. Mass demonstrations and march on Brussels
, 5. Walloon day or the constitution of a Walloon government.
The reports underlined that this 5th stage was the last weapon the Socialists would have used against the king. If the constitution of such a government would have made it necessary, it would have had recourse to the civil war. Key figures of the Liberal Party
and of the Christian Social Party
would have been approached and would have agreed to take part in this government.
to approve a law delegating his royal powers to his son, Prince Baudouin, who took the constitutional oath before the United Chambers of the Belgian Parliament as Prince Royal on 11 August 1950. During this ceremony a communist deputy shouted Vive la République!Julien Lahaut
was said to have been the deputy who shouted this, and he was murdered one week later. This dramatic epilogue ended the Royal Question: the murder was never completely solved
French-speaking but rather comprehensible library pictures in the flollowing order : 1. three strikers killed near Liège (30 July); 2. negotiations between the king and veterans (31 July 1950); 3. Allied nations' 'Victory in Brussels (May 1945); 4. Leopold III liberated by the US Army (May 1945); 5. the impossible return: negotiations in Strobl
(May 1945); 6. Leopold III in Pregny
(Switzerland) (May 1945); 7. support of a part of Flanders and of old collaborationists from both Wallonia and Flanders (1945–1950); 8. Attempts to take the king Belgium (e.g. from The Netherlands); 9. the referendum (Spaak's voice recommending to vote NO) (March 1950); 10. differences of the results between Wallonia, Brussels and Flanders; 11. Catholic victory at the general elections of June 1950, so that a pro-Leopold III majority was able to vote in the Parliament the end of the Leopold's impossibility to reign; 12. King's return; 13. riots in Wallonia and Brussels.
In French: Arthur Gailly's speech in Charleroi
in favour of an independent Wallonia and, the most of these library pictures, the catholic Prime Minister Jean Duvieusart
's political attitude on 31 July 1950.
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
returned to the throne on 22 July 1950 after five years' exile in Switzerland, and few days later, on 26 July 1950, a general strike broke out against his return, mainly in Wallonia. Eventually, during the night from 31 July to 1 August, the king was forced by the Belgian government
Belgian federal government
The Cabinet of Belgium is the executive branch of the Belgian federal government, consisting of ministers and secretaries of state drawn from the political parties which form the governing coalition. Formally, the ministers are appointed by the King...
of Jean Duvieusart
Jean Duvieusart
Jean Pierre Duvieusart was a Belgian Catholic politician of the PSC-CVP and minister of economy . After two months as the 36th Prime Minister of Belgium , he resigned after the abdication of King Leopold III...
to offer to abdicate in favour of his son. A march to Brussels was announced for 2 August. In Liège leaders of the General Federation of Belgian Labour
General Federation of Belgian Labour
-External links:* Official site.*...
(as for instance André Renard
André Renard
André Renard , was the leader of an important tendency in the Walloon tradeunionism-Resistance and a new faction in the Syndicalism:...
), of the Walloon Movement
Walloon Movement
The Walloon Movement is an umbrella term for all Belgian political movements that either assert the existence of a Walloon identity or defend French culture and language within Belgium. The movement began as a defence of the primacy of French but later gained political and socio-economic objectives...
, of the Belgian Socialist Party
Belgian Socialist Party
The Belgian Socialist Party was a democratic socialist party which existed in Belgium from 1945 to 1978.The BSP was founded by activists from the Belgian Labour Party , which was the first Belgian socialist party. It ceased to function during the Second World War, while Belgium was under Nazi...
threatened to form a provisional government in Wallonia that would declare Walloon independence.
King in exile. Fear of a general strike already in 1945. The impossibility to reign until 1950
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
, for instance) of being a collaborationist of the nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
during Belgium's occupation. At least a soft kind of collaborationism, named in French attentisme i.e. a wait and profit attitude
Fear of a general strike or hard opposition to the king's return
In May 1945 the communists demanded that Leopold abdicate. The king had been liberated by the US Army from captivity in StroblStrobl
Strobl is a municipality of the Salzburg-Umgebung District , in the northeastern portion of the Austrian state of Salzburg, right on the border with Upper Austria...
, Austria, on 7 May 1945, the day before the Allies' victory. On 9 May 1945 Prince Charles, Leopold III's brother (who was appointed Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
when the German occupation of Belgium ended in September 1944) and Achille Van Acker
Achille Van Acker
Achille Honoré Van Acker was the 33rd Prime Minister of Belgium in four different cabinets from 1945 to 1958, for a total period of seven years. He was a member of the BSP-PSB - the then still national Belgian Socialist Party. He was nicknamed Achille Charbon.-Life:Van Acker was born in Bruges on...
's government were going immediately to Strobl. Prince Charles had a violent discussion with his brother on 9 May evening. Van Acker met the king on 10 May and 11 May and negotiated conditions for his return: Leopold was requested to publicly praise the Allied forces, purge his entourage, and renew his commitment to parliamentary democracy. At first, an agreement remained out of reach. After Van Acker's return from Strobl, the split over the monarchy deepened and when negotiations resumed in June, the king's commitment to meet the conditions was no longer sufficient for an agreement. The government no longer wanted to take the responsibility for a royal return and offered to resign. Leopold did not succeed in replacing the government, and decided against returning before a referendum on the Royal Question had been held. He moved temporarily to Pregny-Chambésy
Pregny-Chambésy
Pregny-Chambésy is a commune in the canton of Geneva in Switzerland. It is located directly north of the city of Geneva, on the south-western shore of Lake Geneva....
in Switzerland.
The Belgian Socialist Party bureau and the socialist trade union came out against a return of the king in June 1945. Others resisted his return as well. On 12 June, Robert Gillon
Robert Gillon
Robert Paul Raymond Gillon was a Belgian lawyer and liberal politician.He was a member of the municipal council of Kortrijk, member of the provincial council of West Flanders, three times President of the Belgian Senate and later became...
, the President of the Belgian Senate
Belgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
, told the king that there was a threat of serious disorder: "If there are only ten or twenty people killed, the situation would become terrible for the King." On the same day the President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, the Catholic Frans Van Cauwelaert
Frans Van Cauwelaert
Frans van Cauwelaert , was a Belgian Roman Catholic politician and lawyer.Van Cauwelaert was born at Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Lombeek...
, a member of the Flemish movement
Flemish movement
The Flemish Movement is a popular term used to describe the political movement for emancipation and greater autonomy of the Belgian region of Flanders, for protection of the Dutch language, and for the over-all protection of Flemish culture and history....
, was concerned that there would be a General strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
in Wallonia and revolt in Liège. He wrote, "The country is not able to put down the disorders because of the insufficient forces of the police and a lack of weapons."
The bill about the inability to reign
On 28 May 1940, the Belgian government stated that the king was unable to reign because of enemy action (the king was staying in Belgium while his government was gone to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and after to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. On 19 September 1944 at its first meeting after the occupation the Parliament approved the Government's policy and ipso facto its declaration about the king's inability to reign. But after the king was liberated in Strobl, there was no more justification of this inability. On 19 July 1945, Parliament acted to interpret the article 82 of the Belgian constitution about this inability to reign:
In the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, 137 voted yes, six voted no and 32 abstained. In the Senate, 78 senators voted yes, 58 voted no (mainly the Catholics) and 5 abstained. The majority in the Belgian Chambers of Representatives and in the Senate was a leftwing majority, i.e. an anti-Leopold majority. Some Catholics, even in the Senate, voted with this leftwing majority.
Towards a Consultation populaire
Nevertheless there were different views of this king's political attitude during the war both in political parties and in the public opinions of each part of the country. The rightwing political parties dominating in FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
(mainly the Catholics), became little a little more indulgent, the Flemish public opinion too. The leftwing political parties (mainly the Socialists), dominating in Wallonia and Brussels remained hostile to the king's return on the throne, the Walloon public opinion too. The Consultation populaire of March 1950 revealed these deep differences between the two parts of the country linked to all the Belgian political issues (ethnic, religious, linguistic and economic) : catholic, rightwing, Dutchspeaking and Flemish Flanders (in majority) against secularised, leftwing, Frenchspeaking and Walloon Wallonia (in majority)., these two parts of the country having their minorities (e.g. Socialists in Flanders and Catholics in Wallonia).
The Catholics, who generally supported the king's return, won a majority in the Senate during the election of 26 June 1949. The Catholics formed a government with the Liberals. The date of the referendum (Consultation populaire) the king wanted was set by this government for 12 March 1950.
The results
Paul-Henri Spaak
Paul Henri Charles Spaak was a Belgian Socialist politician and statesman.-Early life:Paul-Henri Spaak was born on 25 January 1899 in Schaerbeek, Belgium, to a distinguished Belgian family. His grandfather, Paul Janson was an important member of the Liberal Party...
opposed holding a referendum. He foresaw that the vote for Leopold might fall between 55% and 65%, giving no decisive mandate for the king's return, and that the King would carry Flanders and lose Wallonia. In that case, said Spaak, "the government would not only have on its hands the King's abdication or return, it would also have to appease the anger, acerbity and rancor of Flanders or Wallonia." A majority voted in favour of his return (57.6%), but the YES votes in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
were 72%, the NO votes in Wallonia 58%, with Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
about evenly divided.
| Walloon Arrondissements | NO | YES |
| Arlon Arrondissement of Arlon The Arrondissement of Arlon is one of the five administrative arrondissements in the Province of Luxembourg, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
- | 66 % |
| Neufchâteau | - | 65 % |
| Dinant Arrondissement of Dinant The Arrondissement of Dinant is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Namur, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
- | 60% |
| Verviers Arrondissement of Verviers The Arrondissement of Verviers is one of the four administrative arrondissements in the Province of Liège, Belgium. It is also a judicial arrondissement. However, only the municipalities in the French Community belong to this judicial arrondissement... |
- | 60 % |
| Mons Arrondissement of Mons The Arrondissement of Mons is one of the seven administrative arrondissements in the Province of Hainaut, Belgium.It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
69 % | - |
| Charleroi Arrondissement of Charleroi The Arrondissement of Charleroi is one of the seven administrative arrondissements in the Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
67 % | - |
| Soignies Arrondissement of Soignies The Arrondissement of Soignies is one of the seven administrative arrondissements in the Province of Hainaut, Belgium.The Administrative Arrondissement of Soignies consists of the following municipalities:* Braine-le-Comte* Ecaussinnes* Enghien... |
66 % | - |
| Liège Arrondissement of Liège The Arrondissement of Liège is one of the four administrative arrondissements in the Province of Liège, Belgium.It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement. However, the Judicial Arrondissement of Liège also comprises the municipalities of Berloz, Crisnée, Donceel, Faimes,... |
65 % | - |
| Nivelles Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant is a province of Wallonia in Belgium. It borders on the province of Flemish Brabant and the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut . Its capital is Wavre... |
62 % | - |
| Huy Arrondissement of Huy The Arrondissement of Huy is one of the four administrative arrondissements in the Province of Liège, Belgium.It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
58 % | - |
| Thuin Arrondissement of Thuin The Arrondissement of Thuin is one of the seven administrative arrondissements in the Province of Hainaut, Belgium.The Administrative Arrondissement of Thuin consists of the following municipalities:* Anderlues* Beaumont* Binche* Chimay* Erquelinnes... |
57 % | - |
| Tournai Arrondissement of Tournai The Arrondissement of Tournai is one of the seven administrative arrondissements in the Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
54 % | - |
| Namur Arrondissement of Namur The Arrondissement of Namur is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Namur, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
51 % | - |
| Flemish Arrondissements | NO | YES |
| Roeselare Arrondissement of Roeselare The Arrondissement of Roeselare is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium.The Administrative Arrondissement of Roeselare consists of the following municipalities:*Hooglede*Ingelmunster*Izegem*Ledegem... |
- | 85 % |
| Turnhout Arrondissement of Turnhout The Arrondissement of Turnhout is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
- | 84 % |
| Tongeren Arrondissement of Tongeren The Arrondissement of Tongeren is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Limburg, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
- | 84 % |
| Hasselt Arrondissement of Hasselt The Arrondissement of Hasselt is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Limburg, Belgium.It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
- | 82 % |
| Sint-Niklaas | - | 78 % |
| Dendermonde Arrondissement of Dendermonde The Arrondissement of Dendermonde is one of the six administrative arrondissements in the Province of East Flanders, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
- | 78 % |
| Ieper | - | 76 % |
| Oostende | - | 73 % |
| Brugge | - | 72 % |
| Gent | - | 71 % |
| Kortrijk Arrondissement of Kortrijk The Arrondissement of Kortrijk is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium.It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
- | 70 % |
| Aalst Arrondissement of Aalst The Arrondissement of Aalst is one of the six administrative arrondissements in the Province of East Flanders, Belgium. It forms the Judicial Arrondissement of Dendermonde together with the Arrondissements of Dendermonde and Sint-Niklaas.-History:... |
- | 70 % |
| Mechelen Arrondissement of Mechelen The Arrondissement of Mechelen is one of the three administrative arrondissements in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement... |
- | 70 % |
| Oudenaarde | - | 67% |
| Leuven | - | 66% |
| Antwerpen | - | 63% |
Renard offers the Walloon movement the support of the working class
Walloon Movement
The Walloon Movement is an umbrella term for all Belgian political movements that either assert the existence of a Walloon identity or defend French culture and language within Belgium. The movement began as a defence of the primacy of French but later gained political and socio-economic objectives...
was unable to keep up this fervour: But the Royal Question
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
brought about a new dynamic. Its very roots went back to the period of the German occupation when the Walloon Movement
Walloon Movement
The Walloon Movement is an umbrella term for all Belgian political movements that either assert the existence of a Walloon identity or defend French culture and language within Belgium. The movement began as a defence of the primacy of French but later gained political and socio-economic objectives...
had been very critical of Leopold III, who was looked upon as the King of the Flemings. Some within the Walloon Movement wanted to seize the "Royal Question" in order to solve the "Walloon Question". A special Congrès National Wallon gathered on 26 March 1950, after the referendum. Some important politicians attended, including Jean Rey
Jean Rey (politician)
Jean Rey was a Belgian lawyer and Liberal politician who became the second President of the European Commission.-Early life:...
(who was a minister at that time) and Fernand Dehousse
Fernand Dehousse
Fernand Dehousse was a Belgian politician.-Biography:Originally a Liberal, he went on to join the Socialist Party while he remained a Walloon activist...
. "For the first time", wrote Chantal Kesteloot, "an important rapprochement occurred between the Walloon Movement and the working class : in March 1950, André Renard the Liégeois union leader offered the Congrès the support of 85,000 steel workers. Still, this rapprochement was short-lived and existed only within the context of the 'Royal Question'. Indeed, from the end of July 1950 onwards, it became obvious that Renard's involvement focused on workers' solidarity rather than on the Walloon Movement itself - although, in all fairness, it should be pointed out that he was not any longer indifferent to the Walloon problem."
A Catholic majority in the Parliament voted the king's return
These Consultation populaire's results, as Paul-Henri Spaak said it before, were the most important political issue the Belgian politicians had to manage. Van den Dungen, the rector of the Université Libre de BruxellesUniversité Libre de Bruxelles
The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
wrote to Leopold (already on 25 June 1945) about concerns for serious disorder in Wallonia, The question is not whether the accusations against you are right or not [but that ...] You are no longer a symbol of the Belgian unity.
Before the results, on 26 January 1950, Jean Rey
Jean Rey (politician)
Jean Rey was a Belgian lawyer and Liberal politician who became the second President of the European Commission.-Early life:...
, member of the Government stated that the king would be allowed to return on the condition each region would pronounce in his favor.
But when, as a result of the general elections on 4 June 1950
Belgian general election, 1950
General elections were held in Belgium on 4 June 1950. The result was a victory for the Christian Social Party, which won 108 of the 212 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 54 of the 104 seats in the Senate. Voter turnout was 92.6%....
, the Catholics received an absolute majority in seats in Parliament (both Senate and Chamber of the Representatives), this majority, according the bill of July 1945, voted, on 20 July 1950 that the impossibility to reign had come to an end. So the king was able to return. This majority did it also according to the results of the Consultation populaire, even if there was not a majority in Wallonia (and Brussels).
Why such an impasse?
Ramon Arango wrote of the unique character of the Belgian monarchy: "The Belgian monarchy is not truly constitutional (as is the British after which it was patterned but with which it had little in common except nomenclature). It is a hybrid designed to reconcile two concepts of monarchy, each of which answers a peculiar Belgian need: it is a constitutional monarchy whose sovereign is granted power disproportionate to that of a constitutional monarch in order that he accomplish an authoritative function, the maintenance of national unity." Indeed, the Belgian monarch was sometimes supposed to intervene in the most important conflicts. That was the case when the civic guard of MonsMons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
killed seven workers at the end of the Belgian general strike of 1893
Belgian general strike of 1893
The Belgian general strike of 1893 was ordered by the General Board of the Belgian Labour Party after the Belgian Parliament rejected the Law Proposal on universal suffrage....
(ordered to gain the Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
), even according the Otago Witness
Otago Witness
The Otago Witness was a prominent newspaper in the early years of the European settlement of New Zealand, produced in Dunedin, the provincial capital of Otago. Inaugurated in 1851, three years after the founding of the city, the Witness was originally a four-page fortnightly paper, becoming a...
a weekly magazine of New Zealand far from Belgium; during Introduction of Universal Suffrage; during the 1960-1961 Winter General Strike
1960-1961 Winter General Strike
1960–1961 Winter General Strike was the most important strike of the 20th century in Belgium and was called the Strike of the Century. Its triggering factor was Eyskens' government introducing a number of austerity policies under the general name Loi unique...
, when André Renard took a part in socialists' attempts to negotiate (at the beginning of January 1961), a solution to the crisis with Baudouin I of Belgium, perhaps because Renard knew the king was afraid by a complete victory against the strikers i.e. Flanders against Wallonia
Arango explores why the major antagonists would reach such an impasse by midsummer of 1950. He thought a modern constitutional monarch to be the embodiment of historical unity and national self-identification. But that he functions successfully in this capacity only if his subjects share a common tradition, and if the people are united. "The monarch, in other words, is the result, not the cause of homogenity and consensus." For Arango the royal question would focus "all the other issues over which there was a lack of harmony in Belgian society": the ethnic, linguistic, religious, and economic problems. I;e., as already said above: catholic, rightwing, Dutchspeaking and Flemish Flanders (in majority) against secularised, leftwing, Frenchspeaking and Walloon Wallonia (in majority), these two parts of the country having their minorities (e.g. Socialists in Flanders and Catholics in Wallonia). Arango wrote that Belgium did not, in fact, share a common tradition: throughout the centuries of the history of Belgium
History of Belgium
The history of Belgium, from pre-history to the present day, is intertwined with the histories of its European neighbours, in particular those of the Netherlands and Luxembourg...
, the Flemings and the Walloons maintained separate identities. At the time of the Belgian revolution
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
of 1830, they were still separate, living in separate territories from the beginning, "and even to the present", he added.
First strikes and demonstrations
The king would came back on 22 July but before he came back, before the vote about the end of his impossibility to reign, there were important strikes, even in Flanders. On 10 July there were demonstrations in Antwerp. Between 10 July and 12 July the whole black country (the coal mining area centering on CharleroiCharleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
was named in French le Pays noir
Pays Noir
The Pays Noir refers to a region of Belgium, centered on Charleroi in the province of Hainaut in Wallonia so named for the geological presence of coal...
), was paralized by strike. On 12 July 20,000 workers were walking through Charleroi with banners with words such as We defy Leopold III to put a foot in Charleroi. These demonstrations have been called Journée de protestation wallonne and Arthur Gailly stated in the park of Charleroi: It is better to separate than to submit But some trade unionists were again limited or partial strikes (as for instance in Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
and in the Borinage). They wanted only a strike when it would be clear that Leopold would came back. And then, they wanted a general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
. On 14 July, there were 10,000 demonstrators in La Louvière
La Louvière
La Louvière is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies...
with banners: Leopold to the gallows, Abdication!, Down with Leopold, Hang him, hang him! On the same day strikes broke out in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
, Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
, the Borinage
Borinage
The Borinage is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The provincial capital Mons is located in the east of the Borinage. In French the inhabitants are called Borains...
, Verviers
Verviers
Verviers is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. The Verviers municipality includes the old communes of Ensival, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Heusy...
the Centre
Centre (Wallonia)
The Centre is the name of an important basin of the Sillon industriel in Wallonia between Mons and Charleroi . Its most important town is La Louvière...
...
Leo Collard's prediction
On 18 July 1950 Leo CollardLeo Collard
Leo Collard was a Belgian politician, the BSP minister of public education and Mayor of Mons ....
, future Mayor of Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
and future president of the Belgian Socialist Party, stated in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives: An uncontrollable and irrational movement is threatening to break in Wallonia which will have a moral and psychological nature.
The first bomb attack happened in Mons, against a secondary rail track, on 21 July morning.
The king came back to Belgium on 22 July in the early morning accompanied by only a few civilians but 5,000 troops: Even in 1960, Belgians speak of the "cowardly" return in the early morning when there would be few people on the streets.
Beginning of the strike, bomb attacks and sabotages
Between 22 July and 26 July, attacks began against bridges, buildings, high-voltage lines and rail tracks., similar to the attacks of the Resistance against the Nazis, who had been harder on Wallonia than Flanders, and of the same manner as the French ResistanceFrench Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
(on the military plan). The General strike followed.
Borinage and Mons
La Dernière HeureLa Dernière Heure
La Dernière Heure and "Les Sports" is a French general daily newspaper in Belgium....
wrote there was in the Borinage
Borinage
The Borinage is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The provincial capital Mons is located in the east of the Borinage. In French the inhabitants are called Borains...
a civil war climate The Borinage
Borinage
The Borinage is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The provincial capital Mons is located in the east of the Borinage. In French the inhabitants are called Borains...
became similar to a fortified camp. Road traffic was prevented: the roads were cut off by barricades, for instance in Jemappes
Jemappes
Jemappes is a Walloon town in south-western Belgium, province Hainaut. Since 1976, it is part of the city Mons...
, Quaregnon
Quaregnon
Quaregnon is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Quaregnon had a total population of 18,744. The total area is 11.08 km² which gives a population density of 1,692 inhabitants per km²....
, between Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
and Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, Mons and Ghlin
Ghlin
Ghlin is a village near the Belgian town Mons in the province of Hainaut.- People born in Ghlin :* Charles Plisnier , writer winner of the Prix Goncourt in 1937- See also :Grand Large...
; There were also checkpoints halting vehicles, although some exceptions were made including doctors.
In Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
, on 29 July, Leo Collard
Leo Collard
Leo Collard was a Belgian politician, the BSP minister of public education and Mayor of Mons ....
, alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of the City, speaking from the balcony of the town hall, made a speech inviting 10,000 demonstrators to consider the Walloon Flag as the symbol of Wallonia's Resistance and to sing the Marseillaise.
Liège
As a leader of the General Federation of Belgian LabourGeneral Federation of Belgian Labour
-External links:* Official site.*...
in Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, Renard made this statement for the trade union newspaper La Wallonie on 26 July, published two days later by Le Soir
Le Soir
Le Soir is a Berliner Format Belgian newspaper. Le Soir was founded in 1887 by Emile Rossel. It is the most popular Francophone newspaper in Belgium, and considered a newspaper of record.-Editorial stance:...
: On 27 July, he repeated this statement in front of 1,200 activists and on the same day, the Liégeois Committee for strike confirmed this statement. Renard didn't only launch a major offensive against the economic and political organisation of the state, but also seized control over the city of Liège. On 28 July the Minister of Labour Oscar Behogne wanted to negotiate with the trade union about the protection of industrial equipment. The FGTB
General Federation of Belgian Labour
-External links:* Official site.*...
replied that it did not refuse to discuss the issue, but could not assure that it would be taken care of. The minister replied that in this case there would be a crisis state. The next day, on 29 July, Paul Finet, Secretary General of the FGTB, stated that if there would be a crisis state, the strikers would refuse to protect the equipment. On the same day, Renard wrote in La Wallonie that the working-class people, ensuring the country's prosperity since 1945 in favour of other people, were not concerned about these other people's wealth. They were fighting for liberty and democracy and it was not suitable to make concessions to an anti working-class regime.
According to the Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws
Het Laatste Nieuws
Het Laatste Nieuws is a Dutch language newspaper based in Brussels, Belgium. It was founded by Julius Hoste Sr. on 7 June 1888. It is now part of De Persgroep, and has a circulation of 292,410 copies, making it the most popular newspaper in Flanders and Belgium.- Comics :During World War II, The...
, the strikers were issuing laissez-passers in Liège: In the center of the City, pickets are stopping the cars. If the drivers refuse, the cars are turned upside down... The state policemen tear off the laissez-passers stickers on the cars.
Near Liège, in Grâce-Berleur (now as an ex-commune, a part of Grâce-Hollogne
Grâce-Hollogne
Grâce-Hollogne is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. The municipality is effectively a part of the greater Liège conurbation separated from Liège city centre by the municipality of Saint-Nicolas. Including within its boundaries is Liège...
), on 30 July, three protesters were killed when the gendarmerie
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
opened fire on the protesters with automatic weapons.
The Belgian banners in Wallonia were being replaced by Walloon flags (in Liège and other municipalities of Wallonia).
Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
there were 60,000 demonstrators on the Ville Basse square. Arthur Gailly, the regional leader of the General Federation of Belgian Labour
General Federation of Belgian Labour
-External links:* Official site.*...
made a speech, the day after the Grâce-Berleur fusillade on 31 July 1950.
Danger of revolt?
Had the Belgian government actual reasons to think Renard, Finet, Gailly... would have carried out their threats? This question is disputed. For some historians or witnesses they would have carried out their threats. For Pierre Tilly, faced with such statements, and particularly the Renard's one, it is impossible for the authorities to remain indifferent For other, it is impossible to answer or very difficult. For other there are no evidences of that.A possible Walloon provisional Government
According to the reports of the Belgian State Security ServiceBelgian State Security Service
The Belgian State Security Service, known in Dutch as Veiligheid van de Staat, or Staatsveiligheid , and in French as Sûreté de l'État , is a Belgian intelligence agency...
, the Belgian Socialist Party
Belgian Socialist Party
The Belgian Socialist Party was a democratic socialist party which existed in Belgium from 1945 to 1978.The BSP was founded by activists from the Belgian Labour Party , which was the first Belgian socialist party. It ceased to function during the Second World War, while Belgium was under Nazi...
and General Federation of Belgian Labour
General Federation of Belgian Labour
-External links:* Official site.*...
's plan against Leopold III was composed of five stages: 1. Parliamentary debate
Parliamentary Debate
Parliamentary Debate is an academic debate event. Many university level institutions in English speaking nations sponsor parliamentary debate teams, but the format is currently spreading to the high school level as well...
s, 2. Strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
s, 3. Sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
s, 4. Mass demonstrations and march on Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, 5. Walloon day or the constitution of a Walloon government.
The reports underlined that this 5th stage was the last weapon the Socialists would have used against the king. If the constitution of such a government would have made it necessary, it would have had recourse to the civil war. Key figures of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Belgium)
The Liberal Party was a Belgian political party that existed from 1846 until 1961, when it became the Party for Freedom and Progress, Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang/Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès or PVV-PLP, under the leadership of Omer Vanaudenhove.-History:The Liberal Party was founded...
and of the Christian Social Party
Christian Social Party
For other parties of the same name, see Christian Social PartyThe Christian Social Party was an Austrian conservative political party from 1893 to 1933 and is a predecessor of the contemporary Austrian People's Party.- Foundation :...
would have been approached and would have agreed to take part in this government.
Vive la République! and a Murder
On 31 July 1950, Leopold III was forced to request his Government and the ParliamentBelgian Federal Parliament
The Belgian Federal Parliament is a bicameral parliament. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate . It sits in the Palace of the Nation .- Chamber of Representatives :...
to approve a law delegating his royal powers to his son, Prince Baudouin, who took the constitutional oath before the United Chambers of the Belgian Parliament as Prince Royal on 11 August 1950. During this ceremony a communist deputy shouted Vive la République!Julien Lahaut
Julien Lahaut
Julien Lahaut Julien Lahaut Julien Lahaut (6 September 1884, Seraing, near Liège, Belgium - 18 August 1950, (Seraing) was a Belgian politician, who died by assassination.-Political background:...
was said to have been the deputy who shouted this, and he was murdered one week later. This dramatic epilogue ended the Royal Question: the murder was never completely solved
External links
French-speaking but rather comprehensible library pictures in the flollowing order : 1. three strikers killed near Liège (30 July); 2. negotiations between the king and veterans (31 July 1950); 3. Allied nations' 'Victory in Brussels (May 1945); 4. Leopold III liberated by the US Army (May 1945); 5. the impossible return: negotiations in Strobl
Strobl
Strobl is a municipality of the Salzburg-Umgebung District , in the northeastern portion of the Austrian state of Salzburg, right on the border with Upper Austria...
(May 1945); 6. Leopold III in Pregny
Pregny-Chambésy
Pregny-Chambésy is a commune in the canton of Geneva in Switzerland. It is located directly north of the city of Geneva, on the south-western shore of Lake Geneva....
(Switzerland) (May 1945); 7. support of a part of Flanders and of old collaborationists from both Wallonia and Flanders (1945–1950); 8. Attempts to take the king Belgium (e.g. from The Netherlands); 9. the referendum (Spaak's voice recommending to vote NO) (March 1950); 10. differences of the results between Wallonia, Brussels and Flanders; 11. Catholic victory at the general elections of June 1950, so that a pro-Leopold III majority was able to vote in the Parliament the end of the Leopold's impossibility to reign; 12. King's return; 13. riots in Wallonia and Brussels.
In French: Arthur Gailly's speech in Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
in favour of an independent Wallonia and, the most of these library pictures, the catholic Prime Minister Jean Duvieusart
Jean Duvieusart
Jean Pierre Duvieusart was a Belgian Catholic politician of the PSC-CVP and minister of economy . After two months as the 36th Prime Minister of Belgium , he resigned after the abdication of King Leopold III...
's political attitude on 31 July 1950.
See also
- Belgian general strikesBelgian general strikesThe Belgian general strikes were a peculiar phenomenon of the social, economical and political life in Belgium due to huge concentrations of workers in the Belgian Cities as Ghent, Antwerp, mainly in Wallonia, in Charleroi and Liège but also in other places in the Walloon Sillon industriel, e.g....
- Walloon Jacquerie of 1886Walloon Jacquerie of 1886The Walloon jacquerie of 1886 was a working class jacquerie of a bloody spring as many Walloon scholars are calling it This violent upheaval of the Belgian, especially Walloon proletariat, caused a profound psychological shock in an atmosphere of fear of an inevitable and explosive social...
- Belgian general strike of 1893Belgian general strike of 1893The Belgian general strike of 1893 was ordered by the General Board of the Belgian Labour Party after the Belgian Parliament rejected the Law Proposal on universal suffrage....
- 1960-1961 Winter General Strike1960-1961 Winter General Strike1960–1961 Winter General Strike was the most important strike of the 20th century in Belgium and was called the Strike of the Century. Its triggering factor was Eyskens' government introducing a number of austerity policies under the general name Loi unique...
- Leopold III of BelgiumLeopold III of BelgiumLeopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
- Baudouin I of Belgium
- History of BelgiumHistory of BelgiumThe history of Belgium, from pre-history to the present day, is intertwined with the histories of its European neighbours, in particular those of the Netherlands and Luxembourg...
- History of WalloniaHistory of WalloniaThe history of Wallonia, from pre-historic times to the present day, is that of a territory which, since 1970, has approximately coincided with the territory of the Walloon Region, a federated component which includes the smaller German-speaking Community of Belgium . Wallonia is the name...
- General strikeGeneral strikeA general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
- RenardismRenardismRenardism is a theory specific to the socialism based on the thought of André Renard, combining Syndicalism and Walloon militancy.In a speech on November 17, 1960 at Charleroi, in front of a large gathering of syndicalists, André Renard partly explained the tactical aspects of his theory as...