Imperialism In The Belgian Congo

Admitted in the Memoir of Ndansi Kumalo, “Well, the white men have brought us some good things. For a start, they brought us European implements - plows; we can buy European clothes, which are an advance. The government has arranged for education and through that, when our children grow up, they may rise in status.” The Europeans admittedly brought many great things to the Natives of the countries they conquered; better technology, education, and overall help were given to the natives. In the beginning, Europeans tried as much as they could to prop up the natives to a better, civilised stature. However, as their power and grasp on the region increased, as did their greed. According to Richard Harding Davis in Leopold, The Janitor from the Congo and the Coasts of Africa, “The Charges brought against Leopold II, as King of the Congo, are three: (1) That he has made slaves of the twenty million blacks he promised to protect. (2) That, in spite of his promise to keep the Congo open to trade, he has closed it to all nations. (3) That the revenues of the country and all of its trade has retained to himself.” Such imperialism allowed far away kings to exploit their populaces of Native Africans as if they were just toys to the crown. Leaders would force their powerless and technologically underdeveloped subjects into fruitless

Imperialism had several diverse impacts on Asia, Africa, and Europe. The pros about imperialism, was that new roads and railroads that were built connected many parts of India. The introduction of the telegraph and postal systems united many people. Discovering new agricultural methods improved farming in the west and in Africa and Asia. Schools that were built by the British educated many people. Human rights were recognized, by ending customs that threatened many humans.

Between 1884 and 1906 the Congo was controlled by a company owned by King Leopold, and the area was referred to as the 'Belgian Free State.’ Until the end of the 1800s Leopold’s company exported primarily ivory and palm-oil, from the Congo. At the end of the century, however, the world discovered rubber. Rubber became an extremely important and very valuable resource in the west in the late 1800’s. The demand for rubber increased dramatically and Leopold had found a way to cultivate and sell it for large profit. The cultivation of rubber soon proved to be the most profitable resource and King Leopold took advantage of this new substance as quickly as possible. This essay will explore what the rubber industry both created and destroyed in the

The first positive impact European Imperialism had on the world is education. Before European colonization and the introduction of Western education, traditional educational systems still existed in Africa The average African child was taught basic survival skills necessary to survive in the traditional society. They were taught how to fish, trade and crafts, etc. (Education Western Africa.) Although already knew

Imperialism was a negative event that happened to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country was first impressed by the Belgian king, King Leopold II. He ruled the land not as a colony but as his own. He treated the Congolese as slaves to gather him resources to help make him more wealthy. Imperialism was the worst thing that happened to the Democratic Republic of Congo, King Leopold II enslaved the people, and stripped the land of resources, punished them which ultimately lead to the Belgian government stripping him of Power

According Nnamidi Azikiwe, a Nigerian leader, imperialism is a crime against humanity (Document 8). Europeans committed certain actions to the African race like forcing Africans into labor. When someone with dominance commands a weaker person, they become frightened, like the Africans. King Leopold II colonized the Democratic Republic of the Congo for over seventy-five years. The economy was based on the forced labor of the Congolese (Congo Case Study). Africans needed to collect a certain amount of rubber and ivory, but when they didn’t meet the European’s expectations, they would be punished which consisted of being raped or abused, brutally. Leopold’s actions of continuously demanding the Congolese to work for little wages was not just because they worked long hours, yet got paid off as little as a few cents. The prime minister, Jules Ferry, gave a speech in 1884 called “On French Colonial Expansion” that contradicts, and he exclaims that superior races has a right over lower races (Document 7). Ferry believes that Europe will help Africa become civil, but this created inequality. White people used their control over people of color to work for them. Africans never got the same opportunities as whites; therefore, making them less important. Africans were obligated to be servants for Europeans, but they did not wish to, making this harder on African

Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, people around the world lived with awful conditions, as they lacked more modern innovations. Such innovations included indoor plumbing, roads, and faster means of transportations (Hobson 103). With the Europeans introducing the native people to these types of inventions, it’s clear that positive development ensued, as only good can come from many things that the Europeans had brought with them. Especially in Africa, which came almost completely under European control in 1884 following the Berlin Conference, the territories developed for the better. Indoor plumbing, among many other things brought better sanitations, ultimately leading to less disease (Lynn). Developed roads and faster means of transportation, including steam boats to move goods from continent to continent, meant it was considerably easier to maintain international trade. With faster transportation, Africans were introduced to a number of products that had previously been unavailable, because of the length of time needed to ship them. They were also able to export goods, typically through the European nation that was controlling them, which brought in a new source of income (Said 114). Imperialism often did good for the people living in in areas that were significantly

Before European countries began to compete for Africa and its land, before there was a struggle against imperialism, there was the demand of more material goods for the European lifestyle. Since the demand increased, the rate of which countries had to produce the goods increased. Africa was the top supplier for cotton, rubber, and petroleum. Since European countries needed these items they needed to take control of africa, which means they would also get more power. Militaries were crucial to have power, if a country has a powerful military and a lot of land then they have more power.

Imperialism did, in fact, better the lives of native people with the establishment of infrastructure and modern Western health practices. The implementation of advanced infrastructure such as paved roads, railroads, and the telegraph allowed for both faster transportation across vast stretches of land and let people communicate with each other despite the distance separating them. In India, for instance, over 40,000 miles of railway

So in taking over the once free state of Congo the King not only gained the natural resources, but in his demented mind he also gained the people or work force to harvest these resources. Some of the long lasting effects of the imperialism on the now Democratic Republic of Congo still linger even today. During the imperialism of Congo the people and Congo itself never really gained financially or culturally anything

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

The economy was projected to grow at 8.5% from 2011 to 2015. However, the economy only grew at a rate of 2.5% (Kreckel). The inability to reach the projected growth contributes to the nation’s poverty. This is because in the colonial era, no money was made or spent by the people, impacting the nation today. Additionally, the Republic of Congo has the lowest household average salary in the world of $270 per month (“DR Congo”). Again, the low salary can be blamed on King Leopold as he took all the wealth for himself and gave none to the people. Although trade was good under Leopold’s rule, as an independent nation it has dramatically decreased. In 2015, the Republic of Congo made $5.2 million in exports (“The World FactBook”). In the time of imperialism, Leopold made $100 million in exports; which in today’s dollars would be equivalent to 2.9 billion dollars (Kreckel). Today, the Republic of Congo’s economy is struggling. 87% of woman are living off of $1.45 a day (“The World Factbook”). From the time of colonialism to now, the daily amount that people can spend has only increased from $.25 to $1.45. Within 109 years, the Congo has still been unable to make a drastic change in their society. Due to King Leopold’s actions, the people had nothing under his control and still have little

Imperialism was a distorted inhumane way of the ruling of a country to transport goods and other needs. The African tribes were put through the most barbaric conditions known to man. And due to these conditions, the African society was changed forever. One of the many jobs the people of the Congo had to complete was extracting rubber from trees and bringing it back to the Europeans to sell it because many people around the world wanted to build products

One of the many major destructive economic effects of imperialism would be the loss of natural resources. The Congo Free State lost many trees because the trees produced something that was needed to create rubber. Countries have also been banned from trading things they produced because of Imperialism. An example being how India was not allowed to export the woven cotton it produced while it was under British rule. Economic Imperialism has led to the death of many people. A substantial quantity people who lived in the Congo Free State died as a result of starvation and overworking so that Belgium could benefit economically. Imperialism has had a hand in the diminishment of natural resources, the prevention of trade and has taken millions of lives

Beginning in 1880, there was a growing desire for European countries to expand and control their rule. The only continent at that time that was left uncontrolled and, in the European's eyes uncivilized, was Africa. This was the start of Western Imperialism. All European countries wanted their piece of Africa and to get it, they would let nothing stand in their way. They would change the entire government, religion, market, and behavior of most of the African nation and affect almost every person living there. An account of the impact of Imperialism is given in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. This book shows the changes that occurred in Africa during Imperialism and its affect on the community and the people