Belgian Socialist Party

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]

Belgian Socialist Party

French: Parti socialiste belge
Dutch: Belgische Socialistische Partij
PresidentAchille Van Acker (first)
André Cools (last)
FounderPaul-Henri Spaak
Founded1945
Dissolved1978
Preceded byBelgian Labour Party
Succeeded by Socialist Party (Flemish)
Socialist Party (Francophone)
HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
Trade union wingGeneral Federation of Belgian Labour
IdeologySocial democracy
Democratic socialism
Political positionCentre-left
European affiliationConfederation of the Socialist Parties
International affiliationSocialist International
Colours  Red

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 Anders (sp.a.) for the Flemish community and the Parti Socialiste (PS) 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
  • Agusta scandal
  • Charter of Quaregnon
  • Socialist Party (francophone Belgium), also known as the Parti Socialiste or PS of Belgium, a French-speaking social democratic political party
  • Socialist Party - Different (Flemish: Socialistische Partij - Anders), the Flemish social democratic party in Belgium. It was formerly known as SP, now as SP.a

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-10-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  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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