Effects Of Congo Imperialism

For Europeans, the African Congo was a land full of unsolved mysteries and intriguing economic prospects in the second half of the 19th century. It was the last region of Africa to be explored by Europeans; for over 400 years, Europeans had attempted time and time again to explore the region, and yet all had succumbed to unbearable hardships and impassible terrain. It is likely that this region would have remained unexplored until very recently if it were not for a man named Henry Morton Stanley. Stanley was the first European explorer to lead a successful journey into Congo, overcoming the unbelievable probability of failure to open up the heart of tropical Africa to European imperialism. However, his journey was neither smooth nor

What is imperialism? According to Britannica, imperialism is a state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas. Belgium taking over the Congo is an example of this. The Congo was a peaceful country, located in the heart of Africa, consisting of warm sunny days and beautiful Lake Malebo. The people were free, and happy. This was before the hell started… King Léopold II was the reason for this to happen. Léopold found the Congo and immediately fell in love with all the resources that flourished there. Léopold then went on to colonizing the Congo and taking it in for his own. He colonized the

The rule of King Leopold II instilled disturbing methods of ruling. He enslaved the people of The democratic republic of Congo (Congolese) to gather him resources that would only benefit him. He was willing to do whatever it took to gain resources, even if it meant enslaving the people. “ King Leopold II nearly enslaved many of the Congolese people in order to gain wealth, and to bring power” (Citation) imperialism had a negative impact on the country, it had a long lasting impacts on the country because he depleted them of their resources which means they don't have much to export as a country now. King Leopold II used the people as slaves to gather their resources due to the danger of the work, which resulted in many casualties and injuries. He wanted to rule the country as he wanted rather than what was right for the people. He lied to the Belgian government in order to gain power of the country, by saying that his

European Imperialism was a period of colonial expansion by European powers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The continents of Africa and Asia were two of the most imperialized areas in the world, and that greatly affected the people living there. The European Imperialism methods had a tremendous effect on the indigenous people of those areas through culture and conflicts.

Riches in central Africa. In what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, there was and still is a plethora of natural resources. Rubber, gold, copper, diamonds and more. That natural wealth has definitely hurt Congo in the past rather than helped. Its resources could have made it one of the wealthiest countries in the world. But yet, this future did not hold true for the Congo. At the turn of the 20th century, King Leopold II began to take notice of the central African country. (National Black United Front). King Leopold II communicated all his ideas and intentions through a speech to European missionaries. (Africa Global Network). In it, his words held the key to all things terrible. Soon, Belgium took over the Congo and began one of the

August 3, 1993 The Arusha Accords are agreed upon, opening government positions to both Hutu and Tutsi.

Imperialism was an extremely big deal throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. There were many occurrences where people who were involved in imperialism would succeed, but there were also failures. Throughout this time period, powers from Europe, the United States and Japan all contributed to both the positive and negative impacts of imperialism. These impacts affected parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Some of the few people that made huge changes during the “Age of Imperialism” are Dadabha Naoroji, J.A. Hobson, Mary Kingsley, Edgar Canisius, Albert Beveridge, and Rudyard Kipling.

Have you ever felt like you were being treated the same ways that Africans are being treated? Africans were being treated badly and unfairly as slaves by the Belgians. Belgians used fear to control the Africans and make them work for their profit. Africa was separated by Belgium without the approval of Africans. European colonizers killed Africans and also culture.

Imperialism in Africa began in the late 19th century. It began when King Leopold II began the Scramble for Africa. All of the major colonial powers went after Africa. Their goal was to gain the most wealth and to have the most territory. Having more territory and claiming valuable parts of the continent was a symbol of power. Imperialism in Africa had negative and positive consequences on both the Europeans and Africans, these can be shown through human rights issues, new industry and advancements, and wealth and influence.

Throughout the continent of Africa, a majority of the territories experienced colonization. Several nations, specifically Uganda, were placed under the rule of Great Britain. Uganda, an East African country surrounded by the Great Lakes of Africa, was one of the last parts of the continent to be reached by outsiders. THESIS STATEMENT HERE.

In current date, The Congo barely has little, to no access to clean water.(SOS Children) You may even see different associations trying to donate to this area in Africa due to so many families being left with nothing to survive, so many families in fact are malnourished. There is almost no help at all going into today’s Congo even though it is not the tribes fault that there is no resources left for their people. Aside from Leopold leaving the land in complete drought of all resources, he also left behind many life threatening diseases that spread during the massacre of enslaving the original settlers. The Congo during Leopold's time was stripped of any benefits that could have been used in the long run.

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

King Leopold II ruled the Congo from 1885 to 1908. “He ruled the Congo less as a colony but more as his own personal priority. He treated the native Congolese nearly as slaves and used the wealth of the Congo to grow his own personal wealth.” (http://drcimperialism.weebly.com/life-under-imperialist-power.html). Under his rule the people of the Congo were treated horribly. The Congolese experienced a humanitarian disaster consisting of enslavement, exploitation, and even extermination. Moreover, by the end of this era it was estimated that the population was cut in half. “Eventually international outrage forced Leopold to turn over his personal colony to the Belgian government.” (Esler 572) Nonetheless, during the years of Leopold’s rule imperialism thrived.

Many nations wanted to expand their territory and gain control of natural resources that are nonnative. As a result, Imperialism began in the late nineteenth century due to economic, political, and social forces including the Industrial Revolution, trade, and military conditions. Imperialism is the domination over an undeveloped, less industrialized country by a stronger, more industrialized nation. Although Imperialism has shaped the culture and customs all over the world, it had both negative and positive impacts throughout imperialized nations. The Perspectives on imperialism varied widely between those who imposed it and those who were affected by it.

It can be refferd to as a period whereby European powers colonised, invaded, occupied and annexed African territories in a very rapid and unprecedented manner, even though there was little interest in Africa up to the 1870's. In fact, up to 1880 Europeans ruled merely 10% of the African continent. Yet within 30 years, by 1914, European nations will have claimed all of Africa except Liberia (a small territory of freed slaves from the United States) and Abyssinia (Ethiopia), which had successfully held off Italian invaders at the battle of Adowa in 1896. The partitioning of Africa was seen as a means of easing tensions between European states which was high in the late 19th century and avoid a full blown out war in Europe