Many Walloon Congresses were held at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, of which most important was without question that of 1905 and that of 1913 (which fixed the colors of the Walloon Drapeau and instituted a semi-official Walloon Parliament with the assistance of a very great number of socialist members of Parliament and liberals).
Without denying this importance of the first Walloon Congresses, one can think that most important took place of 1945 to 1960 to one time when the Walloon movement knew some tops of notoriety and influence which it was going to find in the years 1960 to 1990 with the end of which, his principal demand was satisfied, namely an autonomy wide and still called to extend.
The Congress of Liege of the October 20th and 21st 1945
A Walloon Congress which was entitled itself Walloon National congress held with Liege the 20 and October 21st 1945. , chaired by Joseph Merlot, the national term stating not that it covered an official character but that it had the ambition to be expressed in the name of Wallonia what certain historians consider now if not as justified entirely at least like admissible. Moreover, in 1947, the majority of the Walloon members of Parliament supported at the Belgian Parliament a proposal inspired of the conclusion of the Congress of 1945, that is to say a proposal founding the federalism: the proposal was disallowed by the deputies Flemish, of Brussels and the Walloon deputies of the PSC: on the 51 favorable Walloon deputies, there were 40 Walloons (the Room counted 76 Walloon deputies), 8 French-speaking Inhabitants of Brussels (on thirty), 3 Flemings (out of 96).
A vote with 46% in favor of the meeting in France
The congressmen decided initially with a relative majority (46%) in favor of the meeting of the Wallonia to the France. Following a speech of François Simon who evokes besides the incidents of the battles of the Lily.
The option which had then their favor was autonomy within the Belgian framework (nearly 40% of the votes), then the independence of Wallonia (14%), demonstration for once clear and precise of a Walloon Indépendantisme which was often more implicit than explicit, finally of simple solutions of decentralization within the Belgian unit framework (a little more than one % of the votes).
The rallying with (idiot) the federalism
The Congress adopted finally unanimously the position defended by Fernand Dehousse which had before made the most masterly speech and more applauded, that is to say autonomy within a confederal framework (but undoubtedly going to features of confederalism). The Speech of F.Dehousse on the federalism, law professor international with the University of Liege at the time, is also a beautiful lesson on the Fédéralisme.
Deduct votes
On the site of a publication of the Walloon region, this event is well explained and in particular the exact calculation, in 1945, of the voices in favor of the four options.
The final short speech of Charles Plisnier
The Congress ended in a vibrating short speech of Charles Plisnier which, implicitly, supported the thesis rattachist (that it will give up later), by estimating that the option for the Fédéralisme was the last test of agreement within the Belgian framework which, if it did not réuississait, would force “to call France with the help”.
Although that was disputed, it seems well now that this Ore baskets had some representativeness, even was representative of the opinion in Wallonia. This thesis was defended with nuances by Philippe Raxhon. Other Congresses were held with Charleroi the following year, then with Brussels and Namur.
Rallying of Andre Renard with the extraordinary Walloon National congress of 1950
With the Walloon National congress of Charleroi, in March 1950,
following the rejection of the return
of the king Léopold III
by the Walloon opinion a few days before,
André Renard brought the rallying of the socialist trade unions of Liege.
External bond
- To read a historical play of Jean Louvet on the Walloon National congress of 1945. It is about an order of the Institute Jules Destrée and Walloon region, the warning . Although it is about a fictional texture, the majority of the described events are authentic. The theater was put at the service of passed to make it live again. A synthesis is also carried out by the Encyclopedia of the Walloon movement
See too
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