Allie Arnold

Belgium Imperialism in the Belgian Congo

Imperialist Country: BelgiumSmall country

located in Western Europe

Began imperializing Africa in late 1800’s

King Leopold II as leader

6.7 million people (19th century)

Imperialized Nation: Belgian Congo

Country located in Mid-Africa

Imperialized by Belgium in 1884

King Leopold II as leaderLater, Joseph

Kasavubu & Patric Lumumba

15 million people (19th century)

Motives for ImperialismKing Leopold II was

disappointed with his inheritance of Belgium because it was such a small country.

The Belgian cabinet was not interested in acquiring a colony at the time, but Leopold wanted colonial empire of his own.

King Leopold II

MotivesThe resources

wanted:Mineral rich

landsCopper Ivory Rubber Network of

waterways over 7,000 miles long

Resources

Motives In 1874, King Leopold

hired Henry Stanley, an English explorer, to take a trip across the Congo

Stanley returned to Europe a few years later with over four hundred treaties signed by African Chiefs to give their land away.

At the Berlin Conference of 1884, the land was officially placed under Leopold’s personal sovereignty.

Geopolitical Reasons

MotivesLeopold had studied the

British and French Empires forms of colonization and the profits they made.

He also made his own personal fortune off of Congo’s ivory.

The king’s intentions were to make the people in Congo workers, with forced labor.

Leopold made a huge profit from the rubber. He used this money for projects

in Belgium. Leopold borrowed money

putting Belgium in debt. The Belgian government made the people of Congo pay off their debt through labor.

The Belgian government used some money to build schools, hospitals, roads, and a railroad in Congo.

In the end, Belgium was left as a very poor nation.

Economic ReasonsImpact on the Congo

Rubber Plantation

Motives Modernization

At the Berlin Conference, the Powers agreed to give Leopold the Free State, only if he brought the people living there into the modern world. Leopold ignored these rules and brutally governed Congo.

Nationalism Leop0ld believed that

oversea colonies were the key to a country's greatness.

For a short amount of time, after Leopold’s rule, the Belgian’s Roman Catholic Church tried to take over the people of Congo’s religious views and teachings. They wanted the Africans to live life like the Westerners and accept their ideas.

Leopold’s mistreating to the African people resulting in critical human rights movements.

Social ReasonsImpacts on the Congo

MotivesLeopold wanted to expand

Belgium’s lands with a colonized nation.

When he got this land he brought a 19,000 man army to take complete control of the area.

The Powers at the Berlin Conference gave King Leopold the Free State, but the Belgian government eventually had to take it away from him.

Leopold is responsible for millions of deaths and mangled limbs, resulting in his loss of power.

Political ReasonsImpacts on the Congo

Deaths in the Belgian Congo

King Leopold II’s Loss of Power After “the rubber boom”, the

Belgian soldiers treated the Africans cruelly, forcing them to work for days at a time collecting rubber.

Women and children were held captive from the men until the rubber was made. Unrealistic quotas were set and people would lose limbs for not meeting them.

The Belgian people were noticing the harsh ways and cruel treatment in the Congo. Eventually Leopold was forced to surrender his private ownership of the Congo to the country of Belgium, in 1908. At this time it was renamed the Belgian Congo.

Although much better than Leopold’s rule, the Belgians could still be harsh at times.

In the 1950’s they fought hard for their independence. They set up political parties and demanded self rule.

On June 30, 1960 they won the battle for their independence from Belgium and became a free nation.

Belgian Congo’s Independence

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Bibliography