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| 4 August 1914 (invaded by Germany) |
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| Constitutional monarchy since gaining independence from Holland (1831). Belgium enjoyed universal male suffrage, but voting was weighted in favour of the affluent and educated. |
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| Albert I: sovereign, 1909-1934 |
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| 243,000 men plus 115,000 trained reserves (1914). Much of Belgium was occupied during the war and so the Belgian army could only expand to 170,000 men. A total of 267,000 Belgians served in the army during the war. |
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| Belgium commanded the only wide-open space between France and Germany and tried to remain neutral, avoiding both Triple Alliance and Triple Entente commitments. |
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| 14,000 dead, 45,000 wounded. |
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