The Galopin Doctrine — whether to produce under the occupier

Belgian industry, one of the densest in Europe, found itself under the occupier's control. At its head, figures such as Alexandre Galopin, governor of the Société Générale de Belgique — the country's most powerful financial group — had to decide what course to take in the face of German orders.

The dilemma was acute. To refuse all production was to plunge hundreds of thousands of workers into unemployment and destitution, and to risk their deportation to forced labour in Germany. To produce for Germany was to keep the economy turning and preserve jobs, but also to feed the enemy's war machine.

Galopin and the great industrialists sought a line. To produce civilian goods — not armaments — to maintain employment and avoid deportation, while refusing directly military production. To refuse everything, in the name of patriotism, even at the cost of sacrificing jobs. Or to produce without limit, including war matériel, to preserve profits and positions. The choice committed the fate of the country's economy and workers.