Jean Bodart

Jean Bodart born with Merbes-the-Castle on September 11th, 1895, deceased with Saint-Gilles on December 25th, 1964 is a Belgian Politician pertaining to the Christian left and a Walloon militant.

Doctor in right of the catholic University of Leuwen (1920), lawyer at the bar of Charleroi (1923), it takes share with the activities and the foundation of the National league of the Christian workers (1921 - 1922). Elected official at the town council of Marchienne-with-Bridge of 1926 to 1932. He is not re-elected this year but finds his mandate in 1936.

Two orientations: progressist and Walloon

All its political life will have been a confrontation with the catholic conservatives of its party and with Flamingants of Liguie of the Christian workers. It tries to gather the leagues of the Christian workers in Wallonia (without reaching that point), deplores the absence of Wallons in the Jaspar government, is elected in 1929 deputy of Charleroi. Its election reinforces it with a its aim which is to ensure the independence of the Christian labor movement within the catholic world, which is also the ideal of Élie Baussart founder of the Walloon Earth. In 1931, it writes to the Prime Minister with several other Walloon catholics, because there is no minister representatives the Christian workers of Wallonia in its government. He again seeks to gather the Christian workers estimating that the Flemish LNTC monopolizes the management positions in this fraction of the catholic world, but he meets a new failure. In 1932, at the time of the great insurrectionary strikes of 1932, it concludes an alliance with the Socialists. The government which is formed then under the presidency of Charles de Broqueville is a government directed with center-droite. Bodart, which was re-elected triumphantly in 1932, resigns of its station of deputy in 1933 to protest against the pursued policy. It thus carries to its roof its popularity in the Christian working world of the Hainaut. This time, he manages to gather this time the Walloon sections of the National league of the Christian workers and to make them vote for a resolution being opposed to the sépciaux capacities of the government (less that of Liege) and that in opposition with all regional Flemish (except Antwerp).

The only catholic dissidence of left successful in Wallonia

In 1936, at the time of the elections which will see the triumph of]; it creates a dissidence Christian-Democrat which will have - fact without precedent except the election of the Daens abbot to Alost - two elected officials (Bodart in Charleroi and Vouloir with Soignies). The decision had been strongly influenced by what the newspaper of the Christian-Democrats of Charleroi, the new life called a odious operation of the catholic federation of Charleroi and which it reported as follows: March 30th, 1936, Mr Drion declared a personality rexist of the district of Charleroi that on the assumption of a joint list between Christian-Democrats and conservatives to Charleroi, it would be happy to see Rex presenting a list so that one can have L skin of Bodart. On the Community level Bodart continues to fight to claim the equality of the Flemings and the Walloons, in particular within the Christian structures. He became director of the catholic daily newspaper of left the new City (launched on January 1st, 1937, but sick, he doiit to stop his activities. He takes them again in January 1938, but its first articles where he denounces the brimades undergone by the Walloon civils servant in the central administrations and imbalance between the two communities within the Christian organizations are censured. He launches a new daily newspaper then social justice.

Bringing together with Andre Renard

In the biography which it devotes to Élie Baussart which could criticize some of the attitudes of Bodart, Jean Neuville, sees at the same time in the step of Baussart and Bodart of the elements similar so that of André Renard during the General strike of the winter 1960-1961 will be the position. He suggests this step by explaining it by: Importance of the integration of certain elements nationalist (or at least ethnic), by those which, wanting to nourish a movement which must carry out the objective that they set, noted that economic contradictions are insufficient with this food. Certain bringings together with the standpoint of Andre Renard on the Walloon problem at the time of the strike of 1960-1961 and with the movements which led to conquer independence in the old colonies, would be perhaps full with enseignements.

A difficult end

He is then excluded from the National league of the Christian workers (March 10th, 1938), loses his political influence in the organizations but remains popular. It is necessary to await 1945 to see it taking again its political commitment. It is among the founders of the Belgian democratic Union (UDB), new attempt of the Christians progressists to make itself independent of the centrists and the catholic conservatives. This experiment is a failure and Bodart moves away from the policy: its health does not allow it to him more to be active and on the material plan, he survives only with the material aid of some friends.

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