Partition of Belgium Belgian identity was not defined on racial, ethnic or linguistic lines, but in the civilizational community of the Belgian people. Supporters of a partition of Belgium argue that the synchronized attempts to forge a national identity and culture have been unable to forestall ethno-linguistic rivalries. French was the only official language of Belgium until 1898, even though Flanders was and still is predominantly Dutch-speaking. The government's long refusal to acknowledge Dutch as an official language led to hostilities between Flanders and the French-speaking bourgeoisie who held both political and economic power. These hostilities gave rise to the Flemish movement, which
Demographic history of the Vilnius region itself), and 82.4% of the population in Šalčininkai rayon/county (currently known as Šalčininkai district municipality). The Jews living in Vilnius had their own complex identity, and labels of Polish Jews, Lithuanian Jews or Russian Jews are all applicable only in part. The majority of the Yiddish speaking population used the Litvish dialect. The Vilnius urban region is the only area in East Lithuania that doesn't face decline in population density. Poles are the majority of native rural population in the Vilnius region. The share of the Polish population across the region is decreasing, mainly due to natural decline of rural