CBSE Class 10 Answered

Belgium, a small European country, has Dutch-, French- and German-speaking populations. There were always conflicts between the Dutch speaking and French speaking population. The minority French-speaking population was rich and powerful. This was resented by the Dutch- speaking population as they received the benefits of education quite late. However, this problem was solved by the political leaders of Belgium who wanted the people to coexist peacefully with one another. The way in which power was shared among different social groups in Belgium are:

·       It was decided that equal representation should be given to the French- and Dutch-speaking population. Thus, there were equal numbers of ministers belonging to both communities in the Central Government.

·       State Governments of both Flemish and Wallonia regions were given many powers. In Brussels, where the French were in majority, both communities were given equal representation, as the Dutch had agreed to equal representation at the centre despite them being in majority.

·       Community government at the local level was elected by one linguistic community only. This community government looked after educational- and cultural-related issues. These arrangements in Belgium were successful and avoided any kind of tension between the two linguistic communities. This also negated any possibilities of the division of the country on linguistic lines.