Kabilas inability to disarm the Hutu militia and to share power with his former Tutsi allies led to war with his allies. Although the figures are estimates, it is believed that as many as ten million Congolese died during the period,[7][8][9][10] roughly a fifth of the population. For information concerning the period prior to that date, see Low Countries, history of. On the local level, in close contact with the African population, the missionaries played an important role in evangelization, in (primary) education, and in health services. The king imposed a harsh labor regime on the Congolese populations in order to extort ever-growing amounts of wild rubber. Harris, Joseph E. 1998. [20] Although Belgian companies invested in Tianjin, especially in the city's tram system, the Belgian concession remained inactive. Nevertheless, there were interethnic wars on some occasions. France began to rule a large territory in the west and north. A rich Hutu who purchased a large herd of cattle could become a Tutsi, while a Tutsi who became poor would drop into the Hutu caste. North Africa experienced colonisation from Europe and Western Asia in the early historical period, particularly Greeks and Phoenicians . Idi Amin became the president of Uganda in January 1971 after a military coup removed the elected leader, Milton Obote, and he, Colonialism, Internal 2004. London: Zed Books, 2002. The Legacy of Belgium's 19th and 20th Century African Colonies. Belgium created two colonies in Africa: the entities now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly the Republic of Zaire) and the Republic of Rwanda , previously Ruanda-Urundi, a former German African colony that was given to Belgium to administer after the defeat of Germany in World War I . The economic system of the kingdom was organized into guilds based on agriculture and handicraft industries. Despite Mobutus dictatorship, relative peace reigned during most of his regime. * As many as 10 million people are estimated to have died in Congo from killings, famine and disease . How long should I wait to text after being left on read? 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. 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. Dakar, Senegal: African Renaissance. 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. Political instability created by tension between clan and central leadership in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and tribal rivalry leading to genocide in Rwanda are at least in part the result of a colonial legacy that took far more from Africa than it gave. On reaching Kinshasa in May 1997, Kabila declared himself president and changed the name of Zaire back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After Belgium began administering the colony, it generally maintained the policies established by the Germans, including indirect rule via local Tutsi rulers, and a policy of ethnic identity cards (later retained in the Republic of Rwanda). Forrest, Joshua B. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/africa-belgian-colonies. The history of Colonialism as a policy or practice go, Colonialism, Internal The Belgian colonial empire consisted of three African colonies possessed by Belgium between 1901 to 1962. The discussion at the Conference, which did not have any African leaders, was meant to split up the continent among the European powers without having to go to war. In the Congo, political instability started as soon as the Congolese gained their independence from the Belgians in 1960. Joseph Mobutu, who later changed his name to Mobutu Sese Seko, was appointed army chief of staff by Lumumba. It was during the Belgian colonial administration that the foundations for the postcolonial and present-day ethnic tensions and political instability were laid. Belgium itself had only been independent since 1830, prior to that it was part of the Netherlands (and had a role in that country's colonies) or of France, or was governed by Spain or Austria. After the end of the war, the Belgian government tried to exchange these territories against the left bank of the Congo River mouth, which was in Portuguese hands. ." Belgiums other colony, Rwanda, was an independent monarchy until the Germans annexed it in 1899 and made it part of German East Africa. Although a few attempts were made by the first king, Leopold I (17901865), these were not successful. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. By 1895 the British press started to expose Leopold IIs atrocities in Congo. The second king of Belgium, Leopold II, was a very ambitious man who wanted to personally enrich himself and enhance his countrys prestige by annexing and colonizing lands in Africa. Following the Rwandan Revolution, the mandate became the independent states of Burundi and Rwanda in 1962.[1]. [13] The country was split into nesting, hierarchically organised administrative subdivisions, and run uniformly according to a set "native policy" (politique indigne). Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. The many horrors and atrocities which disgrace humanity give way little by little before our intervention. During a period lasting from 1881 to 1914 in what was known as the Scramble for Africa, several European . This plan failed to materialize, and finally, on May 30, 1919, according to the Orts-Milner Agreement (named after its Belgian and British negotiators), Belgium's spoils of war only consisted of two small territories in the Great Lakes region bordering the immense Belgian Congo, namely Rwanda and Burundi (their ancient names being Ruanda and Urundi). Biafra Revisited. (April 27, 2023). The United States and Belgium provided the money that Mobutu used to bribe the Congolese army to commit treason against their properly elected government. The most notable of these empires was the Kingdom of Kongo, which was founded in the fourteenth century and centered around present-day western Congo and northern Angola. It also had a small concession in China and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. In spite of this legacy of the colonial period, political developments in the Congo and Rwanda (peace agreements, new constitutions, and new elections) show that there is a new hope for the former African colonies of Belgium. [15] By the 1950s the Congo had a wage labour force twice as large as that in any other African colony.[16]. The Black Mans Burden: Africa and the Curse of the Nation-State. Colonialism in Africa. ed. Leopold II, an ambitious and enterprising monarch, was fascinated by the Dutch colonial "model" in Java and wanted to enhance his country's grandeur by exploiting a vast colonial domain, destined to enrich the mother country. Before the coming of the Europeans, the Kingdom of Kongo had well-organized political and administrative structures that rivaled those of the Europeans. The term is also applied to a group of nationals wh, c. 1875 The Belgians, in turn, gave the Tutsis privileged positions in politics, education, and business. 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. Although there were several political parties, the two most prominent were Joseph Kasavubus ABAKO, a party based among the Kongo people, and Patrice Lumumbas Congolese National Movement. However, one of the main failures of Belgian colonial policy was the choice not to develop an indigenous elite. [4], The Free State government exploited the Congo for its natural resources, first ivory and later rubber which was becoming a valuable commodity. [3], Although the Congo Free State was not officially a Belgian colony, Belgium was its chief beneficiary, in terms of its trade, the employment of its citizens, and the wealth which Leopold extracted which was used for the construction of numerous fine public buildings in Brussels, Ostend, and Antwerp. They favored certain ethnic groups, especially the ones that would allow them to continue to colonize and plunder the rich natural resources of the Congo. This well-planned genocide started when the Hutu presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were shot down, allegedly by Tutsi rebel soldiers. Belgium's African ColoniesWhen Belgium became a nation in 1830, it had almost no tradition of long-distance trade or colonial activity. [2] Belgian traders also extended their influence in West Africa but this too fell apart following the Rio Nuez Incident of 1849 and growing Anglo-French rivalry in the region. On February 5, 1885, Belgian King Leopold II established the Congo Free State by brutally seizing the African landmass as his personal possession. Belgium, a constitutional monarchy, gained its independence in 1830 from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. [15] One of the results was the development of a new middle class of Europeanised African "volus" in the cities. In 2006 a new constitution was written and approved for the Third Republic, and elections were conducted with Joseph Kabila emerging as victorious. Bibliographie historique du Zare l'poque coloniale (18801960): Travaux publis en 19601996. If this small European country nevertheless succeeded . THE ADMINISTRATION OF CONGO BY THE BELGIANS (19081960), HISTORY OF BELGIUM COLONIZATION OF RWANDA, RACE AND ETHNICITY IN PRECOLONIAL AFRICAN BELGIAN COLONIES, ETHNIC RELATIONS DURING THE BELGIAN COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION, ETHNIC AND POLITICAL CONFLICTS IN POSTCOLONIAL BELGIAN COLONIES IN AFRICA. Roughly 98% of Belgium's overseas territory was just one colony (about 76 times larger than Belgium itself) known as the Belgian Congo. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Indeed, in the beginning, the Congo Free State seemed to be an unviable enterprise. 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. "Archives Africaines" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brussels (Archives of the former Belgian Ministry of Colonies). Any four countries? The Challenge of Third World Development, 4th ed. In 1876 Belgium's King Leopold II convened the Brussels Geographical Conference, which led to the formation of the African International Association. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. From the coastline excursions in Africa and the gradual establishment of trade routes in Asia and in the Indian . The Belgians were always somewhat indifferent towards their colonies, which were not regarded as a vital aspect of their national identity or place in the world, despite the value that Leopold had attached to them. Such conditions led to opposition from other European powers, and the Congo Free State ceased to exist in 1908 when it was annexed by Belgium. Only in the final phase of their presence in Rwanda and Burundi at the end of the 1950s did the Belgians change their attitude toward the Hutu majority. After a year, it was returned to the Italian State in 1920. Colonial rule in the Congo began in the late 19th century. The archives of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade show that Leopold investigated possible colonies in dozens of territories. Though its goals were purportedly humanitarian and scientific, Leopold used the association to fund expeditions and establish posts along the Congo River. It does not store any personal data. Nzongola-Ntalaja, Georges. These migrations created myriad problems both at the time and in subsequent periods. After the Government assumed direct control, the treatment of the people did improve but only marginally. Consequently, colonial policy was determined by a small group of persons, in particular the minister of colonies, a handful of top civil servants in the Ministry of Colonies, some prominent Catholic ecclesiastics, and the leaders of the private companies that were investing increasing amounts of capital in the colony. Since the 1994 genocide, Rwanda has successfully conducted both local and national elections. During its colonisation era, Belgium controlled several colonies/concessions during its history, the Belgian Congo (modern DRC) from 1908 to 1960, and Ruanda-Urundi (Rwanda and Burundi) from 1922 to 1962. Anticolonialism and nationalism found their way into the Congolese population comparatively lateindeed, not until the second half of the 1950s. 111: 1223. It replaced the failed British Eastern Coast of Central America Commercial and Agricultural Company. The Portuguese colonial empire was the first and the last European empire overseas, from the conquest of Ceuta (1415), in Morocco, North Africa, until the formal handover of Macau to the People's Republic of China (1999). On 4 May 1843, the Guatemalan parliament issued a decree giving the district of Santo Toms "in perpetuity" to the Compagnie belge de colonisation[fr], a private Belgian company under the protection of King Leopold I of Belgium. By the mid-1950s, an independence movement was underway. This uprising led to the disintegration of the Belgian colonial administration and helped in winning independence for the Congo in 1960. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Summary. It became a League of Nations Class B mandate allotted to Belgium, from 1924 to 1945. Rwanda also has a new constitution, and amnesty was granted for most of the Hutu genocide perpetrators. Besides the cold war rivalry, the other main reason for killing Lumumba and supporting the secession in the provinces of Katanga and Kasai was for Belgians to secure controlling interests in the rich mineral resources of the Congo. As early as 1860, he was urging his state to imitate its neighbors in acquiring overseas territory, "extend beyond the sea whenever an opportunity is offered," he said, "you will find there precious outlets for your products, food for your commerce and a still better position in the great European family. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Leopold II personally accumulated considerable wealth from exports of rubber and ivory acquired at gunpoint. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. All the members of the castes seemed to be living in harmony until the Belgians came and brought ethnic conflict with them. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Subsequent political problems led to military intervention by the Belgians, who claimed that they intervened to protect Belgian citizens from attack. It was established by the Belgian . However, the Government was not in favor, arguing that this could result in political instability. The Belgian Congo was one of the three colonies Belgium occupied. All the major decisions concerning the Congo were made in Brussels, and the Congolese were not allowed to participate in the running of their own country. The Tutsis were willing collaborators to the Belgian colonization. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Under the cloak of humanitarian and scientific interests, he then created successive private organizations, the most important of which was the Association Internationale du Congo (AIC). Very little money was invested in educationwhich was left to missionaries, mainly Roman Catholic, and consisted of basic literacy and numeracy. Poor relations between factions within the Congo, the continued involvement of Belgium in Congolese affairs, and intervention by major parties of the Cold War led to a five-year-long period of war and political instability, known as the Congo Crisis, from 1960 to 1965. Even before the 1870s some new gains had occurred. This was essentially a trading post rather than a colony, and reverted to China in 1930. King Leopold II and the Belgians extend their military rule over the much desired Congo Basin in Central Africa. They used civil disobedience, strikes, and civil unrest against the Belgian colonialists. Map of Belgium's colonies at their maximum extent. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. The first wave of genocide by the Hutus against the Tutsis took place earlier, however, under the administration of the Belgians in 1959. The Belgian claim was never formally recognised and the proposal was dropped in 1908. Lumumba was assassinated within a few months of becoming Prime Minister. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Encyclopedia.com. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. The Congolese petty bourgeoisie remained embryonic: local entrepreneurs or proprietors were almost nonexistent. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. 2023
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