When it comes to imperialism, Britain and France are mostly mentioned as colonial powers. However, smaller nations also aspired to colonies, such as Belgium. Belgium, more precisely the Belgian king, had a fairly large colony in Africa – the Congo Free State.
Imperialist ambitions of Belgium
Since then Belgium itself 1830, after the Belgian Revolution, split off from the Kingdom of Holland and for independently had declared, Leopold I, the first king of Belgium, imperialist ambitions.
During his reign, King Leopold I tried to colonize around 50 different areas in Africa, America, Asia, Oceania and even Europe. In the course of this he founded the Compagnie Belge de Colonisation («Belgian Colonization Society«). Despite this, Leopold I did not succeed in acquiring colonial possessions for Belgium.
The young state lacked the necessary resources to develop colonial areas, to establish overseas colonies and to keep them. Belgium neither had a war fleet with which it could have conquered territories, nor did Belgium have enough economic power to buy colonial areas from the great powers. Compared to the other colonial powers, Belgium acquired its colonies relatively late.
Leopold II
First Leopold II succeeded in bringing colonial areas into Belgian possession. He was 1865 after the death of his father Leopold I. King of Belgium. Leopold II believed that having colonies would help Belgium become a great power. However, Belgium was one Constitutional monarchy and the government prevented the king from carrying out his purpose.
One Constitutional monarchy describes a system of government in which the power of the ruling person is supplemented by a constitution. Thus, the monarch does not have unlimited sovereignty.
Leopold II’s only way of acquiring colonies was through his own private assets. Because as a private person nobody forbade him to buy colonies and as a monarch he had inherited a lot of money.
Belgian colonies in Africa
Leopold II looked first to Africa, where not all areas were occupied. Because the land mass south of the Sahara was little explored and was considered inaccessible. The Belgian king therefore endeavored to advance research. 1876 he organized the geographical conference in Brussels. The aim of this conference was to plan how Africa could be developed. In addition, those present founded the International Africa Society.
at the time was Henry MortonStanley one of the most famous explorers of Africa.
Stanley was the one first Europeans, who undertook extensive expeditions through the territory of the Congo. The Congo is the second longest river in Africa. His goal was to include the Congo in the British colonial empire, but the British government refused. But the King of Belgium was all the more interested in Stanley’s plans to colonize the Congo.
Figure 1: Henry Morton Stanley. Source: wikipedia.org
Stanley’s work intensified Leopold’s interest in the Congo and he founded the «Committee d’Etudes du Haut Congo«(«Committee for the Exploration of the Upper Congo«). This committee was formed in 1879 in «Association Internationale du Congo«(«International Congo Society«) was renamed. Leopold II secretly bought the International Congo Company and was thus its owner.
In addition hired the King Stanley – officially, to conduct research. Unofficially, however, Stanley was to buy territory in the Congo for Belgium. Around 450 sales contracts were with the native chiefs closed, although Stanley was aware that the locals could not read the contracts. Thus the chiefs had no knowledge of the scope of the treaties and unwittingly consented to what was contained in the treaties forced labour a.
You may be wondering how Stanley could convince the chiefs to sell their lands. The locals were fooled into believing that King Leopold II was a very powerful man. For example, Stanley and the representatives of Belgium created fire with a jar in strong sunlight. Since the Congolese people did not know this trick, they thought that Leopold II could rule the sun.
Stanley received large sums of money and missionary societies from Leopold II and had roads, towns and river stations built. Officially, all this was in the service of science and the fight against slavery, while the selfish intentions of Leopold II and Stanley were not known to the public.
Congo Conference
In spite of Leopold’s efforts, there was an order for the Congo conflict of interest. France had also acquired lands in the Congo Basin and Portugal insisted on old treaties with the locals. Britain, on the other hand, feared that the colonization of the Congo would restrict freedom of trade on the river. That’s why it came from November 1884 to February 1885 to the Congo Conference in Berlin.
Representatives of the major European powers, Russia, the USA and the Ottoman Empire were present at the Congo Conference and determined the division of Africa. You can read more about this in the «Congo Conference» statement.
At the conference it was finally decided that the Congo area, under the name «Congo Free State» to the Handed over to the International Congo Society became. However, since the company Leopold II was headed, the Congo was practically in the private property of the Belgian king. To appease the other powers, Leopold II agreed to open the Congo to international trade.
Congo Free State
Shortly after the founding of the Congo Free State Leopold II abolished the International Congo Society. At the same time he allowed himself to be elected by the Belgian Parliament sovereign king of the Free State appoint. Thus, the Congo was not a colony of Belgium, but private property Leopold’s. The raw materials in the Congo, such as wood, diamonds, ivory and rubber, were of particular interest to the king.
Leopold II began to nationalize the territory of the Congo, investing large parts of his fortune and setting up administrative posts and mission stations. Although it is Congofree State was called, became the native Population completely excluded from political or military decisions.
The vast country was divided into several districts and subzones divided up and through warlords and mercenaries controlled on behalf of Leopold II. Although there were several courts of law, private companies also practiced in areas jurisdiction out.
One of the numerous decrees that were issued was the establishment of the per capita tax, which the population had to provide in ivory or rubber. However, since elephant hunting was forbidden for the local population, it became a forced rubber harvest.
In 1888 the pneumatic tire was invented, which enormously increased the demand for rubber, and therefore caoutchouc, on the world market.
In the course of this, a number of huge ones were created rubber plantations in the tropical rain forests of the Congo Basin, which displaced the traditional gainful employment of the Congolese population and thus made it complete dependency fell.
Rubber production, which was based entirely on forced labor and slavery, began Congo atrocities.
Crimes in Belgian colonies – Congo atrocities
The term «Congo Atrocities» describes the systematic Exploitation of the Congo Free State and the local population in the period from circa 1888 to 1908. The locals were abused through killings, mutilations, rapes and kidnappings and to rubber production forced.
Founded by Leopold II Force Publique was around 18,000 men strong army made up of Congolese men and Belgian officers who reign of terror of Leopold II. brutally enforced. So that the soldiers did not use their cartridges for hunting, they had to cut off one of the dead man’s hands for each cartridge fired and present it to the officers as proof.
Due to the per capita tax, each village was forced to supply a certain amount of rubber. The required delivery quotas were so unrealistically high that people had to work day and night. In order to further speed up the mining of rubber, the wives of the workers were taken hostage. If the men refused or could not meet the delivery quota, they were arrested by the Force Publique punished by shooting the wives of the workers. Workers – whether men, women or children – were also being mutilated by having their hands chopped off.
Figure 2: Cartoon on the Congo atrocities in the British magazine Punch from 1906. Source: wikipedia.org
The cartoon is titled In the rubber coils, what means something like «In the rubber coils». It depicts King Leopold II in the form of a snake coiling around a local.
Humiliation, fear and violence determined everyday life for the people of the Congo. It is estimated that up to 10 million locals during Leopold’s 23-year reign about life.
With his brutal approach Leopold II violated the conditions of the Congo Conference. Because there the king had assured that he would work to protect the local population. The slave trade was also officially banned at the conference. Leopold II also practically violated this, since the locals were forced to work.
Gradually the atrocities to the outside world. Missionaries and employees of the Congo Free State merchant fleet reported on the conditions in the Congo Free State. In addition, Joseph Conrad published the story in 1899 heart of darkness. In it, a sailor describes what is happening in the Congo. Furthermore, photographs of mutilated Congolese reached the public in Europe and the USA and led to international protests.
The cartoon above can also be seen as a reaction to the Congo atrocities. Under the international pressure on the already unpopular king of Belgium, had to Leopold II. 1908 the Congo from his private property to the handed over to the Belgian state.
Congo colony
The area around the Congo was only seen in this way on November 15, 1908 one official colony of Belgium. The colony was changed from «Congo Free State» in Belgian Congo renamed. Despite criticism of Leopold’s exploitation, little changed in the treatment of the locals. The Belgian state was also interested in mining the Congo’s raw materials.
So the local population continued to be political denied the right to have a say. And although the Forced labor officially abolished on March 22, 1910 became, people continued to become violently oppressed and exploited.
Rwanda-Urundi Colony
After the First World War, Germany had to give up its colonies. The League of Nations then redistributed the former German territories. The African Kingdoms of Rwanda and Urundi were on Belgian administration transfer. Since 1925 Belgium controlled Rwanda-Urundi under mandate status as part of the Belgian Congo colony.
On the map you can…