 As Belgium had suffered so much damage in World War I , there was little appetite within the country to involve itself in any potential European conflict . In October 1936 , King Leopold III announced that Belgium would remain neutral in the event of another war in Europe as part of what he termed an Independent Policy ( Politique d 'Indépendance ) . To this end , the Belgian government tried to steer a path away from alliances : leaving the Locarno Treaty , repudiating a defence pact with France signed in 1920 and receiving a guarantee of neutrality from Nazi Germany in 1937 . 
