André Renard
André Renard | |
---|---|
Deputy General Secretary of the General Labour Federation of Belgium | |
In office 1952–1961 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France | 25 May 1911
Died | 20 July 1962 Seraing, Liège Province, Belgium | (aged 51)
Nationality | Belgian |
Spouse |
Renée Lurquin (m. 1942) |
Known for | Renardism |
André Renard (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃dʁe ʁənaʁ]; 25 May 1911 – 20 July 1962) was a Belgian trade union leader who, in the aftermath of World War II, became an influential figure within the Walloon Movement.
Born into a working-class family, Renard was as a metalworker in the
Renard entered the newly established
Renard's political thinking, which became termed "Renardism" after his death, reflected the belief that left-wing political groups in Belgium should embrace federalism as a means to achieve radical social reform in a way not possible in a unitary state. After his resignation, Renard founded the Walloon Popular Movement (Mouvement Populaire Wallon, MPW) but died prematurely in July 1962. His ideals remained influential within the Walloon Movement after his death.
Biography
Early life, 1911–1944
André Gilles Guillaume Renard was born into a working-class family in
Renard was mobilised into the
It was during the latter stages of the occupation that Renard first consolidated his ideas on trade unionism that would become known as Renardism. He published a collection of political essays entitled Pour la révolution constructive (1944) shortly after the Liberation of Belgium.[2]
Syndicalist leader, 1944–1961
According to the historian Pierre Tilly, Renard emerged from the war as the "new strongman of Liège syndicalism".
Renard was blocked from succeeding Paul Finet as general secretary of the FGTB in 1952. Instead, Finet was replaced by Louis Major. Renard was promoted to the position of Deputy General Secretary, with responsibility for the FGTB's activities across Wallonia.[4] By this point, his political thought had begun to focus on the idea of structural reform within Belgium which combined with the syndical unity and direct action already apparent in the MSU. Tilly writes:
In a context of increased interventionism which marked the post-war period, André Renard would defend a programme of structural reforms which would give new rights to workers in businesses, including those to participate in its management. It meant no more or less than controlling the economy. The programme, which sometimes appears confused, in its definition of co-management for example, remained finally highly theoretical. It did not detail in a precise manner the concrete measures to put in place to reach the sought-after aims.[5]
Renard was most associated with the general strike of 1960–1961 which began as an opposition to the austerity measures of the Unitary Law initiated by the government of Gaston Eyskens. The strike has been described as "one of the most serious class confrontations in Belgium's social history" and involved 700,000 workers across the country but predominantly in Wallonia.[6] It exposed the increasing divisions between the priorities of Flemish and Walloon syndicalists and the strike ultimately failed amid bitterness and recrimination within the FGTB.
Walloon Popular Movement, 1961–1962
Renard blamed the national FGTB leadership for the failure of the general strike.[4] He resigned from his position as deputy secretary general in 1961. He became increasingly interested in Walloon regionalism as a means to build a left-wing coalition that would pave the way for further economic democratisation.[7] The same year, he established a federalist political movement called the Walloon Popular Movement (Mouvement Populaire Wallon, MPW) in 1961 which attracted a number of individuals who would subsequently emerge as leading figures within Walloon politics in the increasingly polarised linguistic politics of the 1970s and 1980s.
Death and posthumous influence
Renard died on 20 July 1962, aged just 51. After his death, "Renardism" continued to serve as an intellectual influence in the Walloon Movement. He was named in a 1985 poll as the second most influential Walloon political figure after Jules Destrée. The André Renard Foundation (Fondation André Renard) was established in 1963.[7]
See also
- Regionalism (politics)
- Belgian general strikes
- History of the Walloon Movement
References
- ^ a b Nouvelle Biographie Nationale 2016, p. 282.
- ^ a b c d Nouvelle Biographie Nationale 2016, p. 283.
- ^ a b Nouvelle Biographie Nationale 2016, p. 284.
- ^ a b c Dictionnaire des Wallons 2011.
- ^ Nouvelle Biographie Nationale 2016, p. 285.
- ^ Witte et al. 2009, p. 277.
- ^ a b Nouvelle Biographie Nationale 2016, p. 286.
Biography
- Delforge, Paul (2011). "André Renard". Dictionnaire des Wallons. Connaître la Wallonie. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- Tily, Pierre (2016). "Renard, André (1911-62)" (PDF). Nouvelle Biographie Nationale (in French). Vol. 13. Brussels: Academie royale de Belgique. pp. 282–6. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- Witte, Els; Craeybeckx, Jan; Meynen, Alain (2009). Political history of Belgium from 1830 onwards (New ed.). Brussels: ASP. ISBN 978-90-5487-517-8.
Further reading
- Hemmerijckx, Rik (1986). "Le Mouvement syndical unifié et la naissance du renardisme". Courrier Hebdomadaire du CRISP (14–15): 1–73. .
- Moreau, Robert (1984). Combat syndical et conscience wallonne : du syndicalisme clandestin au Mouvement populaire wallon, 1943-1963. Liège: Fondation A. Renard. ISBN 978-2870031865.
- Tilly, Pierre (2005). André Renard. Biographie. Brussels: Le Cri. ISBN 9782871063780.
- Francq, Bernard; Lapeyronnie, Didier (1990). "Luttes ouvrières et mobilisations régionales : le cas de la Wallonie industrielle". Sociologie du Travail. 32 (1): 39–54. JSTOR 43149634.
- Alaluf, Matéo, ed. (2005). Changer la société sans prendre le pouvoir syndicalisme d'action directe et renardisme. Bruxelles: Éditions Labor. ISBN 978-2-8040-2034-7.
External links
Media related to André Renard (trade unionist) at Wikimedia Commons
- Le renardisme, un héritage durable ? at the Institut d'histoire ouvrière, économique et sociale (IHOES)