In November 1945, Belgium was led by a government settled several months earlier : the 2nd of August 1945, Achille Van Acker make up his second government composed by socialists, liberals, communists, and militants from the UDB (Union Démocrate Belge) which introduced itself as an attempt of political life renewal.. But this party has been ephemeral.
In Wallonia, several movements claiming the emancipation of Wallonia had been made in secret during the occupation (“Wallonie Libre”, « Wallonie Indépendante », « Wallonie catholique »). On the 20th and on the 21th of October, the leaders of “Wallonie Libre” organize a congress in Liège in order to discuss the institutional framework to be given to Wallonia. Very clearly, a majority in favour of an union of Wallonia and France emerged.
Very quickly a private bill is proposed aiming to give Wallonia more autonomy in the framework of the Belgian State. But this private bill is rejected because of the Regency.
Belgium is indeed led by a Regent, the Prince Charles, because the royal family is still in Switzerland where it has been brought by the German forces during World War II. The exile of the king is subject to polemic : many people in the population don’t understand this distance of the king. The Belgian society is divided.
The different analyzed newspapers go back over these different episodes, approached with different sensitivities.