History of institutions and law II (Contemporary period)

Teacher(s)

Renglet Antoine;

Language

French

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

This course aims to shed light on the different components of the history of institutions and law in the 19th and 20th centuries. If politics and political history are defined by texts (Constitution, laws, regulations…), other instances should also be taken into account. Besides the institutional frame, we will insist on the role played by governors, political parties, lobbies, public opinion and ideologies. The course will also show how political history is closely linked to the evolution of international relations, economic fluctuations and social upheavals.

Content

This lecture is the second part of a course on legal and institutional history begun in the first year. The aim of this course is to help students understand the origins and
of contemporary Belgian law and institutions. The history of
political parties, the parliamentary system, voting rights and the judicial system,
but also the history of the major cleavages (political, philosophical and linguistic) that have
divided Belgian society from the end of the Ancien Régime to the present day,
are the main themes of this course.
The course outline is chronological. It is divided into seven chapters:
Chapter I: The institutional, legal and political origins of contemporary Belgium between 1780 and 1830
Chapter II: From Belgian independence to the end of Unionism (1830-1847)
Chapter III: The liberal period (1847-1884)
Chapter IV: The Catholic period (1884-1914)
Chapter V: The inter-war period (1918-1939)
Chapter VI: The end of unitary Belgium (1945-1970)
Chapter VII: Federal Belgium (1970-present)
Each of these chapters is divided into relatively recurrent sub-sections: (1) electoral law, institutions and political parties; (2) criminal law and judicial institutions; (3) religious and educational institutions; (4) linguistic conflict.

Teaching methods

This lecture is essentially given ex cathedra, but attention and active participation may occasionally be required. The course has a strong juridical, legal, institutional and political dimension, but is constantly concerned to relate this to social, economic and cultural history. It is taught with the help of documents projected onto a large screen via a Power Point presentation. A syllabus is provided by the teacher. However, it is important to emphasize that the material to be covered for the exam is what is said in the course.

Evaluation methods

Written examination, consisting of a dissertation/synthesis-type question (for which an argumentative development is expected) and several short questions to which students are asked to provide brief answers. The exam assesses both the student's knowledge of the subject and his or her ability to reason, make connections and argue on a problematic that deals with a topic covered in the course.

Other information

N/A

Online resources

All course materials are available online on the course's Moodle.

Bibliography

Delwit P., La vie politique en Belgique de 1830 à nos jours, Bruxelles, Éditions de l’Université de Bruxelles, 4e édition, 2022.
Dumoulin M., Dujardin V., Gérard E. et van den Wijngaert M. (dir.), Nouvelle histoire de Belgique, 9 vol., Bruxelles, Le Cri, 2010.
Autres références dans le syllabus.

Teaching materials

• Syllabus (disponible sur Moodle)

Faculty or entity

> DRTB