King Leopold's Conquest Of The Congo

King Leopold should be condemned for his brutal actions, and for making the population more then half in population, like in Lukolela “The population in the villages of Lukolela in January 1891 must have been not less than 6,000 people, but when I counted the whole population in Lukolela at the end of December 1896. I found it to be only 719… but judge of my heartache when on counting them all again on Friday and Saturday last, to find only a population of 352 people.” (Document 5) In 1800-1900’s, King Leopold wanted to and planned to take control of the Congo people. He promised many people that he would do great things fo their land. The things he promised were to secure opportunities for all of

The amount of destruction that occurred in the Congo was outrageous. Eight to ten million lives were taken during the worldwide movement against slave labor that took place in the Congo. (Hochschild, 3) Between 1880 and 1920 the Congo population was slashed in half. There was around ten million victims that were affected by murder, starvation, exhaustion, exposure, disease, and the plummeting birth rate. During this time the United States and Europe were unaware of this extreme carnage. Why is this? During this time era the United States there were many immigrants that were entering the US as slaves. I feel that during this time people were looked at in a different way. The slaves were not treated in a way that people are treated today. Looking

By the year 1885, European imperialism in Africa was in full flight. Imperialism is the belief that a person or a group of people is superior to another person or group. Europeans strongly believed they were more important than the Africans. Because of this, they took Africa for themselves. Strong driving forces during this imperialism was resources, power, and technology.

In Basil Davidson’s video, “Different but Equal”, Davidson examines ancient Africa, and how Africans were perceived in ancient and modern times. Davidson discusses pre-colonized Africa and its history, and how racism prevailed in the past and in modern day. By discussing early civilizations, as well as modern day perspectives, Davidson allows the viewer to have expansive information on how individuals view Africans and their culture.

In 1908 Belgium took control of the Congo and gained more power which alarmed the French. In response to the conquest of the Congo, France then began to start claiming land in Africa which lead multiple other countries to do the same. This scramble to colonize Africa is called the Scramble for Africa.The Scramble for Africa is a title for the time when Belgium and industrialization created aspiration in European nations to imperialize Africa. They looked to Africa as a new source of resources for their industries as well. To avoid war amongst themselves, they met at the Berlin Conference to address how Africa would be divided. However, in the Congo, this created even more linguistic and tribal issues as some rival tribes were placed in the same territories while others were split. From the very beginning, the Congo was unable to resist Belgium colonization since some rival tribes were already fighting amongst themselves. However, the Berlin Conference increased their resentment for each other by forcing them to live together, which eliminated any option of unity and revolting. Thus, because of their constant fighting and inability to unite, the Congo peoples remained in a position where they had to accept their fate. Additionally, since they were unable to resist European colonization, Africans were forced to collect sap from rubber plants and were mutilated were they not to harvest rubber. Because of this abuse, millions of Congolese died. Therefore, the Congo managed poorly in reaction to European colonization since they were unable to fight back at all, which also lead to the mutilation and death of millions. However, the Congo was not the only place that inadequately fared in

In 1885, right after the Berlin Conference, King Leopold II became the sole owner of the Congo Free State, a state at which had an estimated population of 30 million people. Before he claimed the state as his personal property, Leopold had no consent from the people of the Congo, had never even been there, and most

European’s taking control over Africa in a new way, called imperialism! Africa definitely changed from the European imperialism but it also benefited from it. Of course not in a fantastic way most of the time. The driving force behind European imperialism in Africa was a serious matter back in the 19th century that changed it for the better, even if it did cause a lot of controversy.

When Belgium colonized Congo, the Congolese people’s world quickly changed from the past, influencing their lives heavily. Ten to twenty-three million people died during Leopold’s rule from 1885 to 1908 (Kenneth). The Congolese people weren’t treated fairly and faced many hardships. Most Congolese people died because of King Leopold’s treatment, including war, starvation, forced labor and disease(Bland). This goes to show how poorly King Leopold treated the people and how he didn’t care about the Congolese people, only the reward. Congo was impacted harshly during the colonization period because King Leopold changed the culture and economy to make it beneficial for him and his country.

In the early 1880s, King Leopold of Belgium secured about 900,000 square miles of African land (Background Essay). Leopold’s industries were successful producing tires, electrical insulation, soap, handles, and more (Document D), while his managers killed nearly 10 million Africans through forced labor, mistreatment, and diseases. This was the beginning of European imperialism.

The Congolese were threatened by the Force Publique—the military control the Belgians introduced into the Congo—and taken from their homes. They were dragged down the road, tied at the neck so they could not escape, and taken away to become slaves. The soldiers beat the Congolese, offered them no food to eat, and killed those who refused to walk (Canisius, 250-256). The Belgian control over the Congo put the lives of all the natives in imminent danger. They were threatened and treated as commodities, not people. The imperialism of Belgium over the Congo brought great destruction and death to the natives. Similarly, the Belgians imposed a high rubber quota on the Congolese, one too high for many to afford, and punished those who could not pay the tax by cutting off their hands (Photograph of Congolese). Hands were an acceptable payment for the tax, so many villages fought each other and cut off one another’s limbs in order to pay back their titanic debt. The Belgians encouraged the Congolese to turn on each other in order to pay these taxes. They applauded those who paid the tax and further punished those who did not. Villages turned on each other for the Belgians amusement. The Belgians deemed the Congolese to be less superior and hurt those who did not follow their

According to the overview, “between 1500 and 1800, European nations traded for slaves, gold, and ivory along the west coast of Africa, but they did not go deeply into the continent.” In 1884, fourteen countries met in Berlin to discuss the division of Africa to prevent war from breaking out.. This meeting would come to be known as the Berlin Conference led by Ottoman Bismarck. Up until 1885, they stated that if a leader wanted to control a certain part of Africa, then they must prove that they have control over that area and that was it. This was the beginning of European imperialism in Africa. Based on the documents, expanding empires and having a new source of materials was the driving force of imperialism in Africa.

Congo Free State was a colony to Belgium, specifically King Leopold II. Leopold took control of the country and began leeching the resources from the lands, such as ivory, palm oil, and rubber. In return, handles, soap and candles, and waterproof clothes were made. Despite committing many atrocities, without the colonization, the resources wouldn’t benefit

A drive for profits, nations recognizing Belgium’s Congo, and a smooth talking King have created a loophole for African exploitation to exist. During the king’s rule not every area in Africa was ruled or claimed by a nation which leads him also towards the scramble for Africa. To him, Belgium is not a large enough country to rule over which is why he wants more land and more power to be able to compete with the leading nations. Treaties that the native chiefs were forced to sign lead to grounds of the first acts of exploitation. Guns became the weapons forcing the Africans to stay in line and gather the necessary amounts of ivory and rubber. Leopold finally got his piece of the giant magnificent

During the period of imperialism in Africa all of the countries were competing for the title of being the richest and the strongest. In fact, the whole scramble for Africa was an opportunity for countries to enhance their overall economy. For example, King Leopold II of Belgium was determined to get the area of land so he can become more wealthy. France’s politicians thought that an overseas company would strengthen the country when it came to wealth, prestige, and power, so as a result they invested in land more toward the west and north-west. Britain wanted to protect their trading routes which required them to purchase land in East Africa, and they they soon discovered the rewards of the land so the were determined to obtain as much as possible.

A country might try to gain power over other countries by trying to gain recognition from other countries. From King Leopold’s Public Letter, he says “The task which Belgian agents have to accomplish in the Congo is noble. It is incumbent upon them to carry on the work of civilization in Africa. The aim is to regenerate races whose degradation and misfortune is hard to realize.” Through those words, King Leopold, the king of Belgium, was trying to show the other countries that he was a