Archief Albert de Vleeschauwer van Braekel
Scope and content
De Vleeschauwer’s archives concern most aspects of his personal, familial and public life. Not all parts of his archives, however, are equally well represented. Some categories contain a lot of material, some of which is also new. Some parts concerning De Vleeschauwer’s personal life contain files on his academic career and his law practice. On the one hand, these files are important for the history of the University of Leuven. On the other hand, they also give insight into the social (especially concerning the Belgische Boerenbond) and professional network of De Vleeschauwer as lawyer and professor.
Files about the colonial policy also constitute an important part of the archive. The most interesting Congo files concern the war period. Through hundreds of reports, they show in detail how the colony, the Congolese people and the Belgians, lived through the war and were governed and exploited for the benefit of the allied military operations. The archives clearly shed light on the Second World War in general and the peripetia of the Belgian government in particular. It is especially the immense correspondence that informs us about De Vleeschauwer’s position in the cabinet, his relations with his colleagues, the way the government functions, the relations between the allies and the occupied nation, the attitude towards Leopold III, the preparation for the postwar period, etc.
De Vleeschauwer’s part in the ideological struggles after 1945 is clearly manifested in the files concerning the Royal Question and the School War. The return of Leopold III on the throne remained the topic of sharp political conflict for years. De Vleeschauwer can be counted among the ultra-Leopoldists. His archives give us a clear insight into the development of the conflict, especially when De Vleeschauwer, as Minister of the Interior, was responsible for the public order and was present at the final negotiations concerning the abdication of Leopold III. The files concerning the Leopoldist and/or anti-communist networks De Vleeschauwer clearly had bonds with, are closely related to this royal action. Other collections then show how he, as authoritative representative of the people, did all he could in opposition against the Collard education legislation during the School War.
The pieces with regard to De Vleeschauwer’s mandates and social commitment mostly concern SOCOGA, the lawsuit of the same name, and its consequence for his position in the party and his political career.
On the basis of Albert De Vleeschauwer’s archives, the political and colonial history of Belgium in 1935-1960 will not need to be rewritten. They do not containt material that provides fundamentally different insights. They do, however, confirm and/or refine the factual material of existing interpretations, allow for nuancing, and shed more light on the so far relatively unknown figure of the archive creator. This allows us to discover De Vleeschauwer’s real place in our political history.
Microfilm
The part in microfilm consists of (after-dinner) speeches and radio speeches which De Vleeschauwer gave during the Second World War, for example in England, Congo, the United States and South Africa. They were, among others, directed to the Belgians, seamen, students, several British institutes in response to the Rerum novarum, New Year, the anniversary of the invasion in Belgium, the war events in Africa, the national holiday, the Belgian National Radio in Leopoldstad, etc.
Files about the colonial policy also constitute an important part of the archive. The most interesting Congo files concern the war period. Through hundreds of reports, they show in detail how the colony, the Congolese people and the Belgians, lived through the war and were governed and exploited for the benefit of the allied military operations. The archives clearly shed light on the Second World War in general and the peripetia of the Belgian government in particular. It is especially the immense correspondence that informs us about De Vleeschauwer’s position in the cabinet, his relations with his colleagues, the way the government functions, the relations between the allies and the occupied nation, the attitude towards Leopold III, the preparation for the postwar period, etc.
De Vleeschauwer’s part in the ideological struggles after 1945 is clearly manifested in the files concerning the Royal Question and the School War. The return of Leopold III on the throne remained the topic of sharp political conflict for years. De Vleeschauwer can be counted among the ultra-Leopoldists. His archives give us a clear insight into the development of the conflict, especially when De Vleeschauwer, as Minister of the Interior, was responsible for the public order and was present at the final negotiations concerning the abdication of Leopold III. The files concerning the Leopoldist and/or anti-communist networks De Vleeschauwer clearly had bonds with, are closely related to this royal action. Other collections then show how he, as authoritative representative of the people, did all he could in opposition against the Collard education legislation during the School War.
The pieces with regard to De Vleeschauwer’s mandates and social commitment mostly concern SOCOGA, the lawsuit of the same name, and its consequence for his position in the party and his political career.
On the basis of Albert De Vleeschauwer’s archives, the political and colonial history of Belgium in 1935-1960 will not need to be rewritten. They do not containt material that provides fundamentally different insights. They do, however, confirm and/or refine the factual material of existing interpretations, allow for nuancing, and shed more light on the so far relatively unknown figure of the archive creator. This allows us to discover De Vleeschauwer’s real place in our political history.
Microfilm
The part in microfilm consists of (after-dinner) speeches and radio speeches which De Vleeschauwer gave during the Second World War, for example in England, Congo, the United States and South Africa. They were, among others, directed to the Belgians, seamen, students, several British institutes in response to the Rerum novarum, New Year, the anniversary of the invasion in Belgium, the war events in Africa, the national holiday, the Belgian National Radio in Leopoldstad, etc.
Date(s)
1897-1971
Identifier
1398