what countries did belgium colonize in africa

Sadowski, Yahya. Egypt was also under colonialism, but it did have a unique history . [20] Although Belgian companies invested in Tianjin, especially in the city's tram system, the Belgian concession remained inactive. Mobutu ruled for thirty-one years and pauperized the Congo. These conflicting measures brought anarchy and led to the creation of extreme groupsfrom both the majority Hutus and the minority Tutsiswanting to protect the interests of their respective peoples. GENEALOGY OF THE TERM DECOLONIZATION This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The main contenders in this region, particularly France and the United Kingdom, hoped to reap the benefits of Leopold's "whim," which, in their opinion, would not last long. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. It also had a small concession in China and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. Some argued for a gradual shift to self-governance because of the lack of personnel equipped to take over the responsibilities of governance. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner. (Colonizing other peoples, regardless of the justification . The pre-colonial social and political authorities, consisting of a Tutsi king (mwami) and a tiny aristocracy (predominantly of Tutsi origin), ruling over a vast majority of mainly Hutu agriculturalists, were kept in placeeven if the Belgians reshaped the traditional structures by constantly intervening in them. Kabilas inability to disarm the Hutu militia and to share power with his former Tutsi allies led to war with his allies. More or Less: Heroes and Killers of the 20th Century. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. . Leopold II tried to interest his government in establishing colonies, but it lacked the resources to develop the candidate territories and turned down his plans. It was not until the eighteenth century that the Portuguese gained substantial influence in Congo. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. The final decade of the Belgian presence in the Congo was characterized by a notable improvement of the living standard of the growing black urban population. Belgian rule in the Congo was based on the "colonial trinity" (trinit coloniale) of state, missionary and private company interests. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. In 2006 a new constitution was written and approved for the Third Republic, and elections were conducted with Joseph Kabila emerging as victorious. Arguably, in comparison with other colonial powers in Africa, Belgium did less to prepare its overseas subjects for political independence, investing little in education and training, and extracted the riches of its colonies at enormous human cost. This ended with the seizure of power by Joseph-Dsir Mobutu. However, when independence came, the territories were ill-prepared for self-governance since little effort had been made to train and equip an African leadership. Though its goals were purportedly humanitarian and scientific, Leopold used the association to fund expeditions and establish posts along the Congo River. 7 What were the former British colonies in Africa? If this small European country nevertheless succeeded in ruling a vast colony in Central Africa, this was due only to the tenacity of its second king, Leopold II (18351909). The territory was granted independence in 1962, as the separate countries of Rwanda and Burundi in 1962, bringing the Belgian colonial empire to an end. Why did they cut off hands in the Congo? These conflicts resulted in many wars and episodes of genocide. Cawthorne, Nigel. [3], Colonization of the Congo began in the late 19th century. The aristocracy, who were essentially the Tutsi, owned all the land and earned tributes from the farmers, who were mainly Hutu. The Congo was also characterized by the extraordinary development of huge mining industries (particularly in the province of Katanga, well known for its copper, and in the Kasai region, famous for its industrial diamonds). North Africa experienced colonisation from Europe and Western Asia in the early historical period, particularly Greeks and Phoenicians . I should say that Burundi was a German colony in 1885 up to around 1916, and then when the Belgians-when the Germans left, the Belgians came in as colonizers. A study of encounters between colonizer and colonized in French West Africa throughout the colonial period, focusing on "history from below.". 1972. Precolonial Rwanda under the monarchy was highly stratified. Leopold had administered Katanga separately, but in 1910, the Belgian government merged it with the Belgian Congo. When Belgium became a nation in 1830, it had almost no tradition of long-distance trade or colonial activity. As part of the Treaty of Versailles, the major part of German East Africa was handed over to British control but Ruanda-Urundi, twice the size of Belgium but only about 2 percent of the size of the Congo, was confirmed as a Belgian colony by a League of Nations Mandate in 1924, later renewed as a United Nations Trust Territory. Leopold II, French in full Lopold-Louis-Philippe-Marie-Victor, Dutch in full Leopold Lodewijk Filips Maria Victor, (born April 9, 1835, Brussels, Belgiumdied December 17, 1909, Laeken), king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. Other articles where history of Belgium is discussed: Belgium: History of Belgium: This section surveys the history of the Belgian territories after 1579. . In Rwanda, independence brought increased ethnic tensions because of the policies of the Belgian colonial administration. Subnationalism in Africa: Ethnicity, Alliances, and Politics. The scramble for colonies was the brainchild of Leopold II, king of Belgium. N'Daywel Nziem, Isidore. From the 16th to the 17th centuries, the First French colonial empire stretched from a total area at its peak in 1680 to over 10,000,000 km 2 (3,900,000 sq mi), the second largest empire in the world at the time behind only the Spanish Empire.During the 19th and 20th centuries, the French colonial empire was the second largest colonial empire in the world only behind the British Empire; it . In the Congo, political instability started as soon as the Congolese gained their independence from the Belgians in 1960. They could also cheaply receive slaves and ivory and sell it at a very high price making a huge profit. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Biafra Revisited. During a period lasting from 1881 to 1914 in what was known as the Scramble for Africa, several European . This empire was unlike those of the major European imperial powers, since 98 percent of it was just one colony (about 76 times larger than Belgium)the Belgian Congoand that had originated as the private property of the country's king, King Leopold II, rather than being gained . During World War I, Belgian colonial troops participated in the military campaigns against the Germans in East Africa. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). The Belgian colonial administration built some schools, railways, roads, plantations, mines, industrial areas, and airports. He was, in fact, so successful in making the Congo profitable that at the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 the French struck a secret deal with Leopold that they would only support his territorial claim if he agreed "never again to employ Stanley in Africa."[2]. The Congo survived mainly through the king's personal funds. The city of Tianjin (Tientsin), a treaty port in China (18601945) included nine foreign-controlled concessions (Chinese: ; pinyin: zujie). . 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. . that existed between the Europeans and the Africans. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. As the independence of Rwanda became inevitable in the 1950s, however, the Belgians changed course and started to empower the Hutus by increasing their political and economic muscle and providing them access to modern education. colony, any nonself-governing territory subject to the jurisdiction of a usually distant country. In 1966 he renamed the Congolese cities of Lopoldville (Kinshasa), Stanley-ville (Kisangani), and Elisabethville (Lubumbashi). The Rwanda genocide of 1994 helped exacerbate ethnic and political tensions in the Congo. Bibliographie historique du Zare l'poque coloniale (18801960): Travaux publis en 19601996. Encyclopedia.com. Other notable empires included the Luba empire, founded in the sixteenth century and centered around Lakes Kisale and Upemba, located in central Shaba; the Lunda kingdom of Mwata, founded in the fifteenth century and centered in southwestern Congo; and the Kuba empire of the Shonga people, founded in the seventeenth century and centered around the Kasai and Sankura rivers in southern Congo. As a result, Lumumba asked the Soviet Union to help him bring Katanga back to Congo. 2023 . Relations among the Congolese peoples during the precolonial period were largely harmonious. The Belgians even took the few leadership positions that the Hutus had and gave them to the Tutsis. On reaching Kinshasa in May 1997, Kabila declared himself president and changed the name of Zaire back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Even in the first decades of its existence, it showed little inclination toward overseas expansion. This well-planned genocide started when the Hutu presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were shot down, allegedly by Tutsi rebel soldiers. "[1] In 1876, he told delegates at an international conference on geography which he sponsored in Brussels that: To open to civilization the only part of our globe which it has not yet penetrated, to pierce the darkness which hangs over entire peoples, is, I dare say, a crusade worthy of this century of progress. How can a teen start a clothing business? Colonialism in Africa. The history of Colonialism as a policy or practice go, Colonialism, Internal Mobutu and his supporters were so corrupt and stole so much money from the Congolese people that his government was described as a kleptocracy, or government by thieves. Roughly 98% of Belgium's overseas territory was just one colony (about 76 times larger than Belgium itself) known as the Belgian Congo. A map, published in Portugal in 1623, showing a representation of Africa as understood by colonizers. Source for information on Portugal's African Colonies: Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450 dictionary. Along with several other European powers and the United States, as a result of the Boxer Rebellion, Belgium also gained a Concession of two square kilometers in Tientsin (or Tianjin; a Chinese Treaty port). King Leopold II and the Belgians extend their military rule over the much desired Congo Basin in Central Africa. It is estimated that millions of Congolese died during this time. In French. It was established by the Belgian parliament to replace the previous, privately owned Congo Free State, after international outrage over abuses there brought pressure for supervision and accountability. Following the Rwandan Revolution, the mandate became the independent states of Burundi and Rwanda in 1962.[1]. These migrations created myriad problems both at the time and in subsequent periods. His rule was brutal and millions of Congolese died as a result. The rubber trade, which was of critical economic importance to sustaining Leopold's enterprise, was marked by especially inhumane conditions. All Rights Reserved 2022 Theme: Promos by. The Congo Free State, officially presented to the world as a humanitarian and civilizing enterprise destined to abolish slavery and introduce Christianity, became the target of an international protest campaign, led by the British activist Edmund Dene Morel (18731924) and his Congo Reform Association. These countries accounted for more than 30% of Africa's population. The king took several personal initiatives, without the formal backing of his country's government and even without the support of Belgium's leading economic players. Belgium itself could not stay aloof, because of its growing involvement in the Congo Free State. In 1482 the Portuguese navigator Diogo Co became the first European to come to the Congo. Although the Congo Free State was not a Belgian colony, Belgium was its chief beneficiary in terms of trade and the employment of its citizens. The United States and Belgium provided the money that Mobutu used to bribe the Congolese army to commit treason against their properly elected government. [1], Much of the initial infrastructure was the work of Stanley Morton Stanley who, having extensively explored the Congo, was employed by Leopold from 1878. Protestant missionaries were also active and Protestants today comprise 29 percent with an additional 10 percent belonging to the Kimbanguists (an African Independent Church banned in colonial times). So did Spain, Italy and Portugal by 1914. In 1843, he signed a contract with Ladd & Co. to colonize the Kingdom of Hawaii, but the deal fell apart when Ladd & Co. ran into financial difficulties. THE CAUSE OF DECOLONIZATION 40). No democratic institutions were established. It was established by the Belgian . The first wave of genocide by the Hutus against the Tutsis took place earlier, however, under the administration of the Belgians in 1959. He proclaimed himself king-sovereign of Congo Free State at a time when France, Britain, Portugal, and Germany also had colonies in the area. The people of the Congo were forced to labor for valued resources, including rubber and ivory, to personally enrich Leopold. 5 How did Belgium maintain power in Congo? Third, most of the ethnic tensions in these countries are caused by rapid population growth and the fight for scarce resources by the leaders of the various ethnic groups. This antagonism, coupled with the high population density in these overwhelmingly agricultural countries, was to form a volatile environment in the following decades, causing several interethnic massacres, of which the Rwandan genocide of 1994 was the most terrifying example. Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. On the Congo Free State's own domains, as well as on the vast tracks of land that had been conceded to private companies, brutal and repressive practices took the lives of large numbers of Africansthough exact figures are impossible to establish. Their regime in the Congo used forced labour, and murder and mutilation on indigenous Congolese who did not fulfill quotas for rubber collections. 2006. //

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