Julien Lahaut
| Julien Lahaut | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Lahaut
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| Born |
6 September 1884 Seraing, Belgium |
| Died | 18 August 1950 (aged 65) Seraing, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgium |
| Occupation | Communist politician |
Julien Lahaut (6 September 1884 – 18 August 1950) was a Belgian politician and communist. He became leader of the Communist Party of Belgium after the First World War. A dissident during the German occupation of 1940–44, he became a vocal advocate for the abolition of the Belgian monarchy during the post-war "Royal Question". His assassination in August 1950, at the height of the crisis, has often been attributed to Belgian royalists but remains unsure.
During the First World War, Lahaut served in the Belgian army and was part of the Belgian Expeditionary Corps in Russia, fighting on the Eastern Front along with Imperial Russian forces. After his return to Belgium, he joined the new Communist Party of Belgium. He soon became a Communist deputy was later the party's chairman. He was particularly vocal in his republican sympathies.
During the German occupation of Belgium (1940–44), as the head of the Communist Party, Lahaut led the Strike of the 100,000 in May 1941 and was arrested. After failing to escape from captivity in the Citadel of Huy, he was deported to Mauthausen concentration camp. Although suffering considerable health effects, he was still alive when the camp was liberated by the Allies in 1945.
The aftermath of the Liberation of Belgium from German forces at the end of World War II saw a prolonged period of political crisis, known as the Royal Question, over whether King Leopold III could return to his position as monarch. The crisis came to a head in 1950, when Leopold decided to abdicate in favour of his son, Baudouin.
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