Walloon Earth

the Walloon Earth founded in October 1919 by Élie Baussart is a regionalistic monthly review of left which will appear until April 1940 regularly, only stopped by the second great world war.

A catholic Professor of left

Baussart was professor with the College of the Jésuites of Charleroi. Conscious of the indifference of the Catholic world Walloon with the Walloon Movement, and even to the problems of the ratios Flanders-Wallonia, it launched this review.

In 20 years of existence, the review knew more than 400 collaborators: the Jesuits Pierre Charles, the journalist Desired Denuit, the historian Felix Rousseau Albert Delpérée, Paul Struye, Willy Ball, Maurice Piron, Jules Destrée, Jean-Maurice Remouchamps, Marie Delcourt, etc… Without forgetting foreign great names like L.Sturzo, Dominican Stratmann, K.Turmer, J.M. of Semprun, G.Ferrari, the count Sforza, G.Lombroso, etc…

Élie Baussart viscéralement democratic, was viscéralement attached to the democratic institutions, with a deep sense of the people, the man as being social: the man-individual has imprescriptible rights, the men, it (S) people (S) also enjoy these same rights. To the 28e Walloon social Week of the Christian Labor movement of 1946, devoted to the ridge lines of the Democracy, it recalled the requirements of this mode: freedom because the rights which the man are inalienable and imprescriptible, justice, like says it Gonzague de Reynold: “The democracy enraciné in the consciences individual or collective that any man is a person, a value, must be treated like such and that the duty of the company is to provide him the means of achieving… its social rise. ” It follows that the democracy respects the dignity of the man, of this man who, in policy, passes from the state of object which one has with that “subject which acts. ”. The democracy calls it with responsibilities which it depends on him to exert with conscience and, often, to multiply them.

The concern for Wallonia and the dialog with the Flanders

In March 1914, E.B calls some with the creation “of a Walloon movement of origin and temperament catholics” The linguistic and cultural claims of the Flemings allowed that a Flemish Block across the ideological and political barriers is constituted. He repeats it after the war: this Block makes fear for Wallonia: if the Flemings present an united front, them which in addition are majority at the Parliament, they will be able to impose measurements which would harm the Walloon interests (article of November 1919 in Walloon Earth ). The law on the use of the languages in the Administration of 1921, marked by bilingualism is in its eyes an illustration of this fear: we have the feeling not to be freer to determine what is appropriate to us or not Baussart however recommends the dialog between the Flemish Mouvement and the Walloon Mouvement and thinks that the rights of the Flemings to the linguistic point of view are legitimate (articles March 1920 and October 1922). And the Federalism: By wouldn't the extension of freedoms of the provinces and communes, by the direct association of the communities to the municipal, regional and national activity, decentralization cleanse our political life, social and economic? According to him, to put the question is to answer it. With the threshold of the Thirties, the claim-symbol of the Flemings, in fact the flamandisation of the University of Ghent, are met. Linguistic homogeneity of the Areas, prelude to the cultural homogeneity. A point of nonreturn is reached. the Walloon Earth is delighted some. In 1930, Baussart publishes its Lettres with a Walloon on the linguistic question . It breaks with the Walloon Assemblée which it sees walled in a antiflamingantism sterile and unjust and joined the Walloon Concentration which wants to be federator many Walloon groupings and reflects on the federalism. It notes symbiosis between Flemish Mouvement and Flemish people but detects in the north of the country a wind of mysticism which tends to feed from the nationalist leavens, from where the idea which is spread that the Flanders can be sufficed for itself.

Baussart is federalistic because democratic: he considers that a federal Belgium does not have in oneself anything subversive provided that the “majority of the Flemish people” and the “majority of the Walloon people” want the federalism. But this pressing condition is not met ( Walloon Earth article October 1931).

A review antimaurassienne

The Inter-war period, the Thirties, transfers the democracy and its institutions hustled: governmental instability with 19 governments of which 10 were the tripartite ones. To the constraints of the negotiations the Community proportioning and of the internal tendencies is added (especially the Party catholiqu. It there with the appearance of nationalist and/or authoritative parties… without counting the influences of the Italian Fascism which in the catholic world will have sympathizers, without speaking about the Nazisme. In the stopped democracy François Perin devotes a chapter to the Réformes and reformers in Belgium , which shows how much the calling into question institutions was a reality and their reform considered not always in a democratic direction.

From the ideological point of view, the French Action of Charles Maurras and the Fascism of Mussolini, are characterized both by anti-démocratisme some, but influence the catholic world. Some escaped from it as the team from the Walloon Earth . In 1925, did the review publish a long article of the catholic lawyer Fernand Passelecq, For or against the parliamentary mode? (Anne Morelli showed that Passelecq fought with much energy against the French Action and was the Belgian catholic who supported best the Italian antifascists). Without denying the skids, the defective operation of the Parliament or corrections stigmatizes the unparliamentary adventure : Doctrinal conclusion: it is that the parliamentary institution, with its defects, its tares and its abuses real or possible, still appears, with all to take and taking into account the needs for government, like the least political evil. Practical conclusion of order: and it is that it is of extreme importance to hold the parliamentary mode with the height of its mission or for bringing back there, to unceasingly work to inform, to constantly reform, raise the public opinion, which is the original principle and the source of renewal, jaillissante This unambiguous position is published in 1925, that is to say before the judgment by Rome of the movement. In a booklet taking again the opinion of an about sixty catholic personalities, of which several of Walloon Earth , reaction to the survey carried out among the Belgian catholic youth, which revealed that Maurras was placed largely at the head of the 25 last year old writers. After one sees appearing in the Walloon Earth the signatures of L.Sturzo, founder in 1919 of the Italian Popular party, and F.Ferrari, lawyer at the Italian Court of appeal, member of the direction of P.P.I.adversaires savage of Fascism and in exile for this reason.

The crisis and appearance of Fascisms

The economic serious attack of the years 1930 does not finish any. In Flanders, in 1931, it is the foundation of the Verdinaso of which the goal is to create a State thiois (Flanders and the Netherlands. In 1933 it is the creation of the VNV which in addition to adhesion with the principle of the Chief, was anti-Belgian and asserted the autonomy of the Flanders. In Wallonia, the movement rexist is organized in these years there. The country knows four coalitions of the catholics and liberal until March 1935 followed of tripartite under the crook of Paul Van Zeeland. January 30th, 1933 Hitler is chancellor. October 3rd, 1935, Mussolini invades the Ethiopia. The social and international orientation of the Walloon Earth]] is accentuated without forsaking Wallonia. The signature of new collaborators appears: Désiré Denuit, old member of the J.O.C., which taught in Flanders of 1926 with 1929.Cette year, it enters to the newspaper the Evening as parliamentary writer. In the Walloon Earth , it will hold of the regular chronicles until the war day before. The democracy is in danger

The dictatorship it is the end of the parliamentary democracy. But it is not a fatal phenomenon for the Walloon Earth and its director: the practice of the special Pouvoirs makes the bed of the dictatorship (special capacities requested in December 1932 then from spring 1933). The review is severe with regard to the Démocrates Christians which accepted them, of the liberals and the preserving catholics: With hearing them, didn't our financial problems have their source in our social legislation? Hadn't the Parliament superabundantly proven its impotence and its harmful effect? Wasn't it urgent to remake by other methods health and prosperity of the country? Attacks combined and against the working statute and the mode - that at the time when a wind of Fascism blows on Europe, when liberal Germany is strangled by Hitler. One would like to prepare the bed of the dictator that one would not be caught there differently. law of the full powerss could not be voted by the representatives of a party which asserts Christian working democracy. To know if a democratic parliamentary majority would entrust a wide legislative power, and temporarily without control, with an executive in which the preserving element dominates and who does not escape the financial influences. By this fact, and in an environment which sweats the call to the dictator, to discredit the Parliament - not only parliamentary methods, the democratic system itself - struck of a verdict of incapacity and impuissance.

The Plan De Man and opposition to Leon Degrelle

During the publication of the Plan of Work of Henri De Man, the Walloon Earth wonders about the answer that will give to it the Christian democrats. If they say yes, it is the rupture of the catholilque Union, but “the unit of the face of the travaill” would be carried out. What a force at the time when obscure coalitions are worked out which threaten our political statute and our social conquests! That they come there then the frightened middle-class men and the fanatics of the force, in favor of some ashamed Fascism or solicitor. However, the Christian democrats rejected the Plan De Man! The publication of the work of Robert Poulet the revolution is on the right causes the anger of the review. Since 1935, one reads there: With the Walloon Earth we do not have any confidence in the movement rexist.

The years preceding the war were among more distressing with the international plan, but also worrying with the internal plan. The team of the Walloon Earth continues her combat. New signatures appear. Such is the case of the catholic lawyer, the Spaniard Mendizabal and that of the catholic Basque Semprun there Gurréa. They consolidate the conviction the review: the war déclanchée by Free, in July 1936, is not the catholic crusade of restoration against the Marxisme as one would like to make it believe, in particular in the catholic mediums.

With the internal plan, 1936 are marked by a broad strike movement (June) which leads to the satisfaction of certain working claims. One month earlier, the result of the legislative elections there are 21 Flemish rexists and 16 nationalists with the Room.

The first government Van Zeeland put in saddle in March 1936 was tripartite. To the war there will be 4 others of them (except 2 bipartite transitory between February and on September 3rd, 1939). This practice was regarded in an extremely critical way as a solvent for the democracy . Two years later, that third tripartite: Baussart refines its criticism. This type of government could be justified to avoid the catastrophe, in particular by deciding the devaluation. But the national union while being prolonged beyond the needs which gave birth to it, becomes a danger to the democratic institutions. What to say when it breaks up in a tripartite government which, surreptitiously, replaces it, or, publicly, continues it, or place holds some? It is the reign of the good pleasure Parliament, practically uncontrolled, republic of the comrades , by an exchange of concessions and reciprocal services… What should make it fear true democrats, it that it conveys with the idea of the sole party,… of sat one totalitarian modes… In any case, the abuse of the national union removes the control of the capacity by the Rooms and tends to make regard as abnormal the alternation of the parties in power, two essential conditions of the parliamentary mode.

For a Popular front in Belgium

But Henry Bauchau estimates that working youth is touched little by the rexism contrary to intellectual and middle-class youth ( Walloon Earth article July 1936). The working class either is hardly touched, because of its “distrust” and its “irreducible hostility” with Fascism (article November 1936). The countryside rexist Rex or Moscow constitutes a mortal danger to the country. (article October 1936) The duel between Paul Van Zeeland and Leon Degrelle, in April 1937 with Brussels is a failure for Degrelle and that can only delight the team of the Walloon Earth. Arsène Soreil calls Degrelle the demagog gallophobe and hitlérophile of Rex which gave the responsability itself to commit suicide: itself chose the day and the mode of its execution. The immediate threat of a dictatorship… does not weigh any more on the country and our policy. The working class… saved us - it only. But if the rexism died, the reaction of right-hand side it, is not it. The preserving tendency of the catholic party is strong. And if the rexists joined it? It would be a true Trojan horse in the catholic Block: undemocratic passion renforcerait.

Whereas spring 1936 had seen two Popular fronts gaining the elections: in France and in Spain (there with the continuations that one knows), that the electoral campaign rexist on the basis of Popular front (but not the same one as in the two above mentioned countries), than after the legislative ones of May the idea of a Flemish catholic Concentration had been also made (catholic Face) gained ground, the director of Walloon Earth also takes up the idea of a gathering in Belgium under the name of Popular front. According to him, the workmen spontaneously carried out this Face, at the time of the strikes of June which took to court the trade-union organizations. It is not necessary thus that it is lost. But the position of the parties in this respect is sensitive to the cold: the Christian democrats want nothing to hear of an agreement associating the Communists; the Socialists however want pledges of their communist sincerity. And yet, the realization of this democratic Face is urgent to prevent that the middle-class does not try to begin again of it had to concede. It thus returns to the trade-union organizations to prepare the realization of it and to the movements of young people like to the intellectuals popularizing the idea of it ( Walloon Earth article August 1936).

The role of Wallonia

In the North of the country, a boiling of ideas, events do not leave worry the team of the Walloon Earth . The idea and the attempt at a Concentration (catholic) Flemish make their way in the months which follow the elections. It would be founded on the Fédéralisme and the Corporatisme (what will not succeed). In addition to Verdinaso, a bringing together between VNV and rexism take place in summer 36. Désiré Denuit is questioned: Flanders, authoritative or democratic nation? (article August 1936 and February 1937) while E.Baussart fears that these evolutions flamanbdes towards totalitarianism do not force yet any more the Walloon Country to claim autonomy. But Wallonia will not be alone in this combat because there remains in Flemish country of immense democratic reserves in which it includes the socialist masses (article February 1937). In 1938, Baussart draws up the assessment of the started adventure in October 1919. But for the present moment, a question dominates all the others: it is the safety of the democracy. Because after Fascism, after the advent of national-socialisme it is with which will not swear any more but by the authoritative principle and methods. The democracy has its weaknesses and its defects, but it is the last and the single rampart of freedom; also let us beg we it to defend oneself, and it can save only by its own principle, freedom (article September 1938). The team of the Walloon Earth is anxious and its organizer is not it less. With Willy Ball, Baussart makes appear in the n° of October and November 1938, a long article in favor of a powerful gathering Walloon whose base can be only the defense of the democracy. In May 1940, it is the invasion: the collaborators of the Walloon Earth broke their feather… and ventures it Walloon Earth finished. But several found themselves the shortly after the Libération to take again the task, in particular within the Walloon National congress.

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