La résistance des catholiques belges à la « loi de malheur », 1879-1884

After taking control in 1878 the Belgian liberals passed a new constitutional law about primary schools, which characterized the lay and centralizing trend. It raised a great resistance among the Catholics. The archibishops took strong measures against people using State schools and favouring them. The Catholic Party chiefs, the notables and the clericals organized a large school action, the best results of which were an important increase in the number of schools and school-children in primary and nursery private education. Besides, the legal resistance which was progressing at the level of towns and provinces was a considerable drawback to the application of the « Evil Law ». The resistance of catholics is one of the phases of the first school- war in Belgium, a fact which has been carefully studied for about 15 years by quite a number of University works.Lory Jacques. La résistance des catholiques belges à la « loi de malheur », 1879-1884. In: Revue du Nord, tome 67, n°266, Juillet-septembre 1985. Enseignement. pp. 729-747