In Flanders, the most significant of these groups was the Flemish National Union (Vlaams Nationaal Verbond, or VNV).[1] The VNV was the successor of the Flemish Movement which had originated during the 19th century as a response to the perceived marginalisation of the Dutch language in Belgium and become increasingly radical after World War I.[1] Its ideology was framed in opposition to the Belgian state, calling for Flanders to form part of an ethnically defined "Greater Netherlands". It was also influenced by Catholicism and anti-communism.