As Belgian history addresses questions of identity and security, of a sense of cohesion and common purpose or the lack thereof, this volume tells you why Belgium does matter.

Although Belgium has only been an independent state since the 1830s, it has a long and complex past. This history is essential for understanding the complexities of issues that led to a devolution of the unitary Belgian state into a federation of linguistically based regions. In addition to the elements that contributed to Belgium's particular political evolution, the history which is traced in this book is a composite of many themes of broad historical interest and importance. Belgium: A History covers the gamut of Belgian history through dramas of religious and cultural conflict, intense localism, state building, uneven development, divergent class interests, war and domination, and finally, integration into a larger European community.

-300 new photos of absurd (and sometimes hilarious) solutions for everyday problems The Brussels-based artist David Helbich started -Belgian Solutions- in 2006. He made photos of the peculiar (and comical) no-nonsense solutions to problems that that he spotted in his daily surroundings. Once he started to share his photos online on Facebook in 2008 (the Belgian Solutions page has over 25,000 fans), the project gathered speed, with contributions by 'Belgian Solutions' spotters all over the world. And because Helbich keeps receiving pictures, he keeps creating content - much to the joy of his fans.

Belgium was a small, neutral country without a colonial tradition when King Leopold II ceded the Congo, his personal property, to the state in 1908. For the next half century Belgium not only ruled an African empire but also, through widespread, enduring, and eagerly embraced propaganda, produced an imperialist-minded citizenry. Selling the Congo is a study of European pro-empire propaganda in Belgium, with particular emphasis on the period 1908–60. Matthew G. Stanard questions the nature of Belgian imperialism in the Congo and considers the Belgian case in light of literature on the French, British, and other European overseas empires. Comparing Belgium to other imperial powers, the book finds that pro-empire propaganda was a basic part of European overseas expansion and administration during the modern period. Arguing against the long-held belief that Belgians were merely “reluctant imperialists,” Stanard demonstrates that in fact many Belgians readily embraced imperialistic propaganda. Selling the Congo contributes to our understanding of the effectiveness of twentieth-century propaganda by revealing its successes and failures in the Belgian case. Many readers familiar with more-popular histories of Belgian imperialism will find in this book a deeper examination of European involvement in central Africa during the colonial era.

Trieste Publishing has a massive catalogue of classic book titles. Our aim is to provide readers with the highest quality reproductions of fiction and non-fiction literature that has stood the test of time. The many thousands of books in our collection have been sourced from libraries and private collections around the world.The titles that Trieste Publishing has chosen to be part of the collection have been scanned to simulate the original. Our readers see the books the same way that their first readers did decades or a hundred or more years ago. Books from that period are often spoiled by imperfections that did not exist in the original. Imperfections could be in the form of blurred text, photographs, or missing pages. It is highly unlikely that this would occur with one of our books. Our extensive quality control ensures that the readers of Trieste Publishing's books will be delighted with their purchase. Our staff has thoroughly reviewed every page of all the books in the collection, repairing, or if necessary, rejecting titles that are not of the highest quality. This process ensures that the reader of one of Trieste Publishing's titles receives a volume that faithfully reproduces the original, and to the maximum degree possible, gives them the experience of owning the original work.We pride ourselves on not only creating a pathway to an extensive reservoir of books of the finest quality, but also providing value to every one of our readers. Generally, Trieste books are purchased singly - on demand, however they may also be purchased in bulk. Readers interested in bulk purchases are invited to contact us directly to enquire about our tailored bulk rates.

Alec had never been to Belgium, so it came as some surprise when he found himself at the altar of a small church in Flanders, reciting wedding vows in Flemish. It was the start of a long relationship with this unassuming and much maligned little country. He vowed to put worldwide opinion to the test: just how boring can Belgium be?

From the Treaty of Versailles to the 2018 centenary and beyond, the history of the First World War has been continually written and rewritten, studied and contested, producing a rich historiography shaped by the social and cultural circumstances of its creation. Writing the Great War provides a groundbreaking survey of this vast body of work, assembling contributions on a variety of national and regional historiographies from some of the most prominent scholars in the field. By analyzing perceptions of the war in contexts ranging from Nazi Germany to India’s struggle for independence, this is an illuminating collective study of the complex interplay of memory and history.

The political history of Belgium is a fascinating story that should not be kept from speakers of English in Belgium and abroad. From an international point of view, Belgium has been a trendsetter in many ways. It was the first country on the European continent to experience a quick process of industrialisation, with the development of the first liberal state following closely behind. More than elsewhere, liberalism reigned supreme in the 19th century, and as a result the social question was raised with great vehemence. The World Wars put Belgium in the middle of the fighting twice over; especially after 1945, the country played a prominent international role, first in the foundation of the Atlantic alliance and the European construction, and later in the decolonisation of the Congo. In the meantime, Belgium has developed into one of the countries experiencing the full force of globalisation, and, thanks to Brussels, into one of the preeminent international political centres. Belgium is also a model of pacification democracy. Throughout many conflicts during the 19th and 20th centuries, an enduring compromise grew between Catholics and freethinkers, making Belgium one of the most pluralistic countries in Europe today. The fierce conflict between workers and employers, in its turn, led to a well-functioning model of a consultation and welfare state. Two cultures live together in Belgium. Up until the second half of the past century, the Flemish majority was at an economic, political and cultural disadvantage; during the process of catching up, coinciding with the demise of the Walloon economy, a complex federal model developed, in which cosmopolitan Brussels takes a very special position. This book aims to offer a historical perspective in interpreting the current tensions in Belgian politics based on scientific literature. Political History of Belgium is without doubt the outstanding authoritative reference work about the political history of a country at the centre of the development of Europe. As such, it offers essential background information for politicians, policy makers, civil servants, journalists, researchers, students and anyone with an interest in Belgium and Europe.