André Renard (; 25 May 191120 July 1962) was a
Belgian trade union
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
leader who, in the aftermath of
World War II
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 ...
, became an influential figure within the
Walloon Movement
The Walloon Movement () is an umbrella term for all Belgium political movements that either assert the existence of a Walloon identity and of Wallonia and/or defend French culture and language within Belgium, either within the framework of the 1 ...
.
Born into a working-class family, Renard was as a metalworker in the
Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
region in
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
in the era of the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
before becoming involved in the Federation of Metalworkers of Liège (''Fédération des métallurgistes de Liège'') in 1937. He established an underground trade union in
German-occupied Belgium 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 ...
which sought to unite socialist and communist unions within a united trade union (''syndicat unique''). He emerged as a powerful figure within trade unionism in the aftermath of the
Liberation of Belgium.
Renard entered the newly established
General Labour Federation of Belgium (''Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique'', FGTB) in 1945 and emerged as a political figure with a national reputation in following years. He became increasingly interested in
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 ...
at the time of the
Royal Question in 1950 in which he was a vocal critic of the return of
King Leopold III. He was prevented from becoming secretary-general of the FGTB in 1952 but was able to take the deputy secretary-general role with responsibility for Wallonia. The acrimonious failed
general strike of 1960–1961 revealed the split between Walloon and Flemish aspirations and led to Renard's resignation in 1961.
Renard's political thinking, which became termed "
Renardism" after his death, reflected the belief that left-wing political groups in Belgium should embrace federalism as a means to achieve radical social reform in a way not possible in a unitary state. After his resignation, Renard founded the (''Mouvement Populaire Wallon'', MPW) but died prematurely in July 1962. His ideals remained influential within the Walloon Movement after his death.
Biography
Early life, 1911–1944
André Gilles Guillaume Renard was born into a working-class family in
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
on 25 May 1911. His parents were Belgian and he grew up in the industrial region around
Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
in
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
in eastern Belgium. He began working at the steelworks of
SA John Cockerill in
Seraing in 1927 and soon moved to the
Société métallurgique d'Espérance-Longdoz but was fired in 1935 in the midst of the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. Although re-hired at Cockerill, he participated in the
general strike of 1936. He had taken
evening classes in his spare time and was able to begin a career within the Federation of Metalworkers of Liège (''Fédération des métallurgistes de Liège'') in 1937. In
trade union
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
circles, he acquired a reputation as a leading figure among younger radical leaders.
Renard was mobilised into the
Belgian Army
The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the Land warfare, land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land ...
at the start of 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 ...
. He participated in the
18 Days' Campaign in May 1940 and spent two years as a
prisoners of war in Nazi Germany. He was allowed to return to
German-occupied Belgium in 1942 and made contact with the resistance group (''Armée de la libération'', AL). He became involved in resistance activities himself and was involved in the attempt to form an underground trades union called the Unified Syndical Movement (''Mouvement syndical unifié'', MSU) which was intended to unite workers of all political persuasions in opposition to the officially-sanctioned (''Union des travailleurs manuels et intellectuels'', UTMI) established with an explicitly
corporatist objective. He married Renée Lurquin on 10 September 1942.
It was during the latter stages of the occupation that Renard first consolidated his ideas on trade unionism that would become known as
Renardism. He published a collection of political essays entitled ''Pour la révolution constructive'' (1944) shortly after the
Liberation of Belgium.
Syndicalist leader, 1944–1961
According to the historian Pierre Tilly, Renard emerged from the war as the "new strongman of Liège syndicalism". He was a leading advocate of the united trade union (''syndicat unique'') model which had been pioneered in the MSU. He became president of the newly established
General Labour Federation of Belgium (''Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique'', FGTB) which combined various left-wing unions into a single powerful federation. The position gave him wider political influence as well as considerable power within the labour movement. He cultivated a flamboyant lifestyle which further added to his public persona. In the immediate post-war years, contrary to some others on the left, he voiced support for the
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...
and
Benelux Economic Union in 1948 and the
European Coal and Steel Community
The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a European organization created after World War II to integrate Europe's coal and steel industries into a single common market based on the principle of supranationalism which would be governe ...
in 1951. Renard was a vocal opposition of the return of
King Leopold III to the throne in the
Royal Question which came to a head in August 1950. In the crisis and ensuing strikes, he was able to pose himself as a spokesman for Walloon public opinion and became interested in
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 ...
.
Renard was blocked from succeeding
Paul Finet as general secretary of the FGTB in 1952. Instead, Finet was replaced by
Louis Major. Renard was promoted to the position of Deputy General Secretary, with responsibility for the FGTB's activities across Wallonia. By this point, his political thought had begun to focus on the idea of structural reform within Belgium which combined with the syndical unity and direct action already apparent in the MSU. Tilly writes:
Renard was most associated with the
general strike of 1960–1961 which began as an opposition to the austerity measures of the
Unitary Law initiated by the government of
Gaston Eyskens. The strike has been described as "one of the most serious class confrontations in Belgium's social history" and involved 700,000 workers across the country but predominantly in Wallonia. It exposed the increasing divisions between the priorities of Flemish and Walloon syndicalists and the strike ultimately failed amid bitterness and recrimination within the FGTB.
Walloon Popular Movement, 1961–1962
Renard blamed the national FGTB leadership for the failure of the general strike. He resigned from his position as deputy secretary general in 1961. He became increasingly interested in Walloon regionalism as a means to build a left-wing coalition that would pave the way for further economic democratisation. The same year, he established a federalist political movement called the (''Mouvement Populaire Wallon'', MPW) in 1961 which attracted a number of individuals who would subsequently emerge as leading figures within Walloon politics in the increasingly polarised linguistic politics of the 1970s and 1980s.
Death and posthumous influence
Renard died on 20 July 1962, aged just 51. After his death, "Renardism" continued to serve as an intellectual influence in the
Walloon Movement
The Walloon Movement () is an umbrella term for all Belgium political movements that either assert the existence of a Walloon identity and of Wallonia and/or defend French culture and language within Belgium, either within the framework of the 1 ...
. He was named in a 1985 poll as the second most influential Walloon political figure after
Jules Destrée. The André Renard Foundation (''Fondation André Renard'') was established in 1963.
See also
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Regionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a political ideology that seeks to increase the political power, influence and self-determination of the people of one or more subnational regions. It focuses on the "development of a political or social system based on one or mo ...
*
Belgian general strikes
*
History of the Walloon Movement
References
Biography
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Further reading
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External links
Le renardisme, un héritage durable ?at the Institut d'histoire ouvrière, économique et sociale (IHOES)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renard, Andre
1911 births
1962 deaths
Belgian socialists
Belgian trade unionists
People from Valenciennes
Socialism in Belgium
Syndicalists
Belgian syndicalists
Walloon movement activists
Walloon people
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Belgian prisoners of war in World War II
Belgian resistance members