Frontpartij
The Frontpartij ( Dutch for Front Party ) was a separatist party in Belgium . It was founded in the wake of the First World War and was the first party to propagate Flemish nationalism . Unlike some of its successor organizations, however, it clearly committed itself to the principles of democracy .
history
During the First World War , most of Belgium was occupied by German troops; the Belgian army only held the Yser area . Among the Flemish-speaking soldiers in the Belgian army, the front movement , which was directed against the exclusive use of French as the language of command . This movement was suppressed by the generals because they feared an anti-Belgian orientation. After the end of the war, the movement, which had since grown considerably, became a regular party. Their ideology was assigned to the left spectrum and contained strong socialist components.
In the Belgian parliamentary election on November 16, 1919, the Front Party received 3.5% of the vote and 5 of the 186 seats in the Chamber of Deputies . In the 1921 election it received 4 seats, 6 seats in 1925, 11 seats in 1929 and 8 seats in 1932. The party lost importance through splits like Verdinaso , which represented authoritarian to fascist positions. In 1933 the Frontpartij became part of the right-wing conservative Flemish National Association .
literature
Stanley Payne: History of Fascism. The rise and fall of a European movement. London 1995.