Renardism

Walloon workers' demonstration in Brussels in the winter of 1960

Renardism is a theory specific to the socialism based on the thought of André Renard, combining syndicalism and Walloon militancy.

In a speech on November 17, 1960 at Charleroi, in front of a large gathering of syndicalists, André Renard partly explained the tactical aspects of his theory as follows:

They made us believe in the socialist opening in Flanders. Just look at numbers. For me, the combat remains whole, but I choose the best ground and the best weapons. For the moment, the best ground and the best weapons are in Wallonia, the best road passes by the defense of the Walloon interests. I am at the same time socialist and Walloon and I embrace the walloon thesises because they are socialist.[1]

That was some weeks before the 1960-1961 Winter General Strike. But Renardism must not be summarized to a narrow tactical view.

Trotskysm? Anarcho-syndicalism?

Since the World War II Renard was opposed to close ties with any political parties [2]

About Renard Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, the British Ambassador to Belgium wrote in 1946 a report on leading personalities in Belgium to Ernest Bevin: On close acquaintance he drops the touch of Trotskysm which seasons his public discourses and his anarcho-syndicalism dwindles to a belief that, in view of the present political set-up in Belgium, there is still quite place for direct action. [3] Forty years later Leo P.Schol stated that Renardisme was a model of mobilization torn between three logics: regional, socialist, & working class and that in the in the late 1980s, these three logics have become stronger, but increasingly separate. [4]

Ernest Mandel, leader of the Fourth International, in line with its policy, joined the Belgian Socialist Party becoming editor of La Gauche and a member of the economic studies commission of the General Federation of Belgian Labour and an associate of Renard. He and his comrades were expelled from the Socialist Party after the general strike in 1960-1961 Winter General Strike for opposing its coalition with the Christian Democrats and its acceptance of anti-strike legislation.

A definition inspired by Alain Touraine

Alain Touraine proposed an interpretation of the renardism

Benard Francq proposed this interpretation inspired by Alain Touraine. There are four items

1. Working class Action 2. Popular consciencousness

3. Social-Democratic action 4. Political regionalist action

In the beginning, Renardism (since the general strikes of 1950 and 1960 until the end of the 1970s), was a political model action with this order of importance:

1) Working class Action 2) Popular consciencousness 3) Social-Democratic action 4) Political regionalist action

But when the renardism declined, the political regionalist action (or Regionalism) became the most important thing: ant the order of the figures and of what they meant is now:

(4) (3) (2) (1) [5]

An example of the first order of importance was the Renard's rallying on special Congrès National Wallon gathered on 26 March 1950 after the Consultation populaire in Belgium This rapprochement was short-lived and existed only within the context of the "Royal Question". From the end of July 1950 onwards, it became obvious that Renard's involvement focused on workers' solidarity rather than on the Walloon Movement itself although he was not any longer indifferent to the Walloon problem. [6]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ (French) «On nous a fait croire à la percée socialiste en Flandre. Il suffit de voir les chiffres. Pour moi, le combat reste entier, mais je choisis le meilleur terrain et les meilleures armes. Pour le moment, le meilleur terrain et les meilleures armes sont en Wallonie, la meilleure route passe par la défense des intérêts wallons. Je suis en même temps socialiste et wallon et j'épouse les thèses wallonnes parce qu'elles sont socialistes.» Robert Moreau, Combat syndical et conscience wallonne, Charleroi, Liège, Bruxelles, 1984, p. 119. ISBN 2-87003-186-6
  2. ↑ Walter Galenson, Trade Union Democracy in Western Europe, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1961.
  3. ↑ Foreign Office 466/1 report on leading personalities in Belgium, 1946, H.Knatchfull to Bevin, 8 February 1946 Quoted by Pierre Tilly, André Renard, FAR, Le CRi, Bruxelles, p. 672. ISBN 2-87106-378-8
  4. ↑ Sociological abstracts, Vol.38, Nummers 3-4.
  5. ↑ Bernard Francq et Didier Lapeyronnie, Les deux morts de la Wallonie sidérurgique, Bruxelles, 1990, pp. 46-47.
  6. ↑ Chantal Kesteloot Growth of the Walloon Movement, in (Kas Deprez and Louis Vos, editors), Nationalism in Belgium, Macmilan Press, London, 1998, pp. 139-161, pp.149-150. ISBN 0-333-65737-3
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