Bélgica y la Guerra Civil: el impacto del conflicto español en la política y la diplomacia de una pequeña potencia

Abstract

The Spanish Civil War had a special impact on the inner political life of Belgium. The Belgian government, composed by a coalition of the 3 main parties (socialist, liberal and catholic), followed the French and British desire to keep non intervention. This decision was conditioned by different issues: an uptight social situation in the country in 1936, the general European peace, the pressure of public opinion and, in particular, of the catholic Church (the Belgian clergy was, as a matter of fact, hostile to the republican cause), and the recommendations of the Belgian diplomatic agents in Spain, who suffered the war in their daily life. The opposition of left-wing politicians provoked several crisis within the Socialist Party and even within the government. Volunteer recruitment was banned and military merchandise circulation was sternly restricted. But, nevertheless, many of these people and many of these goods were already leaving the country towards Spain.