oa Louis Wodon (1868-1946), kabinetschef van Albert I en Leopold III: gangmaker van een autoritaire hervorming van de Staat met een centrale rol voor de Koning?

In this contribution, the life and constitutional views of Louis Wodon (1868-1946) are exposed. Raised in a Brussels family of liberal political persuasion, Wodon was appointed a full professor at ULB in 1906, where he taught courses on labour law, sociology and administrative law. Simultaneously, he careered as a civil servant in the Ministry of Economic Affairs. As Head of Staff of the King between 1926 and 1938, Wodon advised Albert I and Leopold III to restore law and order, so as to defeat the breakdown of authority that plagued the political world. He interpreted the Constitution in such a way as to leave a maximum of powers to the King, vigorous measures by individual government members and a minimum role to Parliament. His views should be seen in the context of a reactionary antidemocratic movement which came into vogue after World War I.