Belgian Revolution

The Belgian Revolution was a conflict in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands that began with a riot in Brussels in August 1830 and eventually led to the establishment of an independent, Catholic and neutral Belgium (William I, king of the Netherlands, would refuse to recognize a Belgian state until 1839, when he had to yield under pressure by the Treaty of London).

Causes of the Revolution

The Belgian Revolution had many causes: mainly, the treatment of the French-speaking Catholic Walloons in the Dutch-dominated United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the difference of religion between the Belgians and their Dutch king. The main cause of the Belgian Revolution was the domination of the Dutch over the economic, political, and social institutions of the United Provinces. The traditional economy of trade and an incipient Industrial Revolution were centred in the present day Netherlands, particularly in the large port of Amsterdam. The Belgians had little influence over this economy and resented Dutch control. At the most basic level, the Dutch were for free trade, while less-developed local industries in Belgium called for the protection of tariffs. Free trade lowered the price of bread, made from wheat imported through the reviving port of Antwerp; at the same time, these imports from the Baltic depressed agriculture in Belgian grain-growing regions.

Related Topics:
Walloon - Industrial Revolution - Amsterdam - Tariff - Antwerp

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Also at this time, the more numerous Dutch provinces represented a majority in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands' elected Lower Assembly, where the Belgians felt significantly under-represented. However, the Belgians saw the main political domination in the fact that King William I was Dutch, lived in the present day Netherlands, and largely ignored the Belgian demands for greater self-determination. His more progressive and amiable representative living in Brussels, which was meant to be a twin capital, was Prince William, later King William II, who had some popularity among the upper class but none among Walloon peasants and workers.

Related Topics:
King William I - William II

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Another cause of the Belgian Revolution was the Belgian peoples' faith, Roman Catholicism, which conflicted with that of their Dutch King, Calvinism. Although there were and still are many Roman Catholics in the present day Netherlands, the Belgians saw themselves as purely Catholic and demanded a higher role for the Church, and for Catholics, in their government. In a sense, the Belgian Revolution was a Walloon revolution, of a French-speaking upper and middle class that exchanged Dutch hegemony for Walloon hegemony. The Belgian Revolution of 1830 crystallized this antagonism, with the final arrangements favoring the French-speakers. French became the official language, Flemish was banned in schools. Though postage stamps read "Belgique-Belgie," the Belgian Civil Code was not translated into Dutch until 1961. The Industrial Revolution's heavy-industry powerhouse became concentrated in Walloon regions. During the following century, Flemings agitated for equality in the Belgian nation, resulting in the federal constitution of 1980, which gave more local authority in matters of education and social programs. All these developments had their origins in the Belgian Revolution.

Related Topics:
Roman Catholicism - Calvinism - Walloon - Hegemony - Fleming

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