Editing History of Belgium (section)

=== Rise of the Socialist Party and the trade unions ===
{{See also|Belgian Labour Party|Belgian general strikes}}

The economy was stagnant during the long depression of 1873–1895, as prices and wages fell and labour unrest grew.{{Sfn|Kossmann|1978|pp=316–318}} The [[Belgian Labour Party|Belgian Workers' Party]] was founded in 1885 in Brussels. It issued the [[Charter of Quaregnon]] in 1894 calling for an end to capitalism and a thorough reorganization of society. During the late 19th century, [[Belgian general strikes|general strikes]] became an established aspect of the political process. Between 1892 and 1961, there were 20 major strikes, including 7 general strikes. Many of these had overtly political motives, like the [[Belgian general strike of 1893|1893 General Strike]] that helped achieve universal suffrage.

On several occasions, Belgian general strikes escalated into violence. In 1893, soldiers fired on the striking crowd, killing several. [[Karl Marx]] wrote, "There exists but one country in the civilised world where every strike is eagerly and joyously turned into a pretext for the official massacre of the Working Class. That country of single blessedness is Belgium!"<ref>''Marx and Engels on the Trade Unions.'' Edited with an introduction and notes, by Kenneth Lapides, Originally published, Praeger, New York, 1987, p. 69 {{ISBN|0-7178-0676-6}}</ref>

Nevertheless, Belgium created a welfare net particularly early, thanks in part to the trade unions. Sickness compensation was established in 1894, voluntary old-age insurance in 1900 and unemployment insurance in 1907, achieving good coverage nationwide much more quickly than its neighbours.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter Flora & |first=Arnold J. Heidenheimer |title=The Development of Welfare States in Europe and America |publisher=Transaction |date=1995 |pages=51}}</ref>