Belgian Colonialism of the Congo
- Created by: MyrmidonPrinxe
- Created on: 31-05-17 13:14
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- Belgian colonisation of the Congo
- Europeans found Congo River Basin hard to colonise due to tropical climate, disease, & native resistance
- 1870s
- King Leopold II founded International African Association
- A 'sham' supposedly designed to improve Native lives
- Convert them to Christianity, end slave trade, introduce European health and education
- Sent Henry Stanley
- Successfully made treaties with natives, set up military posts, forced out most Muslim slave traders
- Acquired millions of square kilometres of Central African land
- Came to power 1865
- Believed colonies would enhance Belgium's wealth & prestige
- A 'sham' supposedly designed to improve Native lives
- King Leopold II founded International African Association
- Most of Belgium's government & citizens did not want to spend exorbitant amounts of money maintining the colonies
- Leopold II insisted he would maintain the region as a free-trade zone
- Given personal control of Congo
- Named it the "Congo Free State"
- 1885 - 1908
- Quickly disregarded this & began to exploit the land & inhabitants
- Natives forced to produce rubber & ivory for the industrialising Europe
- Army mutilated & killed any native that did not meet resource quotas
- due to this brutality, & European diseases, population fell by approx. 10 million
- Leopold II tried to conceal his abuse from international public
- Many had learned of the atrocities by C20th
- Army mutilated & killed any native that did not meet resource quotas
- Burned African villages, farmland & rainforest
- Kept women as hostages until quotas were met
- Army mutilated & killed any native that did not meet resource quotas
- due to this brutality, & European diseases, population fell by approx. 10 million
- Leopold II tried to conceal his abuse from international public
- Many had learned of the atrocities by C20th
- Army mutilated & killed any native that did not meet resource quotas
- Natives forced to produce rubber & ivory for the industrialising Europe
- Quickly disregarded this & began to exploit the land & inhabitants
- 1885 - 1908
- Nearly 80x larger than Belgium
- Promised to develop his property to improve native lives
- Quickly disregarded this & began to exploit the land & inhabitants
- Natives forced to produce rubber & ivory for the industrialising Europe
- Burned African villages, farmland & rainforest
- Kept women as hostages until quotas were met
- Natives forced to produce rubber & ivory for the industrialising Europe
- Quickly disregarded this & began to exploit the land & inhabitants
- Made huge profits & built lavish buildings in Belgium
- 1908, Belgian government forced Leopold to surrender the country, it was renamed "Belgian Congo"
- Government & Catholic missions tried to aid inhabitants by improving health & education
- Still exploited the region's gold, copper, & diamonds
- Government & Catholic missions tried to aid inhabitants by improving health & education
- Named it the "Congo Free State"
- Given personal control of Congo
- Leopold II insisted he would maintain the region as a free-trade zone
- 1950s
- Most of Africa had embraced anti-colonialism under a Pan-African organisation
- Congolese began to demand indepencence
- Most of Africa had embraced anti-colonialism under a Pan-African organisation
- 30th June 1960
- Belgium wanted to grant independence over 30 years
- Under pressure from UN and to avoid a long costly war, Belgium decided to grant independence to Democratic Republic of Congo
- Belgium wanted to grant independence over 30 years
- Instability
- Since independence DRC has experienced corruption, inflation, & several regime changes
- Mineral-rich province of Katanga voluntarily separated from DRC 1960-1963 in a civil war
- 1971-1997, ruled by a dictator
- followed by 2 civil wars, viewed as the deadliest conflicts since WWII
- Millions died from war, famine, disease. Millions more now refugees
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