Brigade Piron: /* See also */
[[File:Staking Vlaamse studenten te Leuven, voor de gevangenis werd de menigte uit elkaar geslagen.jpg|thumb|300px|Flemish students and [[Gendarmerie (Belgium)|Gendarmes]] clash in [[Leuven]], January 1968]]
The [[Catholic University of Leuven (1835–1968)|Catholic University of Leuven]] was one of [[Belgium]]'s major universities which split along linguistic lines after a period of civil unrest in 1967–68. It is commonly known as the "Leuven Affair" (''Affaire de Louvain'') in [[French language|French]] and, based on a slogan of the time, as "Flemish Leuven" (''Leuven Vlaams'') in [[Dutch language|Dutch]]. The crisis shook [[Belgian politics]] and led to the fall of the government of [[Paul Vanden Boeynants]]. It marked an escalation of the linguistic tension in Belgium after [[World War II]] and had lasting consequences for other bilingual institutions in Belgium within [[higher education]] and politics alike.
==Background==
===Flemish Movement and linguistic grievances===
[[Belgium]] became independent in 1830 with [[Languages of Belgium|a population divided roughly equally]] between [[French language|French]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch speakers]]. However, French was privileged as the ''[[lingua franca]]'' of the [[upper class]]es and [[high culture]]. This was reflected in the [[Catholic University of Leuven (1835–1968)|Catholic University of Leuven]], founded in 1835, which for most of its existence taught classes in French only, despite being situated in Dutch-speaking [[Flanders]]. Leuven, in particular, was an élite university favoured by Belgians from the [[Pillarization|Catholic "pillar"]] and closely associated with [[Catholic Party (Belgium)|Catholic politics]] and the [[Catholic Church in Belgium|Church]] itself.
During the nineteenth century, the [[Flemish Movement]] had emerged in Flanders to demand an enhanced status for the Dutch language. Provision of Dutch language higher education had been a major demand, especially at [[Ghent University]] where "[[Flamingant]]s" even collaborated with the [[German occupation of Belgium during World War I|German occupiers]] to create [[Von Bissing University|a Dutch-language university]] in 1916. From 1930 teaching at Leuven was provided separately in French or Dutch.
===Origins of the crisis===
The Flemish Movement made significant advances after [[World War II]], especially in the early 1960s. Their objective increasingly switched from [[bilingualism]] to regional unilingualism, a principle recognised by the [[Language legislation in Belgium#1962: Establishment of the language areas and facilities|Gilson laws of 1962]]. This made the French and Dutch sections in Leuven effectively autonomous but Flamingants demanded that the university be formally split. These demands became increasingly vocal after 1967.
The 1960s were also a time of unrest among the youth across Europe and the world, characterised by [[student protest]]s and "[[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]]". In France, this would culminate in [[May 1968 events in France|student unrest in May 1968]]. Student dissatisfaction was also facilitated by the rapid expansion of the number of students in many universities without an accompanying increase in facilities.
==Crisis==
The Leuven issue was raised on 5 November 1967 when about 30,000 Flemish activists marched in [[Antwerp]] to demand that the Catholic University become monolingual. They were supported by some parliamentarians from the Flemish wing of the [[Christian Social Party (Belgium)|Christian Social Party]] (CVP). Following the success of the Antwerp demonstration, Flemish students marched in [[Leuven]] to advocate similar demands. They carried banners reading "Walloons out" (''Walen buiten'') and "Flemish Leuven" (''Leuven Vlaams'') which shocked many French-speaking conservatives. In response, many French speaking students travelled to the tiny hamlet of [[Houte-Si-Plou]] in French-speaking [[Wallonia]] to create a [[satire|satirical]] "University of Houte-Si-Plou". Violent demonstrations continued in Leven.
The government of [[Paul Vanden Boeynants]] and the Catholic Church opposed the split and attempted to find a compromise, but this became impossible once the attitudes of both sides hardened. Negotiations between the two factions over January and February 1968 collapsed when the [[Bishop of Bruges]], Emiel Jozef De Smedt, gave a public speech advocating a split. This appeared to mark a break in the Church's position. On 6 February, the Vanden Boeynants coalition government collapsed as a result of the crisis.
The [[1968 Belgian general election|general elections which followed in March 1968]] brought the government of [[Gaston Eyskens]] to power. He released a government declaration on 24 June, announcing that the French section would move out of Leuven. The French section demanded that the Flemish section fund its relocation, since it had not demanded it. A plan was agreed for its relocation to a [[Planned community|planned town]] in Wallonia, dubbed "New Leuven" ([[Louvain-la-Neuve]]). The university's split was formalised soon afterwards, creating two new universities: the [[Université catholique de Louvain]] (UCL) and the [[Katholieke Universiteit Leuven]] (KUL).
==Aftermath==
[[File:Louvain-la-Neuve01 1999-11-16.jpg|thumb|View of [[Louvain-la-Neuve]], a planned town built to accommodate the French section of the university after 1971]]
===University===
Work on the construction of Louvain-la-Neuve begun in 1971. UCL relocated to the town soon afterwards, and it remains there to this day.
===Linguistic splits===
The Leuven affair marked the start of a series of institutional splits along linguistic lines in Belgium. The [[Free University of Brussels (1834–1969)|Free University of Brussels]], founded in 1834, split along linguistic lines in 1969, creating the [[Université libre de Bruxelles]] (ULB) and [[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]] (VUB).
Its impact was also felt in Belgian politics. The Leuven affair revealed a split between French and Dutch speaking factions within the Christian Social Party, especially in the 1968 elections where both factions had campaigned on different manifestos. The split was formalised in 1972 when the old party split along linguistic lines into the [[Centre démocrate humaniste|Parti social chrétien]] and [[Christelijke Volkspartij]]. Similar trends were reflected in other major parties, including the [[Liberal Party (Belgium)|Liberal Party]] which had divided in 1961 and formally split in 1972. The [[Belgian Socialist Party]] survived until 1978 when it also split.
The Leuven crisis also led to the rapid rise of regionalist political parties, such as the [[People's Union (Belgium)|Volksunie]] in Flanders and the [[DéFI|Front Démocratique des Francophones]] in [[Brussels]].
==See also==
*[[Second School War]] (1950–59), a Belgian political crisis over the issue of religion in education.
[[Category:1967 in Belgium]]
[[Category:1968 in Belgium]]
[[Category:Political history of Belgium]]
[[Category:Catholic University of Leuven]]
[[Category:Catholic University of Leuven before 1968]]
[[Category:History of Leuven]]
The [[Catholic University of Leuven (1835–1968)|Catholic University of Leuven]] was one of [[Belgium]]'s major universities which split along linguistic lines after a period of civil unrest in 1967–68. It is commonly known as the "Leuven Affair" (''Affaire de Louvain'') in [[French language|French]] and, based on a slogan of the time, as "Flemish Leuven" (''Leuven Vlaams'') in [[Dutch language|Dutch]]. The crisis shook [[Belgian politics]] and led to the fall of the government of [[Paul Vanden Boeynants]]. It marked an escalation of the linguistic tension in Belgium after [[World War II]] and had lasting consequences for other bilingual institutions in Belgium within [[higher education]] and politics alike.
==Background==
===Flemish Movement and linguistic grievances===
[[Belgium]] became independent in 1830 with [[Languages of Belgium|a population divided roughly equally]] between [[French language|French]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch speakers]]. However, French was privileged as the ''[[lingua franca]]'' of the [[upper class]]es and [[high culture]]. This was reflected in the [[Catholic University of Leuven (1835–1968)|Catholic University of Leuven]], founded in 1835, which for most of its existence taught classes in French only, despite being situated in Dutch-speaking [[Flanders]]. Leuven, in particular, was an élite university favoured by Belgians from the [[Pillarization|Catholic "pillar"]] and closely associated with [[Catholic Party (Belgium)|Catholic politics]] and the [[Catholic Church in Belgium|Church]] itself.
During the nineteenth century, the [[Flemish Movement]] had emerged in Flanders to demand an enhanced status for the Dutch language. Provision of Dutch language higher education had been a major demand, especially at [[Ghent University]] where "[[Flamingant]]s" even collaborated with the [[German occupation of Belgium during World War I|German occupiers]] to create [[Von Bissing University|a Dutch-language university]] in 1916. From 1930 teaching at Leuven was provided separately in French or Dutch.
===Origins of the crisis===
The Flemish Movement made significant advances after [[World War II]], especially in the early 1960s. Their objective increasingly switched from [[bilingualism]] to regional unilingualism, a principle recognised by the [[Language legislation in Belgium#1962: Establishment of the language areas and facilities|Gilson laws of 1962]]. This made the French and Dutch sections in Leuven effectively autonomous but Flamingants demanded that the university be formally split. These demands became increasingly vocal after 1967.
The 1960s were also a time of unrest among the youth across Europe and the world, characterised by [[student protest]]s and "[[Counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]]". In France, this would culminate in [[May 1968 events in France|student unrest in May 1968]]. Student dissatisfaction was also facilitated by the rapid expansion of the number of students in many universities without an accompanying increase in facilities.
==Crisis==
The Leuven issue was raised on 5 November 1967 when about 30,000 Flemish activists marched in [[Antwerp]] to demand that the Catholic University become monolingual. They were supported by some parliamentarians from the Flemish wing of the [[Christian Social Party (Belgium)|Christian Social Party]] (CVP). Following the success of the Antwerp demonstration, Flemish students marched in [[Leuven]] to advocate similar demands. They carried banners reading "Walloons out" (''Walen buiten'') and "Flemish Leuven" (''Leuven Vlaams'') which shocked many French-speaking conservatives. In response, many French speaking students travelled to the tiny hamlet of [[Houte-Si-Plou]] in French-speaking [[Wallonia]] to create a [[satire|satirical]] "University of Houte-Si-Plou". Violent demonstrations continued in Leven.
The government of [[Paul Vanden Boeynants]] and the Catholic Church opposed the split and attempted to find a compromise, but this became impossible once the attitudes of both sides hardened. Negotiations between the two factions over January and February 1968 collapsed when the [[Bishop of Bruges]], Emiel Jozef De Smedt, gave a public speech advocating a split. This appeared to mark a break in the Church's position. On 6 February, the Vanden Boeynants coalition government collapsed as a result of the crisis.
The [[1968 Belgian general election|general elections which followed in March 1968]] brought the government of [[Gaston Eyskens]] to power. He released a government declaration on 24 June, announcing that the French section would move out of Leuven. The French section demanded that the Flemish section fund its relocation, since it had not demanded it. A plan was agreed for its relocation to a [[Planned community|planned town]] in Wallonia, dubbed "New Leuven" ([[Louvain-la-Neuve]]). The university's split was formalised soon afterwards, creating two new universities: the [[Université catholique de Louvain]] (UCL) and the [[Katholieke Universiteit Leuven]] (KUL).
==Aftermath==
[[File:Louvain-la-Neuve01 1999-11-16.jpg|thumb|View of [[Louvain-la-Neuve]], a planned town built to accommodate the French section of the university after 1971]]
===University===
Work on the construction of Louvain-la-Neuve begun in 1971. UCL relocated to the town soon afterwards, and it remains there to this day.
===Linguistic splits===
The Leuven affair marked the start of a series of institutional splits along linguistic lines in Belgium. The [[Free University of Brussels (1834–1969)|Free University of Brussels]], founded in 1834, split along linguistic lines in 1969, creating the [[Université libre de Bruxelles]] (ULB) and [[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]] (VUB).
Its impact was also felt in Belgian politics. The Leuven affair revealed a split between French and Dutch speaking factions within the Christian Social Party, especially in the 1968 elections where both factions had campaigned on different manifestos. The split was formalised in 1972 when the old party split along linguistic lines into the [[Centre démocrate humaniste|Parti social chrétien]] and [[Christelijke Volkspartij]]. Similar trends were reflected in other major parties, including the [[Liberal Party (Belgium)|Liberal Party]] which had divided in 1961 and formally split in 1972. The [[Belgian Socialist Party]] survived until 1978 when it also split.
The Leuven crisis also led to the rapid rise of regionalist political parties, such as the [[People's Union (Belgium)|Volksunie]] in Flanders and the [[DéFI|Front Démocratique des Francophones]] in [[Brussels]].
==See also==
*[[Second School War]] (1950–59), a Belgian political crisis over the issue of religion in education.
[[Category:1967 in Belgium]]
[[Category:1968 in Belgium]]
[[Category:Political history of Belgium]]
[[Category:Catholic University of Leuven]]
[[Category:Catholic University of Leuven before 1968]]
[[Category:History of Leuven]]
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