Chapter 12 A few pages of documents sealed her fate

The modern Kingdom of Belgium consists of three parts: the Flanders Plain along the North Sea, the Ardennes in the east, and a low, coal- and iron-rich plateau between the plain and the mountains.In Belgium, the Meuse makes a beautiful arc, and then flows towards the lowlands not far to the north, where it enters the marshes. The three cities of Liege, Charleroi and Mons are the main deposits of coal and iron deposits (every great war for democracy has a strange habit of putting those cities rich in coal and iron in the newspapers. front page), they are rich in coal and iron deposits, and even if Germany, France and the United Kingdom were all mined, Belgium would still be able to provide the world with these two necessities of modern society for a relatively long period of time.

However, the coast of the Belgian Channel is very shallow, and there are sand beds and shoals all over the place. The situation is very complicated. Therefore, this country that is fortunate to have what the Germans often call "heavy industry" does not have a modern good port in the true sense.Although the Belgians dug up artificial harbors at Nieuwpoort, Ostend, and Zeebrugge, Antwerp, Belgium's most important artificial harbor, is 40 miles away from the North Sea, before the Scheldt enters the sea. The last 30 miles belonged to the Dutch.All this is extremely unreasonable.Geographically speaking, such an arrangement may be "accidental", but in a world where the fate of countries depends on a few pages of documents at international conferences by representatives of some countries, such an arrangement seems inevitable.Belgium is a country that was born directly from several international conferences.First of all, let's understand the history and see how those grown-ups who sat comfortably around the green table messed up the world.

The Gaul Belgica (belonging to the same nation as the earliest inhabitants of Britain and France) and some small Germanic tribes lived in the territory of the Roman Empire—Gaul, but in front of the powerful Roman master, these weak nations had to bow their heads Pride.The ancient Romans went all the way north, across the plains of Flanders, over the Ardennes, and ran to this impassable swamp.The later Kingdom of the Netherlands was conceived in this swampy area.In the era of Charlemagne, Flanders became a small province of the Franks (Charlemagne, 742-814, emperor of the Western Roman Empire, reigned 800-814. King of the Franks, 768-814——translation note).In 843 AD it was incorporated into the Middle Kingdom of Lothar under the ill-fated Treaty of Verdun.It was then divided into several semi-independent duchies, boroughs and bishoprics.Then, it was taken by the Habsburg family, the most talented real estate broker in the Middle Ages.However, the Habsburg family did not come here to look for iron coal, but to seek a stable agricultural harvest and rapid accumulation of trade income.Therefore, at that time the eastern part of Belgium (still the most important region today) was considered a wilderness.But Flanders still had every opportunity to develop its own potential, and by the 14th and 15th centuries it had become one of the most fertile regions in Northern Europe.

This is mainly due to the superior geographical position of Flanders, those medium-sized medieval ships can penetrate deep into the interior; also due to the extraordinary talents of the early rulers of this land, they adopted active incentives for the development of industry. , unlike other feudal lords at that time, who devoted themselves to the development of agriculture and despised capitalism extremely, just like the church despised lending for interest. Because of these wise policies, Ghent, Bruges, Ypres, and Cambrai gradually grew, developed, and prospered.And what they do, other countries can do as well, as long as those in power in these countries allow their people to take the opportunities they deserve.The decline of these early capitalist industrial centers was mainly due to a combination of geographical and human factors, with more human factors.

Changes in the tide in the North Sea were the main geographical influence, which deposited unexpectedly large quantities of sediment in the harbors of Bruges and Ghent, so that the land submerged them completely.And the trade unions (mutual aid societies), which at first appeared to be a powerful source of strength, gradually degenerated into tyrannical organizations with eyes like mice, which seemed to exist only to slow down and hinder all industrial activity. When the old dynasty here fell, France temporarily annexed Flanders.No one came out to interfere with these things.Under the situation at the time and the efforts of the representatives of the two countries, Flanders finally turned into a quiet countryside: white farmhouses, lovely small farms, beautiful ruins, the feelings of the old British lady must be inspired by all these Get up and paint the worst watercolors.But between the carefully polished boulders of the old house, green weeds still pop up, and they never stop growing.

The role of the Reformation movement was important.After a brief period of violent upheaval, Flanders abandoned Martin Lutheranism and remained a faithful member of the Holy See.After the Netherlands became independent, it hurriedly closed the last port of its old rival. In this way, Antwerp was cut off from Europe, and Belgium entered a long period of dormancy until the huge demand for Watt steam engines could not be met. Only then did people think of Belgium's rich natural resources. Foreign capital poured into the Meuse Valley quickly, and in just 20 years, Belgium became one of the major industrial countries in Europe.Since then, the Walloon region or the French-speaking area (west of Brussels) has prospered.Although its population accounts for only 42% of the country's total population, it is the richest region in Belgium.The Flemish, on the other hand, became a semi-servile peasant class, whose language could only be heard in the kitchen and stables, and which was never allowed to be spoken in the living room of a civilized home.

It is believed that international conferences can settle disputes once and for all and make peace permanent (like the Conference of Versailles more than a hundred years ago), but the 1815 Conference of Vienna further complicated things. The 1815 conference decided to unite Belgium and Holland into one kingdom, so that a powerful force would emerge north of France to rival France. While the Belgians rose against the Dutch, the French (as one might expect) rushed to the Belgians' aid.Despite the (always a little later) intervention of the Confederate states, by 1830 this peculiar political marriage had finally collapsed.Therefore, people elected the prince of the royal family of Coburg and the uncle of Queen Victoria (Uncle Leopold is a very serious gentleman, he exerted a deep influence on the little niece) as the king of Belgium (Leopold I, 1790— In 1865, he was originally the Prince of Saxony-Coburg in Germany. He married Queen Charlotte of England in 1816. Soon after Charlotte died, she married Louise-Marie, the eldest princess of the French king. Under the influence of the French July Revolution, Brussels A revolution broke out, and in July 1831, the National Assembly elected him as king. King of Belgium, reigned from 1831 to 1865. In 1839, Belgium's independence was internationally recognized——Translator's Note).He had just declined a similar invitation from the Greeks, and had no regrets about the choice, for the new Belgian kingdom had finally won, and although the Dutch had taken the mouth of the Scheldt, Antwerp had once again become a One of the most important ports in Western Europe.

Belgium was then officially declared "neutral" by the European powers, but the very clever Leopold II (son of the dynasty founder) had no illusions about this "keep off the lawn" and other paper talk ( Leopold II, 1835-1909, served as king from 1865 to 1909. During his reign, he relied on the industrial and commercial bourgeoisie internally, promoted a free trade policy, and turned Belgium into an industrial country; African Association". Later, it occupied a large area of ​​Congo in the name of individuals, known as the "Congo Free State". In 1908, it transferred this area to the Belgian government and turned it into a Belgian colony——Translator's Note).He tried his best to get the Kingdom of Belgium out of the status of a lingering third-rate small country, so that it would no longer depend on others and the favor of neighboring powers.When a gentleman named Henry Stanley returned to Europe from Central Africa, Leopold II kindly invited him to Brussels. The International African Association was the product of their talks, and it was through this association that Belgium became the modern world. One of the most powerful colonial powers.

Because it is located in the center of the most fertile region in Northern Europe, Belgium occupies a very favorable geographical position. Therefore, what it faces today is a national problem, rather than an economic problem.In terms of basic education, science and cultural development, the Flemish, the largest ethnic group in Belgium, has quickly surpassed the second largest ethnic group --- the French-speaking Walloons.Since the Flemish lost their right to manage the country after the kingdom became independent, they have been fighting for political rights.They insisted that Flemish be given equal status on par with French.

That's all for this question.Why did things develop to this point?I don't understand, I'm confused.Like cats and dogs, Flemings and Walloons cannot coexist peacefully, but they are of the same blood, and their common history is almost 2,000 years old.Next comes the Swiss, who speak four languages, German, French, Italian, and Leto-Roman (a strange Roman dialect that is preserved only in the Engadine Mountains), but they have nothing to say. Contradictions, can live in peace.Ethnic conflicts always have roots, but I frankly admit it is beyond my comprehension.