Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

THE HISTORY OF BELGIUM 47

Flag of the

European Union

Baudouin

a courageous resistance movement;

the fate of many others was to be for-

cibly shipped to Germany as labour-

ers. The Nazis also exploited the

disaffection of Flemish nationalists,

recruiting volunteers to serve their

army or operate the notorious con-

centration camp at Breendonk, near

Antwerp. Belgium was liberated by

the Allies in September 1944, but the

Germans mounted a last-ditch attempt

to break the advance by punching a

hole through the Ardennes of

Luxembourg and southern Belgium

in the Battle of the Bulge.

Belgium entered an uneasy peace.

King Léopold III (r.1934–51) was at

the focus of the contention – he had

surrendered in 1940 and was moved

to Germany until the end of the war.

Rumours, still disputed, that he had

collaborated with the Nazis led to his

abdication in 1951, in favour of

his son, Baudouin (r.1951–93).

1945 1980

1951

Baudouin

succeeds

Léopold III

1993 King Baudouin

dies; Albert II succeeds

1989

Brussels is

officially a

bilingual city

INTERNATIONAL STATUS

The latter half of the 20th century has

been marked by the ongoing lan-

guage debate between the Flemish

and the French-speaking Walloons.

Between 1970 and 1994, the constitu-

tion of Belgium was redrawn, creat-

ing a federal state with three separate

regions – the Flemish north, the

Walloon south and bilingual Brussels.

Like most of Europe, Belgium went

from economic boom in the 1960s to

recession and retrenchment in the

1970s and 80s, and renewed growth

in the 1990s. This latter period saw a

rapid rise in the prosperity of

Flanders, while Wallonia, the old

powerhouse of the heavy industries,

declined – a reversal of fortune that

has reinforced the language divide.

Throughout these decades, Brussels’s

stature at the heart of Europe was

consolidated. In 1958, the city became

the headquarters for the European

Economic Community (EEC), later the

European Union (EU). In 1967, NATO

also moved to Brussels. The capital

city’s international role has helped

ease tensions between Flanders and

Wallonia, but – as throughout most of

its long history – the political future

of Belgium remains in the balance.

2015

1958 Formation of the EEC,

with Belgium as a founder

member; Exposition

Universelle et Internationale

in Brussels, with the Atomium

as the star attraction

1962 The Belgian Congo

is granted independence

2001 Crown Prince Philippe

and Princess Mathilde have a

daughter and heir, Elisabeth

2002 The euro becomes legal tender

1967 Brussels is the new

NATO headquarters

Flags of the European Union states in front of

the EU headquarters in Brussels

German troops raising the flag of the Third Reich at

the Royal Castle at Laeken, near Brussels