ABSTRACT

The history of the Catholic Party in inter-war Belgium is marked by an important shift. It evolved from a party of Catholics, encompassing different, if not contradictory, political forces in one confessional federation, into a people’s party that anticipated the post-war reforms. In the 1920s the Catholic Party was characterized by a lack of organization, of programmes and of leadership. In the 1930s a new party concept developed, one that stressed structural as well as programmatic unity and the integration of formerly separate forces. This evolution was the result of an interaction with the dynamics of the political regime, especially the need for strong governmental parties, as well as with the emergence of a new generation, moulded in the spirit of Catholic Action. The relationship with the Church and the programme of social and economic reform have to be considered with respect to these two forms of the Catholic Party in the inter-war period.