In Rwanda, independence brought increased ethnic tensions because of the policies of the Belgian colonial administration. The term is also applied to a group of nationals wh, c. 1875 Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. During World War I, Congolese troops participated in offensives against German forces in the area of modern-day Rwanda and Burundi which were placed under Belgian occupation. The Tutsis were willing collaborators to the Belgian colonization. This well-planned genocide started when the Hutu presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were shot down, allegedly by Tutsi rebel soldiers. Political instability created by tension between clan and central leadership in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and tribal rivalry leading to genocide in Rwanda are at least in part the result of a colonial legacy that took far more from Africa than it gave. Others cited Belgian's ratification of Article 73 of the United Nations Charter (on self-determination) and argued for a swifter hand-over of power than the 30 years favored by some. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Handelman, Howard. The final decade of the Belgian presence in the Congo was characterized by a notable improvement of the living standard of the growing black urban population. From early April 1994 through mid-July 1994, members, Africa, Modern U.S. Security Policy and Interventions, African American Catholics in the United States (History of), https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/africa-belgian-colonies. All the major decisions concerning the Congo were made in Brussels, and the Congolese were not allowed to participate in the running of their own country. The many horrors and atrocities which disgrace humanity give way little by little before our intervention. Belgium controlled 3 colonies and 3 concessions during its history, the Belgian Congo (modern DRC) from 1908 to 1960, and Ruanda-Urundi (Rwanda and Burundi) from 1922 to 1962. Seven days later, Moise Tshombe, the provisional president of Katanga, in a move instigated by the Belgians, declared the mineral-rich Katanga province an independent country. The former colonial power cannot be solely blamed for all the atrocities and political instability that has characterized life in its now defunct empire, but a significant degree of responsibility is attributable. With the support of the Free State's military, the Force Publique, the territory was divided into private concessions. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Even in the first decades of its existence, it showed little inclination toward overseas expansion. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. By the mid-1950s, an independence movement was underway. Bibliographie historique du Zare l'poque coloniale (18801960): Travaux publis en 19601996. Specifically, in 1929, they eliminated all the non-Tutsi chiefs, and as a result the Hutus lost all their representation in the colonial government. This conflict has been labeled Africas war. Although fighting stopped in 1999, rebel groups continued their attacks on defenseless civilians and the Congolese central government. The concept of internal colonialism has become so widely used and applied that almost every minority group in the world has b, THE CAUSE OF DECOLONIZATION Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/belgiums-african-colonies. The former Belgian colonies have experienced a series of coups, civil wars and have a history of political instability. Here are some facts about Belgian rule and the two countries' difficult bilateral ties since. When Congo became a sovereign nation on June 30, 1960, this new state was utterly unprepared to handle the enormous problems that it had to face, and it slid into years of chaos, internal disruption (e.g., regional secessions, such as Katanga's), and civil waronly to emerge in 1965 under the Mobutu Sese Seko (19301997) dictatorship, which was to last more than thirty years and thoroughly pillaged the country's enormous riches. Third, most of the ethnic tensions in these countries are caused by rapid population growth and the fight for scarce resources by the leaders of the various ethnic groups. Towards the end of colonial rule, the governor general at the time, Lon Antoine Marie Petillon (in office 1952-1958), wanted to grant Africans more civil rights. In 1955 some of the few Congolese educated-elites organized a resistance to the lack of democracy and the apartheid policies of the Belgian colonial masters. In reality, Belgium's political parties and public opinion showed little interest in Congolese matters. [3], Colonization of the Congo began in the late 19th century. He described his view of the colonial enterprise in these words: Our only program, I am anxious to repeat, is the work of moral and material regeneration, and we must do this among a population whose degeneration in its inherited conditions it is difficult to measure. This plan failed to materialize, and finally, on May 30, 1919, according to the Orts-Milner Agreement (named after its Belgian and British negotiators), Belgium's spoils of war only consisted of two small territories in the Great Lakes region bordering the immense Belgian Congo, namely Rwanda and Burundi (their ancient names being Ruanda and Urundi). Belgium administered these mandates through a system of indirect rule. Stanley "built roads along the entire stretch of the Congo" and set up "a chain of trading stations." Mobutu and his supporters were so corrupt and stole so much money from the Congolese people that his government was described as a kleptocracy, or government by thieves. Belgium is a small country in northwest Europe that joined Europe's race for colonies in the late 19th century. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The king took several personal initiatives, without the formal backing of his country's government and even without the support of Belgium's leading economic players. 5 How did Belgium maintain power in Congo? Katan Bensamoun, Yvette, Rama Chalak, and Jacques-Robert Katan. The second king of Belgium, Leopold II, was a very ambitious man who wanted to personally enrich himself and enhance his country's prestige by annexing and colonizing lands in Africa. in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. [citation needed], Leopold achieved international recognition for the Congo Free State in 1885. What countries did Spain colonize in Africa? The Belgian administration of the Congo was run by a relatively modest corps of civil servants (in 1947 only about 44,000 whites, 3,200 of whom were public employees, were present in this vast country, inhabited by some 11 million Africans). Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Colonialism in Africa. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Forrest, Joshua B. Britain, France, Germany and Belgium had territories on the African continent. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. There were other small LubaLunda states in Congo. It was relatively easy for this army to overrun Congo. This ended with the seizure of power by Joseph-Dsir Mobutu. However, the Government was not in favor, arguing that this could result in political instability. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. The main aim of these so-called volus in resisting the Belgian colonial administration was to redress the gross inequality. [14], Congolese troops participated in World War II and were instrumental in forcing the Italians out of their East African colonies during the East African Campaign. Precolonial Rwanda under the monarchy was highly stratified. 1822) [19]. [20] Although Belgian companies invested in Tianjin, especially in the city's tram system, the Belgian concession remained inactive. Leopold II tried to interest his government in establishing colonies, but it lacked the resources to develop the candidate territories and turned down his plans. If this small European country nevertheless succeeded . It also had a small concession in China and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. By the 1870s, many European countries were looking to expand their control in Africa. Joseph Conrad's book, Heart of Darkness (1899), was based on an 1890 visit to the Congo.[4]. Leopold had administered Katanga separately, but in 1910, the Belgian government merged it with the Belgian Congo. In the first years of the twentieth century, the Congo question became an important international issue, since the British government took this matter to heart, especially after an official enquiry commission, appointed by king Leopold, had confirmed the existence of excesses (1904). As the first census did not take place until 1924, it is difficult to quantify the population loss of the period and these figures have been disputed by some who, like William Rubinstein, claim that the figures cited by Adam Hochschild are speculative estimates based on little evidence. Other notable empires included the Luba empire, founded in the sixteenth century and centered around Lakes Kisale and Upemba, located in central Shaba; the Lunda kingdom of Mwata, founded in the fifteenth century and centered in southwestern Congo; and the Kuba empire of the Shonga people, founded in the seventeenth century and centered around the Kasai and Sankura rivers in southern Congo. But in 1965, after ruling from behind the scenes for four years, Mobutu finally overthrew Kasavubu in a coup widely believed to be sponsored by the CIA. The Congo Free State, officially presented to the world as a humanitarian and civilizing enterprise destined to abolish slavery and introduce Christianity, became the target of an international protest campaign, led by the British activist Edmund Dene Morel (18731924) and his Congo Reform Association. The Belgian colonial empire consisted of three African colonies possessed by Belgium between 1901 to 1962. In 1877, the European country Belgium and King Leopold colonized the Democratic Republic of Congo. The colonial authorities also obliged these agriculturalists to produce export crops (e.g., cotton), which made them vulnerable to the ups and downs of world markets. Under the cloak of humanitarian and scientific interests, he then created successive private organizations, the most important of which was the Association Internationale du Congo (AIC). Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium: Centre d'histoire de l'Afrique de l'universit catholique de Louvain, 1996. As a latecomer in the struggle for colonies, Germany had to settle for four territories, called "protectorates," in . As in most colonies, the Congolese economy consisted of a heterogeneous mix of different sectors. For information concerning the period prior to that date, see Low Countries, history of. Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/africa-belgian-colonies. [22], In 1919, the island of Comacina was bequeathed to King Albert I of Belgium for a year, and became an enclave under the sovereignty of Belgium. However, one of the main failures of Belgian colonial policy was the choice not to develop an indigenous elite. The Belgians even took the few leadership positions that the Hutus had and gave them to the Tutsis. . Yielding to international pressure, the parliament of Belgium annexed the Congo Free State and took over its administration on November 15, 1908, as the colony of the Belgian Congo. By 1899 the British vice consul confirmed and further reported the brutality of Leopolds misrule in Congo. An agreement was reached between the Belgian and Chinese governments in August 1929 to return the concession to China. Belgium's African ColoniesWhen Belgium became a nation in 1830, it had almost no tradition of long-distance trade or colonial activity. This was in contrast to the British and the French, who generally favoured the system of indirect rule whereby traditional leaders were retained in positions of authority under colonial oversight. Lumumba was assassinated within a few months of becoming Prime Minister. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. The killing stopped only when Paul Kagame, with the help of Uganda, led a Tutsi army that drove the Hutu-led military into exile in neighboring Congo. . New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article His regime in the Congo operated as a forced labor colony, with murder and mutilation as punishment for villagers who did not collect and supply the rubber quota they were given. Immediately after independence on June 30, 1960, ethnic and personal rivalriesinfluenced by Belgium, other European nations, and the United Statessent the newly independent country into political crisis. Africa: History of a Continent, rev. Protestant missionaries were also active and Protestants today comprise 29 percent with an additional 10 percent belonging to the Kimbanguists (an African Independent Church banned in colonial times). It was, however, the third largest colonial territory in Africa; in contrast, the possessions of Belgium's more powerful neighbor, Germany, came sixth in size. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Millions of Congolese died during this time. (Colonizing other peoples, regardless of the justification . Contents1 How did Belgium colonize Africa?2 Was [] Brussels: De Boeck & Larcier, 1998. OF DECOLONIZATION The European incursion into the west coast of Africa and the consequent slave raids increased the migrations of refugees into Kongo. It also had small concessions in Guatemala (18431854) and in China (19021931) and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. In the years following the Boxer Rebellion, the diplomat Maurice Joostens negotiated a concession for Belgium. A classic image depicts the Belgian Congo as being run by the "Trinity" of administration, capital, and the (Catholic) Church. Though its goals were purportedly humanitarian and scientific, Leopold used the association to fund expeditions and establish posts along the Congo River. The rural masses were primarily engaged in a neglected and stagnating indigenous agriculture, aimed at self-subsistence but facing growing difficulties feeding the increasing population, particularly from the 1950s. Stengers, Jean. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Encyclopedia.com. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. German colonists entered the area in the 1880s, and in 1891 the Germans declared the region a protectorate as part of German East Africa. As the strategic importance of Mobutu disappeared with the end of the cold war, little or no attention was paid to the Congo. [4] By the turn of the century, however, the violence used by Free State officials against indigenous Congolese and the ruthless system of economic extraction led to intense diplomatic pressure on Belgium to take official control of the country, which it did in 1908, creating the Belgian Congo. Rafael Carrera gave them the region in exchange for sixteen thousand pesos every year from the government of Guatemala. The territory was granted independence in 1962, as the separate countries of Rwanda and Burundi in 1962, bringing the Belgian colonial empire to an end. From the coastline excursions in Africa and the gradual establishment of trade routes in Asia and in the Indian . Like the 1994 genocide, it started when extremist Tutsis attacked a Hutu leader, and the Hutus retaliated by killing hundreds of Tutsis. The first wave of genocide by the Hutus against the Tutsis took place earlier, however, under the administration of the Belgians in 1959. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. When Belgium became a nation in 1830, it had almost no tradition of long-distance trade or colonial activity. This empire was unlike those of the major European imperial powers, since 98 percent of it was just one colony (about 76 times larger than Belgium)the Belgian Congoand that had originated as the private property of the country's king, King Leopold II, rather than being gained . The Rwanda genocide of 1994 helped exacerbate ethnic and political tensions in the Congo. Germany's African ColoniesThe unification of Germany in 1871 constituted a watershed in Germany's imperial agenda of acquiring colonies in Africa. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. In 1966 he renamed the Congolese cities of Lopoldville (Kinshasa), Stanley-ville (Kisangani), and Elisabethville (Lubumbashi). During the 1840s and 50s, King Leopold I tentatively supported several proposals to acquire territories overseas. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In 1865 he succeeded his father, Leopold I, to the Belgian throne. The colony was founded in 1908 following the transfer of sovereignty from the Congo Free State, which was the personal property of Belgium's king, Leopold II.

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