Spies at the Great War. The repression of espionage for the German occupier in Belgium and France after the First World War - a comparative study

As last year marked the centenary of the Great War 1914-1918, it regains presence in the collective memory of Belgians. This research highlights a topic of the First World War that has hitherto been largely neglected, namely espionage of Belgians for the German occupier.

The project investigates these spies through the judicial repression during and after the Great War. Therefore, it studies the court records that have been preserved in different Belgian archives. It analyzes these court records on different levels. It inquires into the mainly legal setting of espionage in these trials by describing the different forms of espionage and tries to sketch a “collective biography” of spies. It also investigates the other actors in the trial, namely the lawyers and witnesses and assesses the motivation of the witnesses to testify during a trial. This allows to socially contextualize espionage in the aftermath of the First World War. By analyzing contemporaneous newspapers, the research highlights the public reception of these trials and of collaboration with the enemy. Finally by comparing these findings with research pertaining to France, the study sheds light on the presumed different reaction of both people to espionage.

This projects allows us to reach new insights into the legal and social dimension of the Great War. It offers the unique chance of studying hitherto unavailable archive material in Belgium and of placing the collaboration of Belgians with the occupying German troops in a broader, European framework.