Born in 1928 in Lier, Belgium
Studied Law, Philosophy, Political and Social Sciences, History, and Economics at the University of Leuven, the University of Paris
and at the London School of Economics
Arbeitsvorhaben
Krieg und Geldpolitik: die "Nationale Bank van België", die Brüsseler Emissionsbank und die Belgische Regierung, 1938-1948
Belgian monetary and financial policy was influenced strongly by the Second World War. The threat of a German invasion led to a wide range of specific monetary and financial measures. When the invasion occurred and the National Bank's headquarters, following the Belgian government, moved to France, policy adjustments were necessary. The return of the Bank to Brussels after the German occupation of the country and the exile of the government to London complicated monetary and financial policy once again, since the Bank in its policy was squeezed between the demands of the German military administration at Brussels, the needs of the German administration in Berlin, and the distrust of the Belgian government in exile at London. The postwar monetary reform, prepared in Brussels and in London and successfully implemented by Minister of Finance Gutt in October 1944, became a model of monetary policy for the whole of Europe and the basis of Belgium's successful economic recovery during the immediate postwar era.
Recommended Reading
Wee, Herman van der. A History of European Banking. Antwerp: European Investment Bank/Fonds Mercator, 2000.<br>
-. The General Bank, 1822-1927: a Permanent Challenge. Tielt: Lannoo, 1997. (German edition: Die Generale Bank: 1822-1997: 175 Jahre, eine ständige Herausforderung.)
-. Prosperity and Upheaval: the World Economy 1945-1980. 3rd edition. London: Penguin, 1987. (French edition: Histoire économique mondiale, 1945-1990. Louvain-la-Neuve: Academia Duculot, 1990.)
