| Paul van Zeeland | |
|---|---|
| |
| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
| In office 25 March 1935 – 23 November 1937 | |
| Monarch | Leopold III |
| Preceded by | Georges Theunis |
| Succeeded by | Paul-Emile Janson |
| In office 1950–1951 | |
| Monarch | Leopold III |
| Preceded by | Paul-Henri Spaak |
| Succeeded by | Gaston Eyskens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paul Guillaume van Zeeland 11 November 1893 Soignies, Belgium |
| Died | 22 September 1973 (aged 79) Brussels, Belgium |
| Political party | Catholic Bloc Christian Social Party |
Paul Guillaume van Zeeland (11 November 1893 – 22 September 1973) was a Belgian lawyer, economist and politician who served twice as the Prime Minister of Belgium.
Biography[]
Paul van Zeeland was born on 11 November 1893 in Soignies. After studies, he became a professor of law and later the director of the Institute of Economic Science at the Catholic University of Leuven. In 1935, van Zeeland was appointed Prime Minister of a national unity government and continued in this role even after the 1936 election. During his term, van Zeeland focused heavily on the improvement of workers' conditions, but had to also deal with the rising Rexist movement. In 1937, after allegations made by the Rexists that he received money from the Belgian national bank were found to be true, he resigned as Prime Minister.
During the Second World War, van Zeeland was in exile and returned to Belgium in 1946 together with the government in exile. He became an advisor to the Belgian government until 1950, when he was again tasked with the formation of a government following the Christian Social Party election victory. Van Zeeland wished to focus on unemployment reduction, development of the welfare state and solution to the language question in Belgian education, but the main priority of his govenrment was to be the return of King Leopold III from exile, which was considered a deal-breaker by both the Belgian Socialist Party and Liberal Party. However, as the Christian Social Party had majority in the Parliament, van Zeeland was ultimately able to form a one-party cabinet.
In 1951, after a period of negotiations, Leopold III finally returned to Brussels from his exile in Austria. This, however, sparked unrest throughout Belgium, most notably in Wallonia, and many feared that the country was on the verge of a civil war. Members of the government therefore turned to Leopold and convinced him to abdicate. Van Zeeland then submitted his resignation to Crown Prince Baudouin, who was been appointed regent in place of Leopold, and effectively retired from politics, only serving as an advisor until late 1950s, when he left politics for good and found work in the Belgian banking sector. He died on 22 September 1973 in Brussels.