Gendarmes Facing Political Violence: Belgium, 1918–1940

Abstract

Political violence must be understood in a given time and space.¹ In interwar Belgium, violence occurred within a relatively moderate context in respect of both its duration and form; there were no revolutions, civil wars or armed rebellions. Rather, outbreaks of violence were infrequent, intense but brief, and arose within the normal process of democratic conflict in a peaceful society. Nevertheless, the forms and motives of violence in the Belgian case are representative of wider patterns. Political violence broke out during riots, strikes and demonstrations, and the goal of perpetrators was always to transform the state and society. Only rarely did it entail damage to private or public property. Violent episodes were collective, not individual; they were the work of structured and hierarchical groups of people who shared aims and interests, who gathered together in associations, leagues, parties or pressure groups. For all these reasons, they are worthy of study despite the more moderate context compared to other countries.