WHAT IS BELGIUM? Anais en Emma

The history of our languageborder  57 B.C. Roman troups invade Belgium  The next century: the Francs, here we’ve got our first languagedifference.  751 – 987 ; West-Belgium + France East-Belgium + Germany  German and Roman dialects  One dialect in a certain area  Languageborder

The history of our languageborder  1302: ‘Battle of the golden Spurs’ Flemish population against the French nobilities  1598: South-Netherlands are semi-autonomic  1792: Napoleon  The Dutch language is surpressed (Belgium  France)  1813: After Napoleon  Belgium is a buffer state against France. ‘The United Kingdom of Netherlands’

Origin of Belgium  Willem I  Dutch is made an official language  The French feel that they’re surpressed  Tensions in South-Netherlands  The South becomes independent = Belgium The Septemberdays Gustaaf Wappers 

From1830  Temporary reign: constitution  Arise of the Flemish Movement (World War I) 1.Language and literary movement 2. Politic movement (Flamingants)  Important for flemish people, protection of own uniqueness  WWII : Collaboration with the Germans (Flemish)  Germans promise a Flemish nation…  Dutch legal as a language in schools, law and order, parliament, media,…

Unitary State  Federal state  1970 : first state reform Autonomy: language and culture  1980: second state reform Foundation Flemish and Walloon province a few federal features Communities & provinces get their own governments  a few federal features for Belgium

Unitary state  Federal state  : third state reform Agreement about Brussels (HG) Dutch people protected in the same way as French people (There was an argument, ‘cause Brussels used to be Flemish, now it’s mostly French)  1993: fourth state reform (st.Michielsagreement) Belgium officially a federal state (alterations for example the senate, they changed the constitution of the senate)

Unitary state  Federal state  : fifth state reform (Lambermont and Lombard agreements) Provinces get additional authorization  foreign trade, farming, … Protecting mechanism in Brussels’ institution to prevent the Flemish Block from stopping the facilities for the French Diminished: fear of blockade of institutions if Flemish Block(=Flemish nationalst political party, convicted for racism, against French) gets the majority

The End