Adolphe Max, the mayor of Brussels, was known for his peaceful resistance against the Germans and his resulting jail-time. He was considered by the Belgian public as a hero of the Great War

Van Ypersele, Laurence

DIAL UCLouvain

Available at:http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/158161[Downloaded 2019/04/19 at 06:53:40 ]"Max, Adolphe"Van Ypersele, LaurenceAbstractAdolphe Max, the mayor of Brussels, was known for his peaceful resistanceagainst the Germans and his resulting jail-time. He was considered by the Belgianpublic as a hero of the Great War.Document type : Contribution à ouvrage collectif (Book Chapter)Référence bibliographiqueVan Ypersele, Laurence. Max, Adolphe. In: Freie Universität Berlin, International Encyclopedia ofthe First World War. 1914-1918-online, Freie Universität Berlin  : Berlin 2014DOI : 10.15463/ie1418.10055Max, AdolpheBy Laurence van YperseleMax, Adolphe (Mayor Max)Liberal Brussels politicianBorn 30 December 1869 in Brussels, BelgiumDied 06 November 1939 in Brussels, BelgiumAdolphe Max, the mayor of Brussels, was known for his peaceful resistance against theGermans and his resulting jail-time. He was considered by the Belgian public as a hero ofthe Great War.1  Early Career2  The First World WarSelected BibliographyCitationA jurist by training, Adolphe Max (1869-1939) was initially a lawyer and a journalist. He was elected tothe City Council of Brussels in 1903, became deputy mayor in 1908, and then held the mayoraltyfrom 1909 until his death. Max also sat on the provincial Council of Brabant from 1896 to 1911 andbecame a member of the Congo High Council.The First World War defined Max's reputation as a hero. On 20 August, German troops enteredBrussels with an impressive show of force. A day earlier, Max had ordered the filling of trenches dugduring the opening days of the war, the removal of the civic guard, and the demolition of barricades,to avoid clashes between German troops and civilians. The mayor greeted the German authorities —while refusing to shake hands with them — and even pledged to ensure the security of the troopsbilleted in the capital. Without delay, posters were put up throughout the city, calling on the populationto obey the occupying authorities who commandeered everything they needed, including food andTable of ContentsEarly CareerThe First World Warhousing.Even though the mayor had adopted this conciliatory policy, he fought continuously to limit thedemands of the occupants until his arrest on 26 September 1914. For instance, Max combated theabusive requisitions of food: as early as 24 August, he negotiated an agreement stipulating thatrequisitions were to be made only in the case of payment within eight days. The Germans failed toabide by this agreement, leading to a true struggle with the mayor; when they chose to suspend thepayment of requisition vouchers, Max decided in turn to suspend the payment of war contributions(Brussels had already paid 15.6 million Belgian francs out of 20 million Belgian francs claimed by theGermans). Under this pretext, the Germans arrested and subsequently deported Adolphe Max toGermany.Max was first sent to the fort of Glatz in the Vosges where he was put into solitary confinement for ayear. Later, he was transferred to the castle of Celle in Lower Saxony. The Celle incarceration wasmilder but repeated breaches of regulations earned him a few days more of solitary confinement. Hestayed in a Berlin military prison for a few weeks prior to his return to Celle, where he stayed until 30October 1918. He was then transferred to Goslar, also in Lower Saxony, which he left withoutauthorization on 13 November 1918, two days after the armistice.During his deportation, Max was replaced by the deputy burgomaster, Maurice Lemonnier (1860–1930), who headed the Brussels Council until his arrest in 1917. Subsequently the council washeaded by another deputy burgomaster, Louis Steens (1849–1933). On 17 November 1918 theinhabitants of Brussels offered a triumphant welcome to Adolphe Max, who had finally returned afterfour years of imprisonment. A few days later, he was appointed minister of state. Re-elected yearafter year since 1909, he remained the mayor of Brussels for thirty years. An ardent supporter ofcommunal rights, anti-Flemish, and anticlerical, he participated actively in the constitutional reform of1919. Throughout his tenure he maintained a policy that favored communal schools. Moreover, hewas a member of the Royal Academy of Belgium and the Institut de France. He also created thePalais des Beaux Arts. Extremely popular until the end of his life, Adolphe Max was given a solemnfuneral in 1939.Laurence van Ypersele, Catholic University of LouvainSection Editor: Emmanuel DebruyneGille, Louis / Ooms, Alphonse / Delandsheere, Paul: Cinquante mois d'occupation allemande,Vol. 1: 1914-1915 and Vol. 2: 1916-1919, Brussels 1919: A. Dewit.Selected BibliographyHasquin, Hervé / Uytven, Raymond van / Duvosquel, Jean Marie (eds.): Communes de Belgique:dictionnaire d'histoire et de ge ́ographie administrative, Brussels 1981: Renaissance du livre.Sluys, Alexis: M. Adolphe Max, bourgmestre de Bruxelles: son administration du 20 août au 26septembre 1914, sa de ́tention en Allemagne, Brussels 1918: E ́ditions B. Hill.Ypersele, Laurence van / Kesteloot, Chantal / Debruyne, Emmanuel: Bruxelles, la me ́moire et laguerre (1914-2014), Brussels 2014: Renaissance du Livre Bruxelles.08 December 2014Ypersele, Laurence van: Max, Adolphe, in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the FirstWorld War, ed. by Ute Daniel, Peter Gatrell, Oliver Janz, Heather Jones, Jennifer Keene, AlanKramer, and Bill Nasson, issued by Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 2014-10-08. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.15463/ie1418.10055.© 2014 This text is licensed under: CC by-NC-ND 3.0 Germany - Attribution, Non-commercial, NoDerivative Works.Article Last ModifiedCitationLicense

Max, Adolphe

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