Congo Free State Research Paper

Belgium, a country in europe, was considered “superior” to other counties in the general area. Belgium had a lot of advanced technology compared to the Congo. For example, the Congo was very poor, it wasn't important as a developing nation, however, the Congo did have many resources, Belgium for example, became interested in the Congo's, copper, gold, diamonds, rubber, cobalt, and many more resources. Thus, a lot of european countries wanted Congo’s resources as well, as a result, twelve nations got together debated dividing these resources equally. These thirteen nations in europe comprised the Berlin Conference. However King Leopold, the “ruler” of Belgium, wanted Africa all to himself. In response, King Leopold said he was going to take

During the late 19th to early 20th century, King Leopold II impacted the African Continent and the larger International community more than any other European monarch. Firstly, King Leopold II sinisterly orchestrated a colonization operation that is comparative to a genocidal regime. Secondly, King Leopold II’s actions in the Congo led unified condemnation across oceans from a broad range of socioeconomic statues. Lastly, the opposition forces against King Leopold II’s colonization of Congo helped pave the way for future justice on the continent as well as internationally. Ultimately, this Europe created the competitive environment that promoted King Leopold II’s quest for colonization.

During King Leopold’s time he was scrambling for a way to create wealth, but could not dabble in the trade of Africans because of new abolition laws, then he got lucky. In the Berlin Conference held by Otto Von Bismarck, Africa was divided like a cake; pieces were given to European countries. While they had decided that they were “respecting” human rights, it was also believed that Africans needed to be governed. Through this Leopold gained the territory of the Congo, marking the beginning of colonialism, an era of unequal wealth and poverty.

Congo Square is a public space where African slaves gathered, singed, danced, played musical instruments, and practice their belief after the Code Noir of Louisiana was established for Sunday as non-work days for all inhabitants of the French rule colony. Freddie Williams Evans presented the Congo Square as a significant contribution to the survival of African American in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“Before the war, I had a very simple childhood…..and that changed very quickly” (Ishmael Beah-Child Soldier). Imagine the life of an American child, then think, what was life like for a child in Sierra Leone in 1991?... Abuse and torture, leaving you breathless. A child soldier who thereafter, lives with the emotional effects of war looking for a pathway to humanity. If he survives, the flashbacks will haunt him, yet he journeys on. Welcome to childhood... in Sierra Leone.

Between the 1880s and 1908, King Leopold II controlled the Congo Free State, using it mainly as a corporate venture rather than a colonial one. However, in 1908, a global outcry condemned his reign after reports erupted of widespread torture and death taking place in the territory’s rubber plantations by his agents. It was reported that those atrocities left millions of the Congolese dead or injured, and so, in 1908, Belgium annexed the territory into its own jurisdiction, creating the colony of the Belgian Congo. The colony hosted hundreds of Christian missionaries in hopes to westernize the Congolese. Nevertheless, the scars from Leopold’s control were far from erased, both physically and mentally, and in the late 1950s, the independence

During the nineteenth-century European drive for possessions in Africa... people justified colonialism in various ways, claiming that it Christianized the heathen or civilized the savage races or brought everyone the miraculous benefits of free trade.”(Hochschild 38)Many people played a major role in colonizing the Congo. Many people tried to end the mass murder in the Congo. Even though most of these people were not able to stop it completely, they were a great input to stopping and putting an end to Leopold’s brutality. King Leopold was one of the sneakiest European leaders. His ambitions to increase his country’s power lead him to hunt for a colony. Leopold was able to manipulate his people, and he tried to hide his true intentions for wanting

Cameroon is in central Africa, between Guinea and Nigeria, sometimes even called the “hinge of Africa” due to its volcanic activity. Its area in comparison to California is only slightly larger- about 475,000 sq km, which makes this a relatively small country. In terms of boundaries, it has about six countries that border it: the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. Its terrain is relatively plain, with its coastal plain in the southwest, the dissected plateau near the center, some high mountains westward, and north it has plains.

Located in Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and north of Burundi, the Republic of Rwanda is predominantly rural, and its population relatively young; additionally, its population density is one of the highest in Africa. Humans began inhabiting the region between 8,000 BCE - 3,000 BCE, and had structured themselves into various clans (Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa) by the 15th century. The Tutsi Nyiginya clan grew to be the more dominant, and during the 19th century, under the reign of King Kigeli Rwabugiri, reached its greatest expansion. Hutus make make 84 percent of the population, Tutsi 15, and Twa 1 percent.

Through the conflict in Eastern Congo, I am looking at women and community’s ability to understand what kind of stories western aid workers wanted to hear from female victims in the conflict. This is important to understand how and why women lied about being raped. The driving factor for women to lie was for women and communities to gain access to international aid. By lying women convinced the international community that rape was a significant issue in Congo. Women lying shows that communities and women understood that aid organizations only listened to a single story, rape. To understand how this happened, I will be using qualitative methods because the importance of my project is not who donated aid or numerically the amount given specifically

South Sudan has only been independent since 2011, yet it is on the brink of collapse. Why is this happening? The country has abundant resources (Sarwar 177; Ploch 16) and has gained independence after decades of conflict (Sarwar 172-174). To begin to understand the situation, the original history of Sudan must be examined (Zambakari 516; Jok 69). Its place in the African continental history is important as well because most of the continent developed under colonialism. The independence of South Sudan on July 9, 2011, created a nation immediately at risk due to colonial history, diverse populations in opposition, and fragile infrastructure. (Working thesis statement) To succeed, South Sudan has to overcome its history of

In early 1991 Sierra Leone had an outbreak of civil war was economically and politically on the edge of collapsing due to the twenty four years of exploitation and misrule under Siaka Stevens and Joseph Saidu Momoh who was his chosen successor, and had left the country heavily dependent on foreign aid and loans. The state was divided between the client of the All People’s Party regime, a growing number of a bitter political and business rivals, mismanagement and corruption.

More than 300,00 children and young adults are fighting in Africa today. Many civil wars and conflicts such as the South Sudanese conflict continue to fight with child soldiers (Gettleman). The South Sudanese conflict is brutal, destructive, and more than the normal American can imagine. The fight for South Sudan to become an independent country called for child soldiers. On June 9th, 2011, South Sudan declared its independence from Sudan, and that is when the brutal fighting began. South Sudan will not be able to resolve the conflict in their own, so they need additional help from other countries. The U.S. and other first world countries should be involved in helping end conflicts with human

Over ten million Africans were killed in the Congo during the European imperialism invasion that in 1850. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad uses the setting to show the detrimental effects of European imperialism has on the mind, Africa, and those who would became intricate pawns in the capitalist greed of European companies. During the book Africa can be seen as a character that is fighting against the invaders.

The Congo, also known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a county in west central part of Africa and close to the equator. The DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world. Besides the 25 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline, the country is surrounded by land. The country has 4 main climates regions that have averages temperatures from 60 F degrees up to high 80 F degrees, and average rainfall ranges from 30- 70 inches a year. The country topical geography consists of “large river basin, a major valley, high plateaus, three mountain ranges, and a low coastal plain. Most of the country is composed of the central Congo basin, a vast rolling plain with an average elevation of about 1,700 feet (520 meters) above sea level.” The country