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Paul van Zeeland | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Van Zeeland in 1937 | |
| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
| In office 25 March 1935 – 23 November 1937 | |
| Monarch | Leopold III |
| Preceded by | Georges Theunis |
| Succeeded by | Paul-Emile Janson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paul Guillaume van Zeeland (1893-11-11)11 November 1893 Soignies, Belgium |
| Died | 22 September 1973(1973-09-22) (aged 79) City of Brussels, Belgium |
| Political party | Catholic Party |
Paul Guillaume, Viscount van Zeeland (11 November 1893 – 22 September 1973) was a Belgian lawyer, economist, Catholic politician and statesman.
van Zeeland was born inSoignies. He was a professor of law and later director of the Institute of Economic Science at theCatholic University of Leuven (Leuven), and vice-governor of theNational Bank of Belgium.
In March 1935, he became thePrime Minister of a government of national unity (a coalition comprising the three major parties:Catholics,Liberals andSocialists). Given decree powers, he abated a national economic crisis by devaluing the currency and implementing expansive budgetary policies.
van Zeeland's government resigned in the spring of 1936 due to the agitation ofRexism, a Belgian fascist movement. On 24 May 1936,general elections were held. The Labour party won 70 of 202 seats (minus 3), Zeeland'sCatholic Party 61 seats (minus 18) and the new Rexists 21 seats. Van Zeeland continued as Prime Minister leading a government of national unity, composed of the three major parties (Catholics, Socialists and Liberals).
On 2 June 1936, awildcat strike among dockworkers in thePort of Antwerp broke out and quickly spread to other industrial regions without the endorsement of the country's major trades unions. It was characterised by the new tactic ofworkplace occupations. TheBelgian strike was unusual in uniting socialist and Catholic trade union federations in support. van Zeeland agreed to convene a "National Labour Conference" (Conférence Nationale du Travail) on 17 June 1936 to bring together trade union and company representatives. It brokered a compromise agreement including the introduction of a legalminimum wage, six days'paid holidays, and a maximum 40-hour working week for workers in particular industrial occupations. The strike formally ended on 2 July 1936.
After proclaiming martial law, his second government suppressed the Rexists. It introduced measures against unemployment, which helped ease the political tensions. Also during his second term, Belgium gave up its military alliance withFrance and reverted to its traditional policy ofneutrality, now dubbed a "policy of independence".
In spring 1937, Rexist leaderLéon Degrelle accused van Zeeland of having received money from the Belgian Nation Bank. van Zeeland denied this, but a commission found out he had received 330.000bfr.[1] He resigned as Prime Minister on 23 November, and the king namedPaul-Emile Janson as his successor.
In 1939, van Zeeland became president of theCommittee on Refugees, established inLondon, and was made High Commissioner for repatriating displaced Belgians in 1944. He was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1942.[2] In 1946, he was one of the founders of theEuropean League for Economic Cooperation.
After the war, van Zeeland served asMinister of Foreign Affairs in several Catholic governments between 1949 and 1954 and as economic advisor to the Belgian government and to the council of ministers of theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organisation. He was Honorary Secretary General of the Steering Committee of theBilderberg meeting.[3] In 1956, he finally retired from politics and became chairman of theBanque Belge d'Afrique.
In 2013, to the consternation of his family, it was discovered that he had founded a Panamanianoffshore company in 1946.[4][5]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Belgium 1935–1937 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| New office | President of theEuropean League for Economic Cooperation 1946–1949 | Succeeded by |
