Congo History

Over a period from 1960-1965, the first Republic of the Congo experienced a period of serious crisis. There was a terrible war for power that displayed senseless violence and the desperation to rule. There were many internal conflicts among the people. The country eventually gained independence from Belgium. For many countries this would be a time for celebration. Unfortunately for the people of the Congo this became a time to forget. Almost immediately after independence and the general elections, the country went into civil war. Major developed cities like Katanga and Kasai wanted to be independent from the Lumumba government. Different factions started to fight the government and Katanga and Kasai tried to secede from the rest

For centuries, the Congolese people have lived in a war torn society that just does

Sub point 1: Cause 1: According to the journal article The DRC's Crumbling Legitimacy in 2012, written by foreign policy analyst Dizolele and lawyer Kambale, the 2011 presidential election in the DRC have led to a crisis of legitimacy. Over 100 people who were against current Congolese president Joseph Kabila, who has been suspected of fraud in his election result, were wounded in the capital

In 2001, Kabila was assassinated, leading to him being replaced by his son Joseph Kabila (ECI). According to the Eastern Congo Initiative, the Congo held its first democratic elections in 2006, with Kabila being elected. At the same time, however, multiple armed groups gained power and began fighting over control of mineral resources in the Eastern Congo, resulting in more civilian lives. To this day they still continue to fight, and despite multiple peace treaties, the violence does not end (ECI).

As the saying goes, money makes the world go ‘round. Imperialism, the act of one country dominating another country’s power, is a prime example of money’s powerful impact on a country’s decision making, which often times has a global effect. European countries often imperialized African and Asian countries from the 1890’s to the 1910’s. From this, led to an outburst of countries wanting to imperialize other countries, especially industrialized countries looking to take advantage of non-industrialized countries. The potential economic profit available in non-industrialized countries motivated imperialists to take advantage of these countries’ resources.

Morel was one of the bigger people that helped end King Leopold's reign over the Congo. He was employed by Elder Dumpster to supervise the arrival and departure of ships coming to or from the Congo. Just like Sheppard and Williams he saw the atrocities that Leopold was doing to the territory. He did dabble with freelance writing which he then used to write about what he saw. Elder Dempster did try keep him quiet, but Morel decided to devote his life to exposing Leopold’s plans.

In the Congo, many people were affected by Imperialism in many different ways. For some people were shamed, had curfews, and some were often banned from “white” people establishments. Therefore, it was like segregation to the Congolese people. They had religion forced onto them by the Roman Catholic and some Protestant Churches. However, they gained formal education systems and slowly improved their healthcare. The government even sponsored teaching a handful of languages in the schools.

When a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, economically, or socially, they are practicing imperialism. It’s a simple way to outsource manufacturing, get cheap labor, and have access to raw materials. Imperialism is perfect solution to those with power, yet it comes at the expense of the ‘lower’ countries bolstering their success. I believe colonized countries should receive reparations from their imperialist powers because most countries that were colonized suffered severe brutalization, were used to the advantage of others, and left without means to support themselves.

Throughout King Leopold’s 44 year reign of the Congo, he managed to diminish his population in half, causing 8 to 10 million Africans to lose their lives. (USSLave) Some were worked to death, some lost their lives during transportation because of malnutrition, but many other’s died due to diseases that were brought over by the Europeans. The main theme that reappeared throughout Hochschild’s novel was Leopold’s goal of colonialism and how he was going to use his African people to accomplish it. This is seen when Leopold analyzes Livingstone, Stanley, and other explorers. Hochschild states, “As king of a small country with no public interest in colonies, he recognized

William Sheppard was a black man who called out Leopold's injustice in the Congo. Interestingly enough, he was supported by white supremacists who help in the idea of getting African Americans back to Africa. He was one of the first missionary black american missionary in the Congo. He worked there for about 20 years writing articles, speeches, and a book. He worked with the Kuba people who were artists. But unfortunately, the was ransacked when King Leopold discovered the profits he could make with rubber. Leopold used forced labor and made villages meet a certain quota before letting go of hostages/food. It was pretty terrible. William Shepard came to investigate to what had happened and found destroyed villages and corpses. He then went

In the late 19th century, the idea of imperialism arose, where one country would extend its power and rule over another. At the same time, Kipling introduced his famous theory of the “White Man’s Burden” in a poem about how it was a white man’s moral obligation to go to uncivilized areas of the world and civilize them. With these two notions in place, many European countries began to explore places in Africa and Europe and were supposed to civilize them. However, in reality, most European countries instead took advantage of the power and control they had and used it against the people they conquered. Above all leaders, none were more ruthless than King Leopold of Belgium, who gained control over the Congo Free State. King Leopold was completely responsible for the negative effects of the Congo Free State on its region and its people that resulted in the deaths of million of natives because of the role he played in colonizing the area, his purpose for colonization and the way it affected the natives, and because of the cruel way he treated and punished the natives.

In the book, “Congo: The Epic History of a People”, by David Van Reybrouck, (2010), stated that, “But violence by Africans against other Africans was not the whole story: it was not only at the base of the pyramid of power that blood flowed. Many Belgians also took part in this. Physical violence was

In the year 1885, King Leopold II of Belgium imperialized the Independent State of the Congo. Leopold set the area up under his own personal rule. His rule was an extremely negative and very unwanted thing that plunged the area into an era of damnation.

In the 1870s, the Belgian King Leopold had sent emissaries to set up exchange with local Africans in the Congo.This single demonstration started a whirlwind of imperialistic action as alternate countries of Europe, including France, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Portugal. Which brought about the Scramble for Africa. The scramble was intense to the point that there were fears from individuals that it could prompt settler clashes and even war. It was the monetary, political, and social components and strengths that had prompted the Scramble for America. There was a gathering held that delivered a settlement called the Berlin Act, with procurements to manage the behavior of the European between radical rivalry in Africa.

The Republic of Congo’s government will continue to weaken and will not be able to work successfully. To strengthen the economy you must first have balance in the political development and democracy, which in fact is organized by policies modeled by The World Bank (International Monetary Fund 6).