Metadata: Émile Vandervelde archives
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- Emile Vandervelde Institute
- Holding institution (official language):
- Institut Émile Vandervelde
- Postal address:
- Boulevard de l’Empereur 13 / Keizerlaan 13, 1000 Bruxelles
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)2 548 32 12
- Web address:
- http://www.iev.be/
- Email:
- bibliotheque@iev.be
- Reference number:
- EVandervIns-Brussels-Fonds Émile Vandervelde
- Title:
- Émile Vandervelde archives
- Title (official language):
- Fonds Émile Vandervelde
- Creator/accumulator:
- Vandervelde, Émile
- Date(s):
- 1891/1938
- Extent:
- ca. 39 boxes
- Scope and content:
-
The archives of Vandervelde contain many interesting documents relevant for this guide.
We firstly mention the series of correspondence, described in detail in the inventory (vol. 4). Nrs. EV/IV/79, EV/IV/141, EV/IV/4, EV/IV/235, EV/IV/369, EV/IV/460 and EV/IV/553 relate to the right of asylum, Jewish and political refugees – we mainly find requests for assistance, or demands for further explanation from Justice ministers such as Eugène Soudan and Joseph Pholien. The following files contains correspondence (i.a. with Kautsky, Sokolow, the Union Sioniste) concerning Zionism: EV/IV/298, EV/IV/306, EV/IV/388, EV/IV/389, EV/IV/549, EV/IV/587 and EV/IV/662. Concerning antisemitism (in Germany, the Russian empire, or in general), see files nos. EV/IV/325, EV/IV/326 and EV/IV/591. Lastly, we note other relevant documents, related to i.a. certain individuals (EV/IV/84 about Jacques Errera, EV/IV/320 concerning Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman), invitations and/or acknowledgements for speeches by Vandervelde for Jewish organisations (EV/IV/170, EV/IV/371 and EV/IV/411), his opinion on Palestine (EV/IV/519), information of Max Gottschalk concerning the number of Jews in Belgium (EV/IV/230), etc. The relevant correspondence mentioned above mainly covers the years 1900-1938, in particular the 1920s-1930s.
In the section “files” (cfr. inventory vol. 3) we note the file no. EV/III/46 concerning the right of asylum (ca. 1926-1938), and including notably texts concerning the Evian conference. The file “Palestine” (file no. EV/III/93, ca. 1937) contains, apart from copies of the periodical Informations de Palestine various texts about i.a. the Agence Juive pour la Palestine, Keren Hayesod, Histadrut, etc. File no. EV/III/99 (1938) concerns the Rassemblement mondial contre le racisme et l’antisémitisme and contains press cuttings and a text. We also mention file no. EV/III/101 which consists of correspondence (1935-1938) from political refugees requesting assistance. Lastly, the section “press articles” (cfr. inventory vol. 1) also contains relevant manuscripts and press cuttings. It concerns articles written by Vandervelde on racism and antisemitism (in Germany, Poland, Italy), Zionism, Palestine, the situation of the Jews in Poland and other European countries etc, See the files no. EV/I/79, EV/I/82, EV/I/164, EV/I/165, EV/I/237, EV/I/264, EV/I/277, EV/I/383, EV/I/388, EV/I/436, EV/I/439, EV/I/442, EV/I/446, EV/I/455 and EV/I/457. They cover the years 1929-1938.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Émile Vandervelde (1866-1938), known as le Patron, remained for decades one of the uncontested leaders of Belgian socialism. He held a PhD in law but had also studied biology and medicine. Vandervelde was a teacher and academic attached to the Institut de Sociologie Solvay (1902-1907), the Académie Royale and the ULB. His oeuvre contains, apart from a number of sociological and biological works, mainly Marxist studies on i.a. the relation between city and countryside, the transition from feudalism to industrialisation, collectivism, the role of the State in Socialism and others. Vandervelde became active within the nascent socialist movement from 1885 onwards. He would soon acquire a lot of influence within the party. From 1894 until 1938 Vandervelde was a member of parliament continuously, representing Charleroi (1898-1900) and Brussels (1900-1938). Within the Belgische Werklieden Partij (BWP), which he led from 1933 to 1938, Vandervelde belonged to the left wing. He was tireless in his literary and parliamentary activity. His main political achievements include i.a. his protest against the absolute power of Leopold II in the Congo (resulting in the transfer of the colony to the Belgian State in 1907), his commitment to the often turbulent struggle for universal suffrage, his opposition against alcoholism and social abuses in general. Vandervelde was appointed Minister of State in 1914 and as such became the first socialist minister. He held several ministerial posts during the First World War and the interwar period, including Intendance (1917-1918), Justice (1918-1921), Foreign Affairs (1925-1927) and Public Health (1936-1937). Vandervelde also played an important role on the international scene. For example, he formed part of the Belgian delegation at the Versailles peace conference (1919). But Vandervelde is best known for holding key positions within the Second International – initially as draftsman, later as president (1900-1919) of the executive committee of the Bureau, located in Brussels. After the First World War, Vandervelde became president (1929-1935) of the Labour and Socialist International. By the mid-1930s, Vandervelde’s clashes with leading socialists of a new generation, such as Hendrik de Man and Paul-Henri Spaak, became more frequent. He eventually resigned from the Spaak government. Relevant for this guide is Vandervelde’s support for a Jewish State in Palestine. This sympathy was expressed in many articles, lectures, speeches and the book Le Pays d’Israël. Un marxiste en Palestine (1929), published following a trip to Palestine with his second wife Jeanne Beeckman. (Y.-W. Delzenne & J. Houyoux (dir.), Le nouveau dictionnaire des belges, Brussel, Le Cri, 1998, vol. 2, p. 287; D. Dratwa, “Émile Vandervelde on Zionism and the Jewish Question”, in Studies in Zionism, X-1, 1989, pp. 1-17; J. Polasky, “Vandervelde, Émile”, in Nouvelle Biographie Nationale, Brussel, Académie Royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, 1988, vol. 1, pp. 344-354.)
- Access points: locations:
- Belgium
- Access points: persons/families:
- Vandervelde, Émile
- Finding aids:
- Finding aids: A. Musick (dir.), D. Berger, Inventaire des archives d’Émile Vandervelde. Tome Premier. Articles de presse d’Émile Vandervelde, Brussel, Institut Émile Vandervelde, 1993; A. Musick & C. Caisse, Inventaire des archives d’Émile Vandervelde. Tome Deuxième. Discours, conférences, interviews et oeuvres d’Émile Vandervelde, Brussel, Institut Émile Vandervelde, 1998; A. Musick (dir.), D. Berger, Inventaire des archives d’Émile Vandervelde. Tome Troisième. Dossiers, Brussel, Institut Émile Vandervelde, 1994 en A. Musick, D. Berger & J.-J. Messiaen, Inventaire des archives d’Émile Vandervelde. Tome Quatrième. Correspondance d’Émile Vandervelde, Brussel, Institut Émile Vandervelde, 1996.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
