Description
Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1963. Between 1945 and 1951, Belgium faced a crisis in political leadership when its ruling monarch, King Leopold III, was accused of violating the Belgian Constitution during World War II. The question at hand refers to the uncertainty over whether King Leopold III could return to Belgium as king. Leopold III and the Belgian Royal Question documents the history of this political crisis, culminating with the abdication of King Leopold and the assumption of the crown by Baudouin, Leopold's son.
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Monarchy: Its Origins and Functions
The Nature of the Belgian Monarchy
Elements of Division in Belgium
Leopold III and His Relationship to the Monarchy
Leopold's Philosophy of Kingship
Chapter 2. The Policy of Independence-Neutrality
The Collapse of Collective Security and International Alliance
The Policy of Independence-Neutrality
The Government's Defense of Independence-Neutrality
Chapter 3. The Eighteen-Day Campaign and the Summer of 1940
The Battle
The Separation of King and Government
The Government-in-Exile
Chapter 4. The Royal Question Takes Shape
Contacts between King and Government, 1940-1944
The King's Political Testament
The Battle Lines Form
Chapter 5. The Government's Case Against Leopold
Introduction
The Charges
The Country Waits for the King's Defense
Chapter 6. Leopold's Defense: The Report of the Commission of Information
The Prewar Period and the Eighteen-Day Campaign
The Question of Constitutionality
Leopold's Defense against the Government's Accusations
Summary and Conclusions
Chapter 7. The End of the Royal Question
The Two-Year Stalemate
Relations between King and Government, 1947-1949
The Consultation
The Elections of June 4, 1950, and the End of the Leopold Affair
Chapter 8. Summary and Conclusions
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
