Day 12: Belgian Parliament

Today we learned about the political and cultural history of Belgium.

In the late 16th to early 17th century, the region that would become Belgium was separated from the Netherlands when they declared their independence. This region became part of Spain and since only Catholicism was allowed in the southern region, many left to the Netherlands. Those who remained would experience and adapt to differences in culture and identity.

In 1815, the decision was made to reunify the north and south regions. However, this did not work. The south had remained Catholic, while the north was tolerant of all religions. As for language, there were three languages spoken in between these two regions. Dutch was spoken in the north, but this language was seen as the language of the enemy by the southern region. Those who spoke French were to be privileged members of society. The result was a revolution in the south (Brussels) after 15 years of reunification, with the southern region declaring independence in 1830.

There were a few problems upon declaring independence:

• The first was the name of this new country. This region used to be called the Netherlands, after all. They used old historical maps and went far back into history to legitimize the independence of this region. They found their answer in the Roman era, when the region was known as Belgïca. Thus the name Belgium came about.
• There was also no unifying language. There are two language areas: Wallonia speaks French, while Flanders speaks Dutch. It's a similar situation to that of Canada or Switzerland. Rulers were forced to find elements that would create a feeling of unity. Thus a monarchy was created, in the hopes that all people would see the royal family as something they all shared. This led to another problem, though...
• There was no ruler at the time! Belgium needed to import their ruler from somewhere else. Few royal families were interested, as many thought the country wouldn't survive. Finally, a man from the German royal family, known as Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg, took the throne of Belgium. However, he never became as popular as the royal family in the Netherlands.

The region of Flanders was particularly wealthy, as can be seen in Bruges and Gent today. Flanders became the center of commerce with its seaports, with Antwerp being one of the most international ports of the time. Luxury textiles in particular were produced in Flanders and sold all over Europe. Belgium quickly prospered economically, becoming the first country within continental Europe to start an Industrial Revolution. This made them very wealthy, and most of the profits from this went toward Brussels. Trade unions also grew quickly in power. Still, this wealth was not evenly distributed, and many were living in extreme poverty conditions.

Belgium is located between three of the strongest military powers, and the region was constantly confronted with battles. It was occupied by Germany twice during the war between Germany and France. The Menin Gate Monument is in commemoration of this occupation and those who died during it.

People had a tendency to identify with which region they were a part of rather than the country as a whole. There was a strong Flemish identity, while not many were willing to associate their identity with Wallonia. When Belgium became a federal state, this led to complex political structure and many communities within the regions. Everything was to be discussed on the national and regional levels. Belgium thus has very complicated politics, as there are no national political parties in Belgium (divided instead by region). Coalitions are mandatory in this kind of environment.

As for culture, there were three periods that played an important role. The first is the Middle Ages, with the advent of fine architecture and painting. In terms of painting especially, a new school was established in the 15th century for "Flemish primitives". Famous painters from this school of art include Jan van Eyck. The late 17th century brought on a period of Baroque art, such as Rubens. Finally, the 19th and 20th century see the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution and the increased interest in surrealism.

We then got to visit Belgian Parliament. It was an overal very fascinating experience. Still, soaking up all that information on Belgium is tiring. Good night, world.