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Belgium: Flemings and Walloons. By: Riley Duncan Brielle Jamar Jackie Bates. Belgium. Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. Capital city- Brussels Located between Netherlands and France, causing a language conflict. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic.
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Belgium: Flemings and Walloons By: Riley Duncan Brielle Jamar Jackie Bates
Belgium • Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. • Capital city- Brussels • Located between Netherlands and France, causing a language conflict. • The majority of the population is Roman Catholic. • Belgium became independent in 1830.
Flemings • Flemings are the Dutch speakers of Belgium. • They live in the northern part of the country. • Make up about 60% of Belgian population.
Walloons • Walloons are the French speakers of Belgium. • They live in the southern part of Belgium. • Make up about 35% of Belgian population.
Flemings and Walloons • In 1993, Belgium’s constitution was amended, and the Walloons and Flemings became self-governing regions within Belgium. • The Walloons were the dominant group for along time, but after World War II, the Flemings have grown to be more dominant and have a better economy than Walloons.
Brussels • Brussels is the capital city of Belgium. • It is located in the Flemish part of Belgium. • However, Brussels is 85% French-speaking. • Brussels is a political center for the European Union. • Brussels is also the headquarters for NATO.
History • Around the 4th Century, the Franks established control over modern day Belgium. • The Netherlands had a lot of influence on the north, so people in the north spoke Dutch. • France had influence on the south, so the people spoke French.
History • The “Austrian Netherlands” came in to power in 1713 • They provided Belgium with autonomy. • The country grew and flourished under the rule. • However, in 1795, France took over the country.
History • France governed Belgium directly, taking away its autonomy. • In 1815, a coalition of European powers defeated Napoleon and the French, and Belgium became a part of the Netherlands. • The region began to grow again, but it was limited because of the language divide.
Belgian Revolution • The Dutch king did not pay attention to the Belgians, however. • The Belgians revolted, and declared their independence on October 4, 1830. • The Dutch king threatened to go to war over the issue, but France and England stopped a war from happening, and declared Belgium a country.
History • Belgium’s economy continued to develop, but once again, the language divide limited it. • The government and upper classes operated in French, and the Flemings felt left out. • The Flemings started movements in the 1850’s to make Dutch an official language. • Dutch was not declared an official language until 1898.
History • In the 1960’s and 1970’s, the conflict rose again, eventually leading to violence in 1980. • In 1993, amendments to the Belgian Constitution were made, which eased the conflict, and separated the two sides involved in the conflict.
History • There is now a law that establishes the language boundary. • In the north, everything is in Dutch, and in the south everything is French. • The capital city Brussels is the only place where everything has to be in both languages. • There have been attempts to unify the country’s language, but they have been unsuccessful.
Conflict • Even though there are multiple tongues, the conflict is now minimal. • There are no major aggressive, territorial, or communication problems.
A Suggestion to the UN • One of our suggestions to the UN is to teach both languages in schools. • This would be a centripetal force that would eliminate the boundary. • Walloons and Flemings would be less divided.
Another Suggestion to the UN • Another suggestion is to declare one official language. • This may be hard at first, but in the long term it would pay off. • Belgium would be a more united country in the future.
Bibliography • "Belgium." Encyclopedia Americana. 2010. Grolier Online. 18 Feb. 2010 <http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0041050-00>. • Murphy, Alexander B. "Belgium." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2010. Grolier Online. 19 Feb. 2010 <http://gme.grolier.com/article?assetid=0029530-0>. • Helmreich, Jonathan E. "Belgium." Lands and Peoples. 2010. Grolier Online. 18 Feb. 2010 http://lp.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article>. • Clough, Shepard B. "Walloons." Encyclopedia Americana. 2010. Grolier Online. 18 Feb. 2010 <http://ea.grolier.com/article?id=0408890-00>.
http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display.aspx?categoryid=4&entryid=1220632&searchtext=belgium&type=simple&option=all&searchsites=1,3,4,5,6,7,http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display.aspx?categoryid=4&entryid=1220632&searchtext=belgium&type=simple&option=all&searchsites=1,3,4,5,6,7, • "Belgium." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com>. • "Brussels." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. <http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com>. • CIA World Factbook. 20 Jan 2010. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/be.html>.
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