Descrittore
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(PIQ) Belgio CercaDefinizione
Location: Western Europe, bordered in 1939 by the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and Germany.
Capital city: Brussels
History:
Belgian neutrality was violated with German occupation in both World Wars. During the German occupation in WWII, a Belgian government-in-exile was established in London. Prior to German occupation, approximately 90,000 Jews lived in Belgium 90 to 95% of which were refugees. An estimated 28,500 Jews from Belgium perished in the Holocaust. Belgium was liberated starting in September 1944 and was the site of the German counteroffensive in December 1944-January 1945. After the war, Leopold III abdicated for his son, the Congo was given its independence, and Belgium joined the Netherlands and Luxembourg in the Benelux Economic Union. (en-US)
Fonte
Wetzel, Juliane. "Frankreich und Belgien." In Dimension des Völkermords: Die Zahl der jüdischen Opfer des Nationalsozialismus. Edited by Wolfgang Benz. Pp. 105-135. München: R. Oldenbourg Verlag, 1991. p. 109