Democratic Republic Of The Congo Essay

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), located in Central Africa, struggles daily because the government fails. The country has been in civil conflicts for nearly a decade, this however is not the main health hazard. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Congo was a popular location for slave trade, while foreign powers intruded they also exposed the area to their diseases that have remained for centuries. These diseases have developed

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

Formerly known as Zaire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DROC) is located in the center of Africa bordered by nine different countries and one territory. (Lerner, 10) The bordering countries are Central African Republic and Sudan at the northern boarder, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi on the eastern boarder, Zambia and Angola directly South of DROC and Congo on the Western boarder.

Angola, formerly Portuguese West Africa, is the seventh largest country in Africa. The country can be divided into three major regions: the coastal plain, a transition zone, and the vast inland plateau. Angola has a tropical climate with its vegetation including tropical rain forests, savannas, grasslands, palm trees and even deserts. A great variety of animal life ranging from elephants, rhinoceros, giraffes, and even crocodiles can also be found in this African country (Microsoft 1).

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

At these moments, life in the Congo is a living nightmare. The eastern provinces of the Congo see violence every day. Women are getting raped at alarming rates. Children are constantly abused and forced to become child soldiers. There are no sources of medicine or even clean water. Anyone can get murdered at any time, and no one is even safe in their own homes.

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.

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.

Over the course of human history, many believe that the “Congo Free State”, which lasted from the 1880s to the early 1900s, was one of the worst colonial states in the age of Imperialism and was one of the worst humanitarian disasters over time. Brutal methods of collecting rubber, which led to the deaths of countless Africans along with Europeans, as well as a lack of concern from the Belgian government aside from the King, combined to create the most potent example of the evils of colonialism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s. The Congo colonial experience, first as the Congo Free State then later as Belgian Congo, was harmful to that region of Africa both then and now because of the lack of Belgian and International

Imperialism is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. In 1870, the European powers took over the African Congo and enslaved the natives. Moreover, they were forced to work the land, so the Europeans could obtain the products they needed by using a cheap labor force to turn around and sell them at a profit. These products included such commodities as rubber, diamonds and coffee (A New World Order: Imperialism and World War I). Unfortunately, the people of the Congo were beaten, over worked, raped, and even killed by the European powers if they did not do their job correctly or if they refused to do their task entirely. Eventually,

Women played an important role in the campaign for public support for reform of King Leopold II’s Congo Free State and the forced labor that took place there. Both in the Congo and in Europe women influenced the perception and reaction to the État Indépendant du Congo and the Congolese people. The treatment of Congolese women by the Force Publique and white colonial officials such as Léon Rom inspired both sympathy from European missionaries and rebellion from the Congolese. While in Europe and America reformers like Englishwomen Alice Harris and Mary Morel campaigned for reform in the Congo Free State. Through newspaper articles, organizations and photographs they swayed many influential members of English and American society — church and government officials, businessmen, and authors — to their side. The Congo Reform Association(CRA) also had two women on its executive council. Through their treatment at the hands of the regime, involvement in public campaigns against Leopold, and a sex scandal, women in the both the Congo and in Europe encouraged opposition to King Leopold II’s draconian rule of the État Indépendant du Congo.

This is a tale of horror and tragedy in the Congo, beginning with the brutal and exploitative regime of King Leopold II of Belgium, and culminating with the downfall of one of Africa’s most influential figures, Patrice Lumumba. The Congo is but one example of the greater phenomenon of European occupation of Africa. The legacy of this period gives rise to persistent problems in the Congo and throughout Africa. Understanding the roots and causes of this event, as focused through the lense of the Congo, is the subject of this paper.

The conflict in the Republic of Congo can generally be attributed to a lack of democracy. The lack of democracy has developed an unfair supply of resources and corruption amongst government officials. Corruption in government slows the economic growth for all societies. The government is weak, and the judicial system is vulnerable against large political interference. Political conflict and the damage of social and economic structure have destroyed the economy. Corruption among government officials and foreign investors in the Republic of Congo has increased widespread poverty, hampered economic development, and widened unequal income and wealth distribution that is negatively affecting the poor more than the rich. By implementing new

The Central African Republic (CAR) is located in the heart of equatorial Africa. The country, with an estimated population of 4.4 million and a landmass of 622,984 sq km , is landlocked, sharing borders with Chad, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, and Cameroon. The country, a former colony of France (formerly known as Ubangi-Shari), gained independence on August 13, 1960. Like most former colonies, CAR was subject to interference in domestic affairs by its former colonizer. The French were linked to the death of Barthélémy Boganda, the country’s pre-independence leader . The French were also directly involved in several coups within the CAR.

“The Congo” refers to several different areas of Africa, all in the same general area but in different settings. Congo can refer to the political regions of The Democratic Republic of Congo or the Republic of Congo, it’s also possible to refer to the Congo as a geographical location varying as a general location, a rainforest, a river, or a river basin. The Congo River is also known as the Zaire river and the world’s deepest river and due to its depth, it gives the wildlife plenty of places to live but the main use for the Congo River was for hydro power.