People's Union (, , abbr. VU) was a
Flemish nationalist
The Flemish Movement (, ) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemish cultu ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, formed in 1954 as a successor to the
Christian Flemish People's Union.
The Volksunie defined itself as a
big tent
A big tent party, or catch-all party, is a political party having members covering a broad spectrum of beliefs. This is in contrast to other kinds of parties, which defend a determined ideology, seek voters who adhere to that ideology, and att ...
and
catch-all party that combined support from the left and right with the main goal of focusing on increased Flemish autonomy and establishing more linguistic and political rights for the Flemish community. The party also based its platform on
civic nationalism
Civic nationalism, otherwise known as democratic nationalism, is a form of nationalism that adheres to traditional liberal values of freedom, tolerance, equality, and individual rights, and is not based on ethnocentrism. Civic nationalists ...
over radicalism in order to foster a more legitimate image. It also contained members sympathetic to
federalism
Federalism is a mode of government that combines a general level of government (a central or federal government) with a regional level of sub-unit governments (e.g., provinces, State (sub-national), states, Canton (administrative division), ca ...
and full
separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...
, with its stance on whether to secede Flanders from Belgium or redefine Belgium as a federal nation in which Flanders had devolved power changing with its leadership. The VU participated in three coalitions with the Belgian government during its existence and has been credited by historians with successfully bringing the issue of Flemish nationalism to mainstream Belgian politics and implementing its federalist objectives. However, the party later suffered from ideological schisms which resulted in a decline in support before it was dissolved in 2001.
Early history
The party was officially founded in 1954 as the successor to the
Christian Flemish People's Union (''Christelijke Vlaamse Volksunie'', CVV) electoral alliance, which had successfully run for election
that year. It originated from the loose
Flemish movement
The Flemish Movement (, ) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgium, Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemis ...
, which included different organisations seeking to promote Flanders and call for more political freedom for the Flemish community. The Flemish movement varied from wanting to secure more linguistic, cultural and political rights for Flanders within the Belgian state to wanting the total secession of Flanders from Belgium or even reunification with the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
under the
Greater Netherlands
Greater Netherlands (, ) is an irredentist concept which unites the Netherlands, Flanders, and sometimes Brussels. Additionally, a Greater Netherlands state may include the annexation of the French Westhoek, Suriname, formerly Dutch-speaking a ...
concept. In the second half of the nineteenth century, Flemish nationalists operated within the established political partieshey chief and initially had close ties with the political left such as the
Vermeylenfonds movement.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, previous Flemish nationalist groups such as the
Flemish National League (''Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond'', VNV) collaborated with the Nazis, who had promised them increased Flemish autonomy. That initially complicated the postwar re-emergence of Flemish nationalism
[ although only a faction of the broader movement had actually pursued an agenda of collaboration.][De Winter, 2004, pp. 4-5.] After the only outlets for organised Flemish nationalism were charitable groups dedicated to war veterans and the dominant Christian Social Party (''Christelijke Volkspartij'', CVV), which was not avowedly nationalist but had a separatist wing.[Mudde, ''Ideology of the Extreme Right'', p. 83]
As a result, the Volksunie sought to build a strong alliance of Flemish nationalists under one movement but was careful to choose its leaders from nationalist circles that had not collaborated with the Nazis. Ideologically, the Volksunie preferred to position itself around the centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
and saw itself as a coalition of various shades of Flemish thought as a big tent
A big tent party, or catch-all party, is a political party having members covering a broad spectrum of beliefs. This is in contrast to other kinds of parties, which defend a determined ideology, seek voters who adhere to that ideology, and att ...
party with the objective of pursuing further autonomy and a sense of national identity for the Flemish region. To distance itself from prewar nationalism, the VU sought to promote its brand of nationalism as civic nationalism
Civic nationalism, otherwise known as democratic nationalism, is a form of nationalism that adheres to traditional liberal values of freedom, tolerance, equality, and individual rights, and is not based on ethnocentrism. Civic nationalists ...
, as opposed to nationalism based on ethnic and racial sentiments, to gain credibility and wider support. As a result, the party was initially able to bring together various strands of scattered Flemish nationalists into a coherent movement. The party was closely aligned to the Order of Flemish Militants (''Vlaamse Militanten Orde'', VMO) during the 1950s, with the VMO handling propaganda, recruitment and campaign work for the VU. However, the groups began to drift apart, as the VU moved to the centre while the VMO began to turn to the extreme right. The two movements formally broke ties in 1963.[Mudde, ''Ideology of the Extreme Right'', p. 83]
The party contained members from the left, right and centre of the political spectrum from socialists to right-wing conservatives, and it differed from other Belgian parties by putting Flemish nationalism at the forefront of its image and platform as opposed to basing its policies on a right or left-of-centre identity. At a European level, the Volksunie was a member of the European Free Alliance
The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political party that consists of various regionalist, separatist and minority political parties in Europe. Member parties advocate either for full political independence and sovereignty, or some ...
, which contained other separatist and regionalist parties.
Initial success
The party initially proved successful and had members elected to the Chamber of Representatives (five) and the Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
(two) of the Belgian Federal Parliament
The Federal Parliament (; ; ) is the bicameral parliament of Belgium. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). It sits in the Palace of the Nation in the centre of the nation's capital, Brussels ...
in 1961. The party continued to grow in stature and reached the 11.0% at the national level in 1978 elections, gaining 21 representatives and went on to participate in the Belgian government as a coalition partner. This enabled the party to become the first electorally successful Flemish nationalist party and bring the agenda of Flemish autonomy on the mainstream political stage. In government, the VU was also able to ensure a Dutch language version of the Belgian constitution was adopted, gradually secured more regional powers for Flanders and worked to redefine Belgium as a federal rather than a unitary state.
Ideological splits and decline
The acceptance of federalism
Federalism is a mode of government that combines a general level of government (a central or federal government) with a regional level of sub-unit governments (e.g., provinces, State (sub-national), states, Canton (administrative division), ca ...
in place of separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...
by the VU in the 1970s did not sit well with the party's right-wing
Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
and separatist wing, and a split became inevitable, particularly after the party entered the coalition government
A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...
of Leo Tindemans ( CVP, Christian-Democrat). The right-wing separatist and national conservative
National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity, communitarianism and the public role of religion. It shares aspects of traditionalist conservatism and social conserva ...
faction broke away and organized itself in the Vlaams Blok, becoming a much stronger political force and surpassing Volksunie at the beginning of the 1990s (6.6% against VU's 5.9% in 1991 elections).
Although the party would continue to participate in two other coalition governments, the Volksunie continued its electoral decline (5.6% in 1999 elections against the 9.9% of the Vlaams Blok), with the internal divisions between the right-wing and left-wing members re-emerging in 2001. In the beginning of the 1990s, Bert Anciaux became party president and led the party in an ever more leftist and progressive direction, combining the social-liberal ideas of his iD21-movement with the regionalist course of the People's Union. These experiments were opposed by the more conservative leaning and separatist party base. Tension rose at the end of the 1990s when Geert Bourgeois
Geert Albert Bourgeois (; born 6 July 1951) is a Belgium, Belgian politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which he founded in 2001, who is currently serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. He previously served as the Mi ...
of the centre-right nationalist wing, was elected chairman by party members, in preference to the incumbent and progressive Patrik Vankrunkelsven. Factions subsequently clashed multiple times, over the future course of the party and possible support for current state reform negotiations. On 13 October 2001 the party openly split into three factions: the progressive wing around Bert Anciaux, the conservative nationalist wing around Geert Bourgeois
Geert Albert Bourgeois (; born 6 July 1951) is a Belgium, Belgian politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which he founded in 2001, who is currently serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. He previously served as the Mi ...
, and a centrist group opposing the imminent split. An internal referendum was held on the future of the party.
The right wing won a large plurality at a party referendum, with 47 percent. However, while it inherited Volksunie's structure, it did not take the Volksunie name due to falling short of a majority and not being allowed to use the party name under Belgian electoral law. Instead, it reconstituted itself as a new party, and re-registered itself as the New Flemish Alliance
The New Flemish Alliance ( ; N-VA) is a Flemish Movement, Flemish nationalist, Conservatism, conservative Political parties in Belgium, political party in Belgium. The party was established in 2001 by the right-leaning faction of the centrist-na ...
(''Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie'', or N-VA). The left wing under Anciaux broke off and became Spirit, while the liberal members joined the Flemish Liberals and Democrats. The two parties proceeded to form new electoral alliance
An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections.
E ...
s, known in Belgium as cartels
A cartel is a group of independent market participants who collaborate with each other as well as agreeing not to compete with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the market. A cartel is an organization formed by producers ...
, with the N-VA allying with Christian Democratic and Flemish
Christian Democratic and Flemish (, ; CD&V) is a Flemish Christian-democratic political party in Belgium. The party has historical ties to both trade unionism ( ACV) and trade associations ( UNIZO) and the Farmer's League. Until 2001, the party w ...
and Spirit with the Socialist Party - Different. These cartels broke up in 2008 as the parties continued their decline, until the N-VA experienced a sudden resurgence in 2009, eventually becoming the largest party in Flanders and going on to participate as a coalition partner in the Belgian government, while Spirit ceased to exist, merging with Groen
Groen or de Groen is a surname of Dutch people, Dutch origin, meaning ''green''.big tent
A big tent party, or catch-all party, is a political party having members covering a broad spectrum of beliefs. This is in contrast to other kinds of parties, which defend a determined ideology, seek voters who adhere to that ideology, and att ...
movement that encompassed policy ideas from all over the political spectrum, but regarded Flemish nationalism and autonomy as its core objective above all else. The VU promoted the use of the Dutch language and recognition of Flemish cultural identity and heritage. It also successfully called for the establishment of a Flemish Parliament
The Flemish Parliament (Dutch language, Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislature, legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic reg ...
, more devolved decision making powers, political reform, the separation of Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant ( ; ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also ...
from the former Brabant province and the St. Michael's Agreement of 1992 which re-established Belgium as a federal country. Behind its nationalist image, the party's underlying ideology shifted with the leadership. For example, under the leadership of Jaak Gabriëls and Geert Bourgeois
Geert Albert Bourgeois (; born 6 July 1951) is a Belgium, Belgian politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which he founded in 2001, who is currently serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. He previously served as the Mi ...
, the VU took on a right-wing identity whereas under Bert Anciaux the VU was steered in a centre-left direction. Although the party's focus on protecting Flemish interests initially attracted support, the ideological difference between the VU's wings and the acceptance of Federalism
Federalism is a mode of government that combines a general level of government (a central or federal government) with a regional level of sub-unit governments (e.g., provinces, State (sub-national), states, Canton (administrative division), ca ...
over full Flemish independence alienated the VU's separatist and national conservative
National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity, communitarianism and the public role of religion. It shares aspects of traditionalist conservatism and social conserva ...
flank who left to form '' Vlaams Blok,'' taking some of the VU's voters with it.[Mudde, 2003, p. 85.] By the early 2000s, the party's splits resulted in the more dominant conservative faction forming the N-VA (which adopted a position of supporting a confederal Belgian state as a means of paving the way for Flemish independence) and the centre-left faction becoming Spirit. A majority of former VU leaders and members either joined the N-VA or Spirit, with a smaller number joining the Open VLD
The Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (, , Open Vld) is a Flemish liberal political party in Belgium. The party has been described as centre-right and has smaller factions within the party that have conservative liberal and social liberal ...
, Vlaams Blok or the CD&V.
Party chairman
* Walter Couvreur: 1954-1955
* Frans Van der Elst: 1955-1975
* Hugo Schiltz: 1975-1979
* Vic Anciaux: 1979-1986
* Jaak Gabriëls: 1986-1992
* Bert Anciaux: 1992-1998
* Patrik Vankrunkelsven: 1998-2000
* Geert Bourgeois
Geert Albert Bourgeois (; born 6 July 1951) is a Belgium, Belgian politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which he founded in 2001, who is currently serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. He previously served as the Mi ...
: 2000-2001
* Fons Borginon: 2001
Electoral results
Federal Parliament
Chamber of Representatives
Regional parliaments
Flemish Parliament
European Parliament
See also
* List of political parties in Flanders
References
{{Belgian political parties
Defunct political parties in Belgium
Flemish political parties in Belgium
Flemish Movement
Nationalist parties in Belgium
1954 establishments in Belgium
Political parties established in 1954