Léon Degrelle

A man named Léon lived in Belgium.

He was a leader of a group. He used a small company to start it. He was a good writer.

During a big war, Léon made a bad choice. He worked with a group called the Nazis. This was very wrong.

After the war, he had to hide. He went to a land called Spain. He stayed there for a long time.

He lived a long life. He was known for his work with the Nazis.

Léon Degrelle was a leader in Belgium.

He grew up in a very religious family. As a young man, he studied law. He did not finish his studies. He spent more time on politics. He also worked as a writer.

In the 1930s, he started a group called Rex. He used a small publishing house to grow it. Rex became a big political party. In 1936, the party won many votes. Later, Degrelle met with leaders in Germany. He wanted to work with the Nazi Party.

When World War II began, Degrelle made a bad choice. He worked with the Nazi army. He joined a unit called the Walloon Legion. He fought on the Eastern Front.

After the war ended, the Belgian government punished him. They took away his citizenship. They even sentenced him to death. He fled to Spain to hide. He stayed there for many years. In the 1960s, he became active in politics again. He wrote books that praised the Nazi regime. He lived until 1994.

Léon Degrelle was a famous Belgian politician.

He was born on 15 June 1906 in Bouillon. His family was very religious and followed the Catholic faith. As a young man, he went to university to study law. However, he spent more time on politics than on his books. He eventually left his studies in 1925 without finishing his exams. He later earned a diploma in philosophy and literature in 1927. This early interest in writing helped him start a career in journalism.

Degrelle used writing to build his political power. In 1930, he took over a small Catholic publishing house. He named it Christus Rex. He used this business to publish magazines and newspapers. These publications helped him reach many people. By 1935, he turned this group into a political party called Rex. Rex was a movement that wanted to change how Belgium was run. He was a very strong speaker who could attract many followers.

The Rexist Party grew very quickly in the 1930s.

In the 1936 general election, Rex won 11.5 percent of the votes. This was a big success for his new party. He even won 21 seats in the Chamber of Representatives. Degrelle began meeting with leaders in other countries. He met with Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels in Germany. He also met with leaders of the Italian Fascist Party. These meetings showed he wanted to work with the Nazi regime.

When World War II began, Degrelle made choices that changed his life.

After the German army invaded Belgium in 1940, he was released from prison. He joined the German army to fight in a unit called the Walloon Legion. Later, this unit became part of the Waffen-SS. He fought on the Eastern Front during the war. In 1944, he was decorated for his actions at the Cherkassy pocket. These events made him a model for other people who worked with the Nazis.

After the war ended, Degrelle had to face the consequences.

The Belgian government took away his citizenship. They also sentenced him to death in his absence. To stay safe, he fled to Spain in 1945. The Spanish government helped him hide from Belgian authorities. In the 1960s, he became active in politics again as a neo-Nazi. He wrote books that praised the Nazi regime. He lived in Spain until he died on 31 March 1994.

Léon Degrelle was a prominent Belgian politician and a Nazi collaborator.

Born on 15 June 1906 in Bouillon, he grew up in a very religious Catholic family. His early life was shaped by his studies in law and philosophy. However, he often prioritized political activism over his formal academic work. He eventually left his law studies in 1925 after failing his exams. Later, he earned a diploma in philosophy and literature from the Catholic University of Leuven in 1927. These early experiences in journalism and religious activism set the stage for his future political career.

Degrelle used the power of the press to build his influence.

In 1930, he took control of Christus Rex, a small Catholic publishing house. He transformed this business into a platform for radical ideas. He published mass-circulation magazines and new periodicals to reach a wide audience. By 1933, Degrelle held total control of the company. He used these publications to attack the established Catholic Party. This strategy helped him build a following among radical, middle-class Catholic students.

In 1935, Degrelle officially turned his movement into a political party called Rex.

Rex was an authoritarian and populist movement. It was modeled after the political meetings used by Italian fascists. Degrelle was a charismatic speaker who could command large crowds. In the 1936 Belgian general election, Rex saw significant success. The party won 11.5 percent of the total votes cast. This victory earned Rex 21 seats in the Chamber of Representatives. This result was a major blow to the traditional Catholic Party.

As Rex grew, Degrelle sought connections with other far-right movements in Europe. He traveled to Italy to meet with representatives of the Italian National Fascist Party. He also sought subsidies from these groups to support his work. In September 1936, Degrelle traveled to Germany to meet Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels. These meetings were intended to establish formal relations between Rex and the Nazi Party. He also met secretly with the Flemish National League to discuss a corporatist state. These actions signaled his move toward extreme nationalist and fascist ideologies.

World War II changed the direction of Degrelle's life and political goals.

When Germany invaded Belgium in May 1940, Degrelle was initially detained by Belgian authorities. He was held in various locations, including a camp in southern France. After the German occupation of Belgium began, he was released from custody. He decided to collaborate with the German occupiers to advance his own goals. In 1941, he organized and joined the Walloon Legion. This was a military unit composed of foreign volunteers serving in the German Army.

Degrelle's military involvement deepened as the war continued. By 1943, the Walloon Legion was incorporated into the Waffen-SS. This was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. Degrelle fought on the Eastern Front against Soviet forces. In 1944, he received military decorations for his actions during the Cherkassy pocket battle. These honors made him a famous figure among other foreign collaborators.

His actions during the war cemented his reputation as a key figure in the collaborationist movement.

Following the collapse of the Nazi regime, Degrelle faced severe legal consequences.

The Belgian government stripped him of his citizenship. He was also sentenced to death in absentia, which means the sentence was passed while he was not present in court. To avoid capture, he fled to Spain in early 1945. The Spanish government assisted him in hiding from Belgian authorities starting in August 1946. He remained in exile for the rest of his life, living in Spain until he died on 31 March 1994.

In his later years, Degrelle remained a controversial figure in European politics.

During the 1960s, he returned to the public eye as a neo-Nazi leader. He gained influence within far-right political circles across Europe. He used his time in exile to publish books and papers. These writings were used to glorify the Nazi regime and deny the history of the Holocaust. His life serves as a significant example of how political movements can shift toward extremism during times of global conflict.