Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Joseph Pholien

Collection description

Web address:: http://www.arch.be/index.php?l=nl&m=praktische-info&r=onze-leeszalen&d=koninklijk-paleis

Title (official language):: Eerste Minister en Minister van Justitie Joseph Pholien

Scope and content:: The files in this fonds, relevant to this source guide, are related to Pholien’s term as Minister of Justice. We note subject files, correspondence and other documents concerning questions of alien and refugee policy, such as the influx of Jewish refugees from the Reich, the ‘Jewish question’, expulsions, extraditions of refugees to Germany, the establishment of the refugee centre in Merksplas, etc. See files no. 945-954. These documents cover the years 1925-1939. In addition we also mention two files on racism and antisemitism (see files no. 958-959), dated 1938. Lastly, we point out a number of files concerning antisemitism in Belgium (no. 308), the Dreyfus affair (no. 317), the establishment of the State of Israel (no. 455), documentation about antisemitism in Paris (no. 837), etc.

Administrative/biographical history:: Joseph Pholien (1884-1968) was a lawyer and Catholic politician. He was a senator from 1936 to 1961; before that, he was a city councillor in Elsene. In 1950 Pholien became Prime Minister. His government (1950-1952) faced the aftermath of the ‘Royal Question’ (King Baudouin ascended the throne during Pholien’s term) and the ‘School Struggle’. In 1966 he was appointed Minister of State. Relevant for this guide is the fact that from 15 May 1938 to 21 January 1939 Joseph Pholien was the Minister of Justice, and as such was confronted with the largest influx of German and Austrian (mainly Jewish) refugees, since the onset of the exodus from the Reich in 1933. (“Joseph Pholien (1884-1968)”, in ODIS - Database Intermediary Structures Flanders (accessible on http://www.odis.be); F. Caestecker, Ongewenste Gasten: Joodse vluchtelingen en migranten in de dertiger jaren, Brussel, VUB Press, 1993.)

Subject terms:: Antisemitism; Dreyfus affair; Expulsion; Jewish Question; Migration; Migration--Immigration; Refugees; State of Israel

Access, restrictions:: Access requires the authorisation of (the representative of) the Pholien family.

Finding aids:: F. Carton de Tournai & G. Janssens, Inventaire des archives de Joseph Pholien (1884-1968), I 4 (Archief van het Koninklijk Paleis), Brussel, ARA-AGR, 2004.