In the immediate aftermath of World War II, reconstruction was a priority for societies that had been occupied, including Belgium. This proved to be a complicated task. The Government of Hubert Pierlot, which had been in exile in the United Kingdom during the war, returned to the country following the Liberation of Belgium in 1944. Pierlot, exhausted from the years in London, wanted to resign, but stayed in power until the situation in the country normalized further. On February 7, following a request for a cabinet reshuffle, Pierlot announced the resignation of his government without a parliamentary vote. Achille van Acker, an relatively unknown politician at the time, took the place of Pierlot as head of government. He was joined by Paul-Henri Spaak, one of the few exiles from London who maintained their ministerial position in van Acker's government because due to the fact he was one of the few who did not oppose the participation of the Belgian Communist Party in the parliament.