Fostering the Catholic cultural ties between the Netherlands and Flanders. A study on the reflections of the Dutch Catholic intellectuals involved in the periodical ‘De Beiaard’ regarding the First World War and its outcome

Abstract

I analysed how the Catholic intellectuals involved in the periodical De Beiaard reflected on World War I and its outcome. It seems no coincidence that the journal was founded in 1916, at a moment in time in which it had become clear that the war would last longer than expected. Because the connections between the Netherlands and Flanders were hampered by a worldwide war, they created their own space, their journal, in which they were less inconvenienced by the war. In this journal they were able to foster the ideal of the Greater Netherlands: the cultural connection between the Netherlands and Flanders. Besides the similarities and differences with respect to other Dutch people, their optimistic reflections embodied the phase of emancipation the Dutch had entered. In addition, the end of the war opened up the possibilities to foster the Greater Netherlands under normal circumstances again.