Belgium – Its Neighbours and the Process from a Centralised to a Federalist State
-
Ragnar Leunig
Abstract
The foreign domination of the Belgian region ended in 1830, when the South of the Netherlands became independent. With a liberal constitution and a strong economy based on coal and steel the new state played an important role in international economic affairs. Belgium was for British policy in the nineteenth century a buffer against all ambitions of France. But it was attacked twice in the twentieth century by Germany before becoming a leading factor in European integration - especially with its capital Brussels - first with Benelux and then with the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Dominated for a long period by the French speaking Wallonie, the formerly mostly agrarian Flemish speaking Flanders became a decisive factor economically and demographically in the last 100 years. The Belgian constitution had to be changed from a centralised to a federalist state, many competences going from the central state to the three language communities (Flemish, French and German) and the three regions in the state.
Abstract
The foreign domination of the Belgian region ended in 1830, when the South of the Netherlands became independent. With a liberal constitution and a strong economy based on coal and steel the new state played an important role in international economic affairs. Belgium was for British policy in the nineteenth century a buffer against all ambitions of France. But it was attacked twice in the twentieth century by Germany before becoming a leading factor in European integration - especially with its capital Brussels - first with Benelux and then with the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Dominated for a long period by the French speaking Wallonie, the formerly mostly agrarian Flemish speaking Flanders became a decisive factor economically and demographically in the last 100 years. The Belgian constitution had to be changed from a centralised to a federalist state, many competences going from the central state to the three language communities (Flemish, French and German) and the three regions in the state.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Between Wikipedia and a Museum: Historical Narrative “Tools”
- Memory Politics and the Study of Crises in International Relations: Insights from Ukraine and Lithuania 11
- Local Memory, International Conflicts: Case Study of the Katyn Memorial in Jersey City, USA 41
- Sources of International Conflicts in Contemporary and Historical Context as a Threat to the Global Democratic and Liberal Order: Causes of Occurrence and Ways of Eradication 59
- The Role of Historical Museums in Overcoming the Traumatic Past 77
- Wiki-History of Crimea: Ukrainian and Russian Versions 91
- The Problem of Preserving Monumental Objects of Art during Contemporary International Conflicts (on the Example of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict) 105
-
From Different Perspectives: History as an Instrument of Politics
- Historically Charged Conflict: Nagorno-Karabakh between War and Diplomatic Failure 119
- History as an Instrument of Continuing Indo-Pakistan Rivalry from 1947 till 2021 139
- National History as Tools of Installing National Borders in Central Asia Countries 157
- Belgium – Its Neighbours and the Process from a Centralised to a Federalist State 165
- History as an Instrument of Contemporary International Conflicts: The Case of the Sudanese States 179
- The Comparison of Russian Propaganda: From the Years 1917–1921 to Nowadays 193
- List of Contributors 209
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Between Wikipedia and a Museum: Historical Narrative “Tools”
- Memory Politics and the Study of Crises in International Relations: Insights from Ukraine and Lithuania 11
- Local Memory, International Conflicts: Case Study of the Katyn Memorial in Jersey City, USA 41
- Sources of International Conflicts in Contemporary and Historical Context as a Threat to the Global Democratic and Liberal Order: Causes of Occurrence and Ways of Eradication 59
- The Role of Historical Museums in Overcoming the Traumatic Past 77
- Wiki-History of Crimea: Ukrainian and Russian Versions 91
- The Problem of Preserving Monumental Objects of Art during Contemporary International Conflicts (on the Example of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict) 105
-
From Different Perspectives: History as an Instrument of Politics
- Historically Charged Conflict: Nagorno-Karabakh between War and Diplomatic Failure 119
- History as an Instrument of Continuing Indo-Pakistan Rivalry from 1947 till 2021 139
- National History as Tools of Installing National Borders in Central Asia Countries 157
- Belgium – Its Neighbours and the Process from a Centralised to a Federalist State 165
- History as an Instrument of Contemporary International Conflicts: The Case of the Sudanese States 179
- The Comparison of Russian Propaganda: From the Years 1917–1921 to Nowadays 193
- List of Contributors 209
