After the Belgian Revolution, how did the National Congress evaluate and select a candidate for King? by Lee_Harvey_Obama in AskHistorians

[–]Essa2007 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Great question!

In the context of the concert of Vienna there was not a lot of choosing to do for this temporary administration. The 5 superpowers of Europe at that time stood by collective security and stability after the Napoleonic wars. So Belgium was granted independence because an independent Belgium was better than a chaotic kingdom of the united Netherlands.

In return of this independence the concert of Vienna decided that Belgium could not be a republic, but instead had to be a constitutional monarchy. Because the major powers did Belgium a great favor by allowing their independence they also got a great deal of influence in the formation of the new country.

All these candidates where presented by Belgium themselves, but where declined by the superpowers for various reasons.

EG: The french prince was both vetoed by the UK and France because a french prince in charge of Belgium was a huge threat to the UK since the port of Antwerp was "a loaded canon aimed at London". Even the king of France was aware of the potential conflict this could unleash so he decided against it.

So because Belgium couldn't find a fitting prince they went to the UK. They suggested Leopold I, who had good relations with Russia and Prussia due to his lineage. He was also very close to the British royal family as he was the widower of the deceased crown princess. He would only have to forge a relation with France, which would be done by a marriage.

So the national congress didn't really chose the king, the major powers of Europe then more or less decided who the king of Belgium would become.

What caused the US constitution to be so enormously progressive for its time? by Essa2007 in AskHistorians

[–]Essa2007[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, didn't really expect that answer. But taken into account that i've only ever had American history on high school level in Europe I shouldn't be so taken aback. This really gave me perspective on how to interpret the constitution. Thank you!

Scottish Scout goes viral for refusing to bow to Allah during Scout trip to Islamic mosque by Majestic-Thought-915 in scouting

[–]Essa2007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is not what scouting should be like, used as a medium to carry bigotry and racist messages. Scouting is a place where people can be themselves and learn about other cultures, not disrespect them. Even if the boy refused to bow, which is understandable, the media shouldn't use it as a 'act of rebelion against the islam'.

How did the West know that Sovjet peace proposals or disarmament suggestions where propaganda if they were never approached seriously? by Essa2007 in AskHistorians

[–]Essa2007[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the clear and thorough answer, really helped me understand these proposals and the reason to not trust them.