Eyschen Ministry

[1] Eyschen's predecessor, Félix de Blochausen, had been in favour of maintaining the personal union with the Netherlands, even after the death of William III.

[1] Eyschen on the other hand had Adolphe appointed regent as soon as William III could no longer perform his duties due to illness.

[1] Eyschen was seeking to pave the way for a change in dynasties, and avoid a "Luxembourg question" from cropping up when the king died.

[1] In 1907, Eyschen put a law through the legislature declaring William's eldest daughter Princess Marie-Adélaïde the rightful successor.

[1] The new ruling family's restraint contrasted with the autocratic regime of the house of Orange-Nassau, and allowed the Eyschen government a large amount of discretion.

[2] It was a great shock when on 2 August 1914, the German army invaded the country, following the strategy in the Schlieffen Plan.

[2] The Luxembourg government protested against the violation of its borders, but continued to observe a policy of strict neutrality towards all belligerents.

[2] Towards the late 19th century, it appeared clear that the traditional education system in Luxembourg was no longer fit to serve the new society as it was since the Industrial Revolution.

Through a far-reaching reform of the education system, Eyschen's government attempted to respond to these changes in society.

The government had long been reluctant to intervene in economic affairs, dominated as it was by liberals, but Luxembourg was to follow the model of its neighbour to the East.

The emergence of large steelworks brought the question of workers' accommodation, and the law of 1906 created financial aid for the purchase or construction of small homes.

In 1913, a new status was established for public sector workers, guaranteeing a better recruitment, and a salary review led to an improvement in civil servants' material quality of life.

Eyschen used the term "distributive justice" in defending this reform which reduced inequalities between senior and junior civil servants.

[5] The government obliged the steel companies to provide the cinders from this procedure to farmers at a discounted rate, and made the attribution of new mining concessions conditional on them doing so.