The General Government was set up on 26 August 1914, when Field Marshal
Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz was appointed as military governor of Belgium. He was succeeded by General
Moritz von Bissing on 27 November 1914. The largest of the zones was the General Government, which included
Brussels, the capital, and most of central and eastern Belgium. The German High Command hoped to
exploit the ethnic tension between the
Flemings and
Walloons, and envisioned a post-war German protectorate in
Flanders, while
Wallonia was to be used for industrial materials and labour along with much of northeastern France. In April 1917 Von Bissing died and he was succeeded by
Ludwig von Falkenhausen.
Military Governors-General ==See also==