"Africa: Belgian Colonies By the time Belgium's second king, Leopold II, was crowned, Belgian enthusiasm for colonialism had abated. As a latecomer in the struggle for colonies, Germany had to settle for four territories, called "protectorates," in . These three protagonists had an enormous influence in the colony, and assisted each other in their respective ventures, even if their interests did not always coincide and, indeed, sometimes openly conflicted. On July 4, the army rebelled. In 2001, when Kabila was assassinated by one of his bodyguards, he was succeeded by General Joseph Kabila, his son. During a period lasting from 1881 to 1914 in what was known as the Scramble for Africa, several European . that existed between the Europeans and the Africans. 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 violence used by Free State officials against indigenous Congolese and the ruthless system of economic extraction had led to intense diplomatic pressure on Belgium to take official control of the country. Belgium itself could not stay aloof, because of its growing involvement in the Congo Free State. Lumumba was assassinated within a few months of becoming Prime Minister. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These kingdoms, especially the Kingdom of Kongo, were comparably wealthy, and when the standard of living is high, people tend to get along well. In French. 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. In the first years of the twentieth century, the Congo question became an important international issue, since the British government took this matter to heart, especially after an official enquiry commission, appointed by king Leopold, had confirmed the existence of excesses (1904). 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. With the support of the Free State's military, the Force Publique, the territory was divided into private concessions. How do I get rid of whiteheads on my nose naturally? 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). Map of Africa in 1910. As in most colonies, the Congolese economy consisted of a heterogeneous mix of different sectors. Anstey, Roger. GENEALOGY OF THE TERM DECOLONIZATION This was in contrast to the British and the French, who generally favoured the system of indirect rule whereby traditional leaders were retained in positions of authority under colonial oversight. Bibliographie historique du Zare l'poque coloniale (18801960): Travaux publis en 19601996. The Twa or the pygmies, who were the original inhabitants of Rwanda, were outcasts and despised by both the Hutus and the Tutsis. What has been described as an Apartheid-like system also existed in that the mobility of Africans, but not of Europeans, was restricted and curfews applied to the former. Leopold II exploited the Congo for its natural rubber, which was starting to become a valuable commodity. 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. Following the Rwandan Revolution, the mandate became the independent states of Burundi and Rwanda in 1962.[1]. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here: The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia: Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner. With these events sea power shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and . The Scramble for Africa: The Scramble for Africa was a period of rampant colonialism of African territories by European powers, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Under Egypt 's Pharaoh Amasis (570-526 BC) a Greek mercantile colony was established at Naucratis, some 50 miles from the later Alexandria. The Belgian colonial empire consisted of three African colonies possessed by Belgium between 1901 to 1962. 2002. In 1877, the European country Belgium and King Leopold colonized the Democratic Republic of Congo. Available at: http://www.diplomatie.be/fr/archives/archives.asp. The Congo under Belgian Rule 19081960. Before the coming of the Europeans, the Kingdom of Kongo had well-organized political and administrative structures that rivaled those of the Europeans. King Leopold II and the Belgians extend their military rule over the much desired Congo Basin in Central Africa. Belgian native policy, which had rigidified the ethnic boundaries between Tutsi and Hutu and consequently had exacerbated the ethnic identity of these groups, was largely responsible for the intensification of ethnic rivalry between these groups after the end of foreign rule. Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/africa-belgian-colonies. The official Belgian attitude was paternalism: Africans were to be cared for and trained as if they were children. Summary. 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. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. [4] By the turn of the century, however, the violence used by Free State officials against indigenous Congolese and the ruthless system of economic extraction led to intense diplomatic pressure on Belgium to take official control of the country, which it did in 1908, creating the Belgian Congo. King Leopold II of Belgium attempted to persuade the Belgian government to support colonial expansion around the then-largely unexploited Congo Basin. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. A People's History. Revolts and violence against Tutsi, known as the Rwandan Revolution, occurred in the events leading to independence. Belgium controlled several territories and concessions during the colonial era, principally the Belgian Congo (modern DRC) from 1908 to 1960 and Ruanda-Urundi (modern Rwanda and Burundi) from 1922 to 1962.It also had small concessions in Guatemala (1843-1854) and in China (1902-1931) and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. The Tutsis were willing collaborators to the Belgian colonization. This led to him being remembered in Belgium today as the "Builder-King." By the mid-1950s, an independence movement was underway. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Nairobi, Kenya: Paulines Publications Africa. In 1876 Leopold convoked an International Geographic Conference in Brussels, where prominent geographers and explorers were invited. Brussels: De Boeck & Larcier, 1998. Britain, France, Germany and Belgium had territories on the African continent. Even before the 1870s some new gains had occurred. His rule was brutal and millions of Congolese died as a result. In 1876 he commissioned Sir Henry Morton Stanleys expedition to explore the Congo region. So did Spain, Italy and Portugal by 1914. 1998. 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. ed. [17] Belgian colonizing efforts in Guatemala ceased in 1854, due to lack of financing and high mortality due to yellow fever and malaria, endemic diseases of the tropical climate. 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. The so-called Colonial Charter of 1908 set out the main lines of the Belgian colonial system: a rigorous separation between the budgets of the colony and the mother country; a strict parliamentary control of executive power (in order to avoid the excesses of the former Leopoldian despotism); the appointment of a governor-general in Congo, whose powers were strictly limited by the metropolitan authorities; and a tight centralism in the colony itself, where provincial authorities were granted little autonomy. The Portuguese established a relationship with the king of Kongo but stayed in the modern Angolan coastal areas. The Legacy of Belgium's 19th and 20th Century African Colonies. In 1865 he succeeded his father, Leopold I, to the Belgian throne. 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. Others cited Belgian's ratification of Article 73 of the United Nations Charter (on self-determination) and argued for a swifter hand-over of power than the 30 years favored by some. Can I leave an internship for another internship? During the 1840s and 50s, King Leopold I tentatively supported several proposals to acquire territories overseas. 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. They also shared the same culture, ate the same or similar foods, and practiced the same religion. 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. In 1966 he renamed the Congolese cities of Lopoldville (Kinshasa), Stanley-ville (Kisangani), and Elisabethville (Lubumbashi). The large numbers of white immigrants who moved to the Congo after the end of World War II came from across the social spectrum, but were always treated as superior to black citizens. On February 5, 1885, Belgian King Leopold II established the Congo Free State by brutally seizing the African landmass as his personal possession. In 1842, a ship sent by King Leopold I of Belgium arrived in Guatemala; the Belgians observed the natural riches of the department of Izabal and decided to settle in Santo Tomas de Castilla and build infrastructure in the region. Mobutu ruled for thirty-one years and pauperized the Congo. There was social mobility (both upward and downward) in this stratified Rwandese society. The term is also applied to a group of nationals wh, c. 1875 2006. in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. New York: Times Books. Some argued for a gradual shift to self-governance because of the lack of personnel equipped to take over the responsibilities of governance. Very little money was invested in educationwhich was left to missionaries, mainly Roman Catholic, and consisted of basic literacy and numeracy. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Portugal's African ColoniesOne of the great ironies in the history of European colonialism is that the small country of Portugal established one of the first colonial empires and then retained its colonial possessions well after most other European nations had lost theirs. By 1895 the British press started to expose Leopold IIs atrocities in Congo. 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. 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. Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium: Centre d'histoire de l'Afrique de l'universit catholique de Louvain, 1996. In 1998 Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda jointly invaded Congo, and Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Chad, and the Sudan fought on the side of Kabilas Congo. The scramble for colonies was the brainchild of Leopold II, king of Belgium. Belgian rule in the Congo was based on the "colonial trinity" (trinit coloniale) of state, missionary and private company interests. 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. 40). POST-1945 HISTORICAL CONTEXTS Britain established control over many parts of Africa, including Sudan and much of the south. From the late 1920s, some important mining companies had also developed a paternalistic policy aimed at stabilizing and controlling their labor force (Congo had one of the largest wage labor contingents in Africa). We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 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. Belgian Congo, French Congo Belge, former colony (coextensive with the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) in Africa, ruled by Belgium from 1908 until 1960. During the 1940s and 1950s, the Congo experienced extensive urbanization and the administration aimed to make it into a "model colony". The Belgian colonial empire consisted of three African colonies possessed by Belgium between 1901 to 1962. Anticolonialism and nationalism found their way into the Congolese population comparatively lateindeed, not until the second half of the 1950s. Ethnic Conflict. Foreign Policy No. During World War I, Congolese troops participated in offensives against German forces in the area of modern-day Rwanda and Burundi which were placed under Belgian occupation. These conflicts resulted in many wars and episodes of genocide. Following a general analysis of French colonial rule in the AOF, a separate chapter is devoted to each colony. "Africa: Belgian Colonies New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article 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). 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). 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. Tyrants: Historys 100 Most Evil Despots and Dictators. [13] The privileging of Belgian commercial interests meant that large amounts of capital flowed into the Congo and that individual regions became specialised. 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. 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. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Leopold had administered Katanga separately, but in 1910, the Belgian government merged it with the Belgian Congo. Like the 1994 genocide, it started when extremist Tutsis attacked a Hutu leader, and the Hutus retaliated by killing hundreds of Tutsis. By 1900, the French had colonies in present-day Senegal , Mauritania , Mali , Niger , Burkina Faso , Guinea , Ivory Coast , and Benin, just to name a few. [13] The country was split into nesting, hierarchically organised administrative subdivisions, and run uniformly according to a set "native policy" (politique indigne). https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/africa-belgian-colonies, "Africa: Belgian Colonies . Even in the first decades of its existence, it showed little inclination toward overseas expansion. 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. "[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. 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. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. N'Daywel Nziem, Isidore. On reaching Kinshasa in May 1997, Kabila declared himself president and changed the name of Zaire back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This was essentially a trading post rather than a colony, and reverted to China in 1930. However, the Government was not in favor, arguing that this could result in political instability. Belgium itself had gained independence in 1831 when it broke away from the Netherlands and became a new nation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"n0hifXIP06k4AZAYPfhaWe9Vz2rtENJE3ukkjTyT.f4-86400-0"}; The period ended after World War I, and by the 1970s most of the European colonies in Africa had become independent. Nevertheless, there were interethnic wars on some occasions. As the first census did not take place until 1924, it is difficult to quantify the population loss of the period and these figures have been disputed by some who, like William Rubinstein, claim that the figures cited by Adam Hochschild are speculative estimates based on little evidence. The history of Colonialism as a policy or practice go, Colonialism, Internal The Belgian concession was proclaimed on 7 November 1900 and spanned some 100 hectares (250 acres). Kabilas inability to disarm the Hutu militia and to share power with his former Tutsi allies led to war with his allies. Leopold II personally accumulated considerable wealth from exports of rubber and ivory acquired at gunpoint. In Rwanda, independence brought increased ethnic tensions because of the policies of the Belgian colonial administration. 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. Their refusal led Leopold to create a state under his own personal rule. What were the former British colonies in Africa? ." Belgium, a constitutional monarchy, gained its independence in 1830 from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The new colony comprised a land bigger than western Europe and seventy-four times larger than Belgium, and belonged to Leopold II as a personal possession. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Belgium administered these mandates through a system of indirect rule. 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. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Hutus went on a rampage, killing Tutsis in their midst with the aim of exterminating them. The new leader signed a peace treaty with the rebel groups and appointed four vice presidents hailing from former rebel groups. 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. New York: Penguin. Encyclopedia.com. The most obvious result of the Congress and of nationalist yearnings, juxtaposed with a more structured European map, was a new and general scramble for colonies in other parts of the world. In 1962, it got its independence from Belgium. The European incursion into the west coast of Africa and the consequent slave raids increased the migrations of refugees into Kongo. [citation needed], Leopold achieved international recognition for the Congo Free State in 1885. By the time this was universally recognized in 1839, most European powers already had colonies and protectorates outside Europe and had begun to form spheres of influence. Christian missionaries were very successful in the Congo, where the Catholic Church is one of the largest in Africa (approximately 30 million members, or 55 percent of the population). It was the activities of these extreme groups that led to the various episodes of genocide that reached appalling heights in 1994 with the killing of nearly one million people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, by extreme Hutus. 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 . [6], A sharp reduction of the population of the Congo through excess deaths occurred in the Free State period but estimates of the deaths toll vary considerably. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. When Belgium became a nation in 1830, it had almost no tradition of long-distance trade or colonial activity. Map of Belgium's colonies at their maximum extent. Taking advantage of the political conflict between the president and the prime minister, Mobutu encouraged the military to revolt. There were slight improvements in the everyday economic and social life of the Congolese that were comparable to conditions in other European colonies in Africa. Belgians, including their government, adopted an ambivalent, even indifferent attitude towards their empire. The concept of internal colonialism has become so widely used and applied that almost every minority group in the world has b, The 1994 genocide in Rwanda represents one of the clearest cases of genocide in modern history. The Belgian administration of the Congo was run by a relatively modest corps of civil servants (in 1947 only about 44,000 whites, 3,200 of whom were public employees, were present in this vast country, inhabited by some 11 million Africans). In the Congo, the Belgians created an apartheid-like system between the Europeans (Belgians) living in Congo and the Congolese, thereby marginalizing the Congolese in their own society. On September 5, President Kasavubu dismissed Lumumba as prime minister. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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. Mass Crimes Against Humanity: The Congo Free State Genocide Circa 1895-1912. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Belgian_colonial_empire&oldid=1023550, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. 1822) [19]. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Which seven European countries placed virtually all of Africa under European control between 1880 and 1900?, What reforms did Muhammad Ali introduce during a 30-year reign in Egypt, What did Boers believe was ordained by God in relation to racial differences and more. In the Congo, political instability started as soon as the Congolese gained their independence from the Belgians in 1960. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450. 27 Apr. Belgium is a small country in northwest Europe that joined Europe's race for colonies in the late 19th century. Specifically, in 1929, they eliminated all the non-Tutsi chiefs, and as a result the Hutus lost all their representation in the colonial government. Autocratic rule did not need to find ways of negotiating how different factions could cooperate within a sustainable, participatory system of governance or access a fair share of resources. The United States, Belgium, and other Western governments aided Mobutu in overthrowing the government of Lumumba as part of their cold war rivalry with the communist bloc countries led by the Soviet Union. Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450. . Both Hutus and Tutsis served in the kings military. The city of Tianjin (Tientsin), a treaty port in China (18601945) included nine foreign-controlled concessions (Chinese: ; pinyin: zujie). The killing stopped only when Paul Kagame, with the help of Uganda, led a Tutsi army that drove the Hutu-led military into exile in neighboring Congo. Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. The rubber trade, which was of critical economic importance to sustaining Leopold's enterprise, was marked by especially inhumane conditions. Keen on establishing Belgium as an imperial power, he led the first European efforts to develop the Congo River basin, making possible the formation in 1885 of the . In 1955 some of the few Congolese educated-elites organized a resistance to the lack of democracy and the apartheid policies of the Belgian colonial masters. Egypt was also under colonialism, but it did have a unique history . The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". But from 1895 on, the Congo Free State, which Leopold ruled as an absolute monarch, was saved from bankruptcy by the growing demand for rubber. Leopold II personally accumulated considerable wealth from exports of rubber and ivory acquired at gunpoint. 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. Colonialism in Africa. 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. Mobutu first escaped to Togo and then to Morocco, where he died a few months later from cancer. However, the date of retrieval is often important. The rural masses were primarily engaged in a neglected and stagnating indigenous agriculture, aimed at self-subsistence but facing growing difficulties feeding the increasing population, particularly from the 1950s. ." Many European countries wanted to colonize distant parts of the world in order to exploit the resources and "civilize" the inhabitants of these less-developed countries. The main aim of these so-called volus in resisting the Belgian colonial administration was to redress the gross inequality. 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. * As many as 10 million people are estimated to have died in Congo from killings, famine and disease . cultural differences between kenya and america, apartments for rent rutherford, nj,
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