Belgium created two colonies in Africa: the entities now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly the Republic of Zaire) and the Republic of Rwanda, previously Ruanda-Urundi, a former German African colony that was given to Belgium to administer after the defeat of Germany in World War I. Belgian Congo, French Congo Belge, former colony (coextensive with the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) in Africa, ruled by Belgium from 1908 until 1960. 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. By 1899 the British vice consul confirmed and further reported the brutality of Leopolds misrule in Congo. These conflicts resulted in many wars and episodes of genocide. Under Egypt 's Pharaoh Amasis (570-526 BC) a Greek mercantile colony was established at Naucratis, some 50 miles from the later Alexandria. 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. The lowest level of administration consisted of the indigenous authorities, the more or less "authentic" traditional African chiefs, who were strictly controlled by Belgian officials. These kingdoms, especially the Kingdom of Kongo, were comparably wealthy, and when the standard of living is high, people tend to get along well. Although there were several political parties, the two most prominent were Joseph Kasavubus ABAKO, a party based among the Kongo people, and Patrice Lumumbas Congolese National Movement. In 1885 Leopold II secured U.S. recognition of his personal sovereignty over the Congo Free State. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Belgium administered these mandates through a system of indirect rule. 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. London: Zed Books, 2002. 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). During World War I, Britain captured the German holdings, which became a British mandate (1920) under the name Tanganyika Territory. Mobutu in his bid to stay in power for life did not build a strong army. Besides the cold war rivalry, the other main reason for killing Lumumba and supporting the secession in the provinces of Katanga and Kasai was for Belgians to secure controlling interests in the rich mineral resources of the Congo. On the Congo Free State's own domains, as well as on the vast tracks of land that had been conceded to private companies, brutal and repressive practices took the lives of large numbers of Africansthough exact figures are impossible to establish. Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium: Centre d'histoire de l'Afrique de l'universit catholique de Louvain, 1996. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/belgiums-african-colonies, "Belgium's African Colonies The second king of Belgium, Leopold II, was a very ambitious man who wanted to personally enrich himself and enhance his countrys prestige by annexing and colonizing lands in Africa. Katan Bensamoun, Yvette, Rama Chalak, and Jacques-Robert Katan. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here: The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia: Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed. Successive governments viewed colonial expansion as economically and politically risky and fundamentally unrewarding, and believed that informal empire, continuing Belgium's booming industrial trade in South America and Russia, was much more promising. Following the independence of both colonies, Belgium kept strong but eventful political and economical relationships with the three succeeding African republics, which still refer to the "special relationship" whenever that seems to suit: Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), Rwanda, and Burundi. 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. THE CAUSE OF DECOLONIZATION 7 What were the former British colonies in Africa? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The French first began colonizing Africa in the 17th century, although they did not start having a significant presence on the continent until the 19th century. POST-1945 HISTORICAL CONTEXTS The violence used by Free State officials against indigenous Congolese and the ruthless system of economic extraction had led to intense diplomatic pressure on Belgium to take official control of the country. These organizations, controlled by the king himself, had in fact a commercial purpose. Congo) in Africa, ruled by Belgium from 1908 until 1960. In 2006 a new constitution was written and approved for the Third Republic, and elections were conducted with Joseph Kabila emerging as victorious. Their ambivalence resulted in Leopolds establishing a colony himself. It also annexed Katanga, a territory under the Congo Free State flag, which Leopold had gained in 1891, when he sent an expedition which killed its king, Msiri, cut off his head and hoisted it on a pole. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Despite Mobutus dictatorship, relative peace reigned during most of his regime. Subnationalism in Africa: Ethnicity, Alliances, and Politics. By the time this was universally recognized in 1839, most European powers already had colonies and protectorates outside Europe and had begun to form spheres of influence. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"n0hifXIP06k4AZAYPfhaWe9Vz2rtENJE3ukkjTyT.f4-86400-0"}; The Belgian colonial administration built some schools, railways, roads, plantations, mines, industrial areas, and airports. Belgium controlled several territories and concessions during the colonial era, principally the Belgian Congo (modern DRC) from 1908 to 1960 and Ruanda-Urundi (modern Rwanda and Burundi) from 1922 to 1962.It also had small concessions in Guatemala (1843-1854) and in China (1902-1931) and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. On the local level, in close contact with the African population, the missionaries played an important role in evangelization, in (primary) education, and in health services. EUROPEAN EFFORTS TO REINVENT OVERSEA, LEOPOLD II (18351909; ruled 18651909), king of Belgium and personal sovereign of the Congo Free State. European colonization of Africa - Students - Britannica Kids EUROPEAN EFFORTS TO REINVENT OVERSEA, colony, any nonself-governing territory subject to the jurisdiction of a usually distant country. How long should I wait to text after being left on read? All blacks saw this man as the devil of the Equator While some Africans initially welcomed European rule, others opposed it from the start. In the years following the Boxer Rebellion, the diplomat Maurice Joostens negotiated a concession for Belgium. Even in the first decades of its existence, it showed little inclination toward overseas expansion. What countries did Spain colonize in Africa? The Former French Colonies - WorldAtlas . Biafra Revisited. The takeover of the administration by the Belgian government brought some improvements in the lives of the Congolese peoples, who had suffered untold hardships under Leopold II and his private militia. Any four countries? His inability to disarm the ex-Rwandan soldiers and perpetuators of the 1994 genocide who were now living in Congo led to the invasion of the Congo by a combined army of Tutsi-led governments of Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda and the Congolese rebel leader Laurent Kabila. North Africa experienced colonisation from Europe and Western Asia in the early historical period, particularly Greeks and Phoenicians . 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. This was the situation until King Leopold II of Belgium made the Congo his personal possession, and it became the only colony owned and run by a single individual. What African countries were Colonized by the British? - Answers 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. Leopold II, an ambitious and enterprising monarch, was fascinated by the Dutch colonial "model" in Java and wanted to enhance his country's grandeur by exploiting a vast colonial domain, destined to enrich the mother country. The Twa or the pygmies, who were the original inhabitants of Rwanda, were outcasts and despised by both the Hutus and the Tutsis. Belgian native policy, which had rigidified the ethnic boundaries between Tutsi and Hutu and consequently had exacerbated the ethnic identity of these groups, was largely responsible for the intensification of ethnic rivalry between these groups after the end of foreign rule. Article 4 of the May 1842 Acte de concession clearly stated that the cession of the territory to the Belgian company did not involve, implicitly or explicitly, a cession of sovereignty over the territory, which would forever remain under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of Guatemala. Natives eventually faced dire conditions, characterized by displacement, forced labor, and taxation. 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. In 1865 he succeeded his father, Leopold I, to the Belgian throne. OF DECOLONIZATION Because the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal had conflicting interests in this region, Leopold's skillful personal diplomacy succeeded in playing the contradictory ambitions of these countries against each other. This led to him being remembered in Belgium today as the "Builder-King." As a latecomer in the struggle for colonies, Germany had to settle for four territories, called "protectorates," in . colony, any nonself-governing territory subject to the jurisdiction of a usually distant country. Portugal's African Colonies | Encyclopedia.com Though its goals were purportedly humanitarian and scientific, Leopold used the association to fund expeditions and establish posts along the Congo River. After the June 1960 elections, Lumumba became prime minister and Kasavubu the ceremonial president. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. What part of Africa did Belgium? - Studybuff The scramble for Africa - The British Empire - BBC Bitesize How many countries did Belgium colonize in Africa? By the time independent Belgium might have been in a position to consider an overseas empire, major imperial powers such as the United Kingdom and France already had the most economically promising territories for colonization within their spheres of influence. Vocabulary. In 1966 he renamed the Congolese cities of Lopoldville (Kinshasa), Stanley-ville (Kisangani), and Elisabethville (Lubumbashi). From the coastline excursions in Africa and the gradual establishment of trade routes in Asia and in the Indian . Handelman, Howard. Arguably, in comparison with other colonial powers in Africa, Belgium did less to prepare its overseas subjects for political independence, investing little in education and training, and extracted the riches of its colonies at enormous human cost. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Ekwe-Ekwe, Herbert. New York: Penguin. Leopold II was absolute ruler of Congo. 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. Mass Crimes Against Humanity: The Congo Free State Genocide Circa 1895-1912. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Belgian_colonial_empire&oldid=1023550, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. [1] Greeks colonised Cyrenaica around the . The Scramble for Africa: The Scramble for Africa was a period of rampant colonialism of African territories by European powers, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like the 1994 genocide, it started when extremist Tutsis attacked a Hutu leader, and the Hutus retaliated by killing hundreds of Tutsis. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450. 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. Belgium, a constitutional monarchy, gained its independence in 1830 from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. When Laurent Kabila drove him from power in 1997, Mobutus wealth deposited in foreign banks was in excess of $4 billion. 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. Belgiums other colony, Rwanda, was an independent monarchy until the Germans annexed it in 1899 and made it part of German East Africa. Encyclopedia.com. 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 . Germany's African Colonies | Encyclopedia.com Fourth, European and American governments and the multinational business and interests have fueled ethnic conflicts in Africas former Belgian colonies for their own purposes. More or Less: Heroes and Killers of the 20th Century. That the Tutsi and Hutu were originally two castes of the same people, speaking a common language, and that the antagonism had been created by Belgian colonial forces for their own purposes, were facts somehow lost in the international dialogue. Before the European incursion into Rwanda and the Belgian colonization, Rwanda was united under the central leadership of an absolute Tutsi monarchy.