Ministry of the Interior. Commission de la Reconnaissance nationale

Collection

Title (official language):: Ministère de l’Intérieur. Commission de la Reconnaissance nationale

Scope and content:: The Commission de la Reconnaissance nationale, established in January 1946, was charged with collecting and verifying information concerning individuals who were eligible to receive recognition for their services rendered to the nation. The files of this commission relate to the examination of these requests for honorary distinctions, made on behalf of (non-military) individuals who had acquired the right to national recognition through acts of heroism, patriotic devotion, civic courage, participation in various organisations and other services rendered to the nation during the Second World War. We note two types of files: general, subject files on the one hand, and several thousands of individual files on the other. The individual files generally contain a description of the activities of the individual during the war, and the assessment of local authorities. The applications for recognition concern known resistance fighters but also individuals who helped or hid Jews during the war. These files notably enable researchers to find information on Belgian Righteous Among the Nations.

Administrative/biographical history:: From 1831, the Ministry of the Interior was in charge of general administration, relations with the provinces and municipalities, elections, militia, garde civique, statistics, recognised religions, prisons, welfare and public safety, and matters regarding education, public health and economic affairs. These competences changed in the course of many successive reorganisations of the ministry, notably as a result of the transfer of competences regarding recognised religions, prisons, welfare and public safety to the Ministry of Justice. In the 19th century, this ministry was considered a “catch-all ministry”, as it contained the nuclei of several large future departments. Many commissions, committees and workgroups were created by royal or ministerial decree in order to advise the ministry, its sections and services. We notably point out the Commission de la reconnaissance nationale. (R. Terrizzi, Le Ministère de l’Intérieur (1830-1994). I. État de l’administration centrale et répertoires des commissions et services publics, Miscellanea Archivistica Studia n°74, Bruxelles, ARA-AGR, 1995.)

Subject terms:: Holocaust; Holocaust--Righteous Among the Nations; Holocaust--Survivors; Jewish self-defence and resistance; Military; World War II

Finding aids:: M. Amara, Inventaire de la Commission de la Reconnaissance nationale, Ministère de l’Intérieur, Bruxelles, ARA-AGR, 2014.