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Copyright of Francosphères is the property of Open Library of Humanities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Enlistment of francophones in the Canadian Expeditionary Force has always been estimated between 20,000 and 35,000 by historians. Unfortunately, these evaluations were not based on any reliable data. This articles tries to show that these figures are largely under-estimated, and that the involvement of francophones was probably almost twice as much as the perception that has prevailed for more than a century. In the absence of any accurate count of enlisted francophones, we will demonstrate that (1) it is impossible that Quebec contributed more than a relatively small proportion of anglophone soldiers and (2) that a far greater number of francophone soldiers than has generally been estimated came from outside Quebec. Through examination of the files of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, we will also see that more than 3,000 francophone soldiers lost their lives in France and Belgium during the war, which leads us to believe that about twenty times more may have worn the uniform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the controversy surrounding the nomination of Baron Napoléon-Eugène Beyens as Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs on July 26, 1915. It states that the appointment of Beyens was a matter of conflict between King Albert and the Catholic cabinet. Other topics include the Catholic cabinet, ministers ministerial appointments during World War I, and the power of Charles de Broqueville, secretary of war and leader of the cabinet.

The article discusses the defensive policy of Belgium from 1830 to 1914 but concentrates on the period 1870 to 1914. In particular it describes aspects of fortification of the borders with France and later with Germany. Among other topics it addresses the development of Belgian system of fortresses French aggression in 1830 and the series of related treaties, the political and economic aspects of maintaining those forts, and the construction in 1870 of fortifications against Germany along the Meuse river.