Belgian Socialist Party

Belgian Socialist Party
French: Parti socialiste belge
Dutch: Belgische Socialistische Partij
President Achille Van Acker (first)
André Cools (last)
Founder Paul-Henri Spaak
Founded 1945
Dissolved 1978
Preceded by Belgian Labour Party
Succeeded by Socialist Party Differently
Socialist Party
Headquarters Brussels, Belgium
Trade Union's wing General Federation of Belgian Labour
Ideology Social democracy
Democratic socialism
Political position Centre-left
European affiliation Confederation of the Socialist Parties
International affiliation Socialist International
Colours      Red

The Belgian Socialist Party (French: Parti Socialiste belge, PSB; Dutch: Belgische Socialistische Partij, BSP) was a social-democratic political party which existed in Belgium from 1945 to 1978. During its time in office, a number of progressive social reforms were introduced.[1]

The BSP was founded by activists from the Belgian Labour Party (1885–1940), which was the first Belgian socialist party. It ceased to function during the Second World War, while Belgium was under Nazi occupation. Its main support bases were the co-operative and trade union movements, and it won relatively more support in Wallonia. Like most Belgian political organisations, the party supported greater integration with the European Economic Community, albeit in a socialist context.[2]

As linguistic and community issues became more divisive, the Belgian Socialist Party split into two new entities: the Socialistische Partij for the Flemish community and the Parti Socialiste for the Francophone community.

Presidents

Presidents BSP/PSB[3]
Period President
1942–1945 Achille Van Acker
1945–1959 Max Buset
1959–1971 Leo Collard
Co-Presidents (from 1971)[4]
Period Dutch speaking co-President French speaking co-President
1971–1973 Jos Van Eynde Edmond Leburton
1973–1975 Jos Van Eynde André Cools
1975–1977 Willy Claes André Cools
1977–1978 Karel Van Miert André Cools

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://staging.ilo.org/public/libdoc/ilo/1946/46B09_2_engl.pdf
  2. ↑ Cook, Chris; Francis, Mary (1979). The first European elections: A handbook and guide. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 0-333-26575-0.
  3. ↑ "sp.a partijvoorzitters". Tijdslijn.s-p-a.be. Archived from the original on 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  4. ↑ Archived October 9, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
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