Les 8: Belgian Colonialism
How did Belgium dominate its colonies?
What made Belgian colonialism
particular?
L2 owned Congo private state of the
King (instead of Belgian colony later it
became that)
See map (Leopoldville modern day
Kinshasa (capital of Congo today)
segregation (residentiezone voor blanken,
zone for natives)
City planner made in Brussels see paternalism going on (mother and
child) city planner in metropole that are imagining this city we need
to redesign it do this verry rational (lot of straight lines)
Areas for industry, for trading top down exercise made by Belgium
officials without regard of what is already there
Idea that society needs to be reorganize in such a way that it makes sense
for the colonizers
Texts
Vincent Viaene (2008)
o King Leopold’s Imperialism and the Origins of the Belgian Colonial
Party, 1860–1905
o Introduces how the idea of colonialism was present within Belgian
society already at the time were congo was not a Belgian state
colony
Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja (1987)
o The Second Independence Movement in Congo-Kinshasa
o Marxist perspective gives notions of infighting and different
perspective within the independence movement
Reader Belgian Colonialism
o Nzinga Mbemba, Leopold II, Tippo Tip, Arthur Conan Doyle, Patrice
Lumumba
Structure of today’s session
1. Introduction
2. Congo Free State (1884-1908)
3. Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
4. Ruanda-Urundi (1916-1962)
5. Conclusion
Introduction
Colonialism denotes/ definitions:
o The conquest and control of other people’s land and goods (Loomba
1999, 20)
, oIdeologies, policies and practices of colonialism (Armitage 2000, 26)
oRelationship of domination of a majority of indigenous or forcibly
imported people, and a minority of foreign invaders (Osterhammel
and Frisch 1997, 16-17)
o What distinguishes these definitions from things like “conquered
land” (see first definitions what abound Nazi control of Belgium in
WWII was conquest but not really colonialism)
o Difficult to answer what it is difficult to find definitions that covers
all forms of colonialism and is not too brought that it is confused
with other things so nee to qualify it in terms of time and space
Modern European colonialism were we look at
o Strict division of foreign rulers and local population
Not so strict often in historical colonialism
o Connection to capitalism and modernity
See last week 2 fold
1) Industrialization creates need for resources and markets
need for colonialism
2) introduction of capitalism restructures the economy and
social system of colonized community in fundamental ways
o Secure control over subjugated peoples and extract the wealth
through a framework of economic utilization
Colony becomes economic interest of colonizer
o The colony as bureaucratic intervention state
see different kinds of Colonial states: 1) administrative
colonial state (f.ex India, Britain build heavily on local
rulers and social systems to exert control, 2) settler
colonial state (US, Canada, Australia), 3) plantation
colonies (local population is massacred and land
restructured to contain plantations
today Bureaucratic intervention state marked by 2
things:
Proconsular autocracy
There is a governor there that governs but is basically
an autocratic ruler (makes the laws, judges and makes
sure rules are followed)
But also dependent on the metropole no absolutist
system (=proconsular)
Bureaucratic absolutism
The state is primarily ruled by civil servants/
bureaucrats
Introduction
The Myth of pre-colonial Africa as a ‘blank map
Idea that Africa is empty space EU don’t know Africa
leads to doctrine of discovery
Introduction
, The Doctrine of Discovery (interpretation of int law at the time)
o If you discover unused lnd you are justifiable acquire this land
o The White Man’s burden (?)
Idea that white men need to bring civilization to these remote
places of earth (Kibeling wrote this)
o Leopold II:
Was strong proponent of this doctrine and idea
“To open up to civilisation the only part of the world which has not been
discovered, to pierce the shadows which envelope entire peoples.…” (in:
Marchal 1996, 45)
o L2 idea
Introduction
Pillow cases from 16th 17th century from
Congo basin very artisanal work often
ended up in EU-collections (interest/ ought
for the rest of the world so collected this
admiration for it)
Shows that there was economic development/ technical and artisanal craft/
political stratification complex societies
But this changes in 19th century the admiration began looking down on
them
Introduction
Politics in pre-colonial Congo (lot of political entities in the Congo Basin)
o Bakongo Empire (14th – late 16th century)
First EU-explorers are the Portuguese (looking for India sailing
along West-coast)
See letter of King Alfonso of the Bakongo Kingdom writes to
Portuguese King Joao the 3th
Asks Portuguese king for help, lot of references to
religion to speak the language of the Portuguese
Describes urgent problem of his people being taken
away and are sold into slavery his population is
being drained (see next slide)
o Yakas (16 century)
th
o Kuba kingdom (16th – 20th century)
o Luba states (late 16th – 19th century)
o Lunda states (mid-15th – 19th century)
o Memba Empire (late 18th century)
Introduction
“Many of our people, keenly desirous as they are of the wares and things of your
Kingdoms, which are brought here by your people, and in order to satisfy their
voracious appetite, seize many of our people, freed and exempt men, and very
often it happens that they kidnap even noblemen and the sons of noblemen, and
our relatives, and take them to be sold to the white men who are in our Kingdoms;
, and for this purpose they have concealed them; and others are brought during the
night so that they might not be recognized.” (Except of letter from Nzinga
Mbemba to Portuguese King João III, ca. 1526)
o Emphasize on the noble man being taken the basis of his power
who co-govern with him so not only country being depopulated
but also social and political structures start to unravel
o Letter does not convince Portuguese king transatlantic slave trade
would only worsen
Introduction
19th century Congo-basin:
See map Congo river basin
o Political fragmentation in the West
Kingdoms ravaged by centuries of
slave trade
o Trade-empire in the East
Tibutip empire Arab slave trader
that builts massive trade empire
o Long-distance trading routes
o No cultural or political unity
Today Congo basin is home to more than 250 languages
80x size of Belgium (same of entire Western Europe) and very
divers socially, culturally and politically
Introduction
19th century Belgium
o Independence in 1830
o Neutrality in constitution
o Constitutional monarchy
King has limited powers
o Industrial state
Second state in EU to industrialized
(industrial powerhouse at the time)
o Liberal economic beliefs and diplomacy
Free trade is good
o Distrust towards colonialism (in BE at first)
‘incidental expenses’
Worries that colonies lead to additional cost (more
invest than extract wealth)
Seen as barrier to trade (trade with colonies, less with
EU-counerparts) problem for industrial state as BE
(don’t like preferential trade agreements)
national identity
newly independent nation freed itself from different
empires
this is called: the reluctant imperialist thesis: BE only reluctantly became
imperialist power
How did Belgium dominate its colonies?
What made Belgian colonialism
particular?
L2 owned Congo private state of the
King (instead of Belgian colony later it
became that)
See map (Leopoldville modern day
Kinshasa (capital of Congo today)
segregation (residentiezone voor blanken,
zone for natives)
City planner made in Brussels see paternalism going on (mother and
child) city planner in metropole that are imagining this city we need
to redesign it do this verry rational (lot of straight lines)
Areas for industry, for trading top down exercise made by Belgium
officials without regard of what is already there
Idea that society needs to be reorganize in such a way that it makes sense
for the colonizers
Texts
Vincent Viaene (2008)
o King Leopold’s Imperialism and the Origins of the Belgian Colonial
Party, 1860–1905
o Introduces how the idea of colonialism was present within Belgian
society already at the time were congo was not a Belgian state
colony
Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja (1987)
o The Second Independence Movement in Congo-Kinshasa
o Marxist perspective gives notions of infighting and different
perspective within the independence movement
Reader Belgian Colonialism
o Nzinga Mbemba, Leopold II, Tippo Tip, Arthur Conan Doyle, Patrice
Lumumba
Structure of today’s session
1. Introduction
2. Congo Free State (1884-1908)
3. Belgian Congo (1908-1960)
4. Ruanda-Urundi (1916-1962)
5. Conclusion
Introduction
Colonialism denotes/ definitions:
o The conquest and control of other people’s land and goods (Loomba
1999, 20)
, oIdeologies, policies and practices of colonialism (Armitage 2000, 26)
oRelationship of domination of a majority of indigenous or forcibly
imported people, and a minority of foreign invaders (Osterhammel
and Frisch 1997, 16-17)
o What distinguishes these definitions from things like “conquered
land” (see first definitions what abound Nazi control of Belgium in
WWII was conquest but not really colonialism)
o Difficult to answer what it is difficult to find definitions that covers
all forms of colonialism and is not too brought that it is confused
with other things so nee to qualify it in terms of time and space
Modern European colonialism were we look at
o Strict division of foreign rulers and local population
Not so strict often in historical colonialism
o Connection to capitalism and modernity
See last week 2 fold
1) Industrialization creates need for resources and markets
need for colonialism
2) introduction of capitalism restructures the economy and
social system of colonized community in fundamental ways
o Secure control over subjugated peoples and extract the wealth
through a framework of economic utilization
Colony becomes economic interest of colonizer
o The colony as bureaucratic intervention state
see different kinds of Colonial states: 1) administrative
colonial state (f.ex India, Britain build heavily on local
rulers and social systems to exert control, 2) settler
colonial state (US, Canada, Australia), 3) plantation
colonies (local population is massacred and land
restructured to contain plantations
today Bureaucratic intervention state marked by 2
things:
Proconsular autocracy
There is a governor there that governs but is basically
an autocratic ruler (makes the laws, judges and makes
sure rules are followed)
But also dependent on the metropole no absolutist
system (=proconsular)
Bureaucratic absolutism
The state is primarily ruled by civil servants/
bureaucrats
Introduction
The Myth of pre-colonial Africa as a ‘blank map
Idea that Africa is empty space EU don’t know Africa
leads to doctrine of discovery
Introduction
, The Doctrine of Discovery (interpretation of int law at the time)
o If you discover unused lnd you are justifiable acquire this land
o The White Man’s burden (?)
Idea that white men need to bring civilization to these remote
places of earth (Kibeling wrote this)
o Leopold II:
Was strong proponent of this doctrine and idea
“To open up to civilisation the only part of the world which has not been
discovered, to pierce the shadows which envelope entire peoples.…” (in:
Marchal 1996, 45)
o L2 idea
Introduction
Pillow cases from 16th 17th century from
Congo basin very artisanal work often
ended up in EU-collections (interest/ ought
for the rest of the world so collected this
admiration for it)
Shows that there was economic development/ technical and artisanal craft/
political stratification complex societies
But this changes in 19th century the admiration began looking down on
them
Introduction
Politics in pre-colonial Congo (lot of political entities in the Congo Basin)
o Bakongo Empire (14th – late 16th century)
First EU-explorers are the Portuguese (looking for India sailing
along West-coast)
See letter of King Alfonso of the Bakongo Kingdom writes to
Portuguese King Joao the 3th
Asks Portuguese king for help, lot of references to
religion to speak the language of the Portuguese
Describes urgent problem of his people being taken
away and are sold into slavery his population is
being drained (see next slide)
o Yakas (16 century)
th
o Kuba kingdom (16th – 20th century)
o Luba states (late 16th – 19th century)
o Lunda states (mid-15th – 19th century)
o Memba Empire (late 18th century)
Introduction
“Many of our people, keenly desirous as they are of the wares and things of your
Kingdoms, which are brought here by your people, and in order to satisfy their
voracious appetite, seize many of our people, freed and exempt men, and very
often it happens that they kidnap even noblemen and the sons of noblemen, and
our relatives, and take them to be sold to the white men who are in our Kingdoms;
, and for this purpose they have concealed them; and others are brought during the
night so that they might not be recognized.” (Except of letter from Nzinga
Mbemba to Portuguese King João III, ca. 1526)
o Emphasize on the noble man being taken the basis of his power
who co-govern with him so not only country being depopulated
but also social and political structures start to unravel
o Letter does not convince Portuguese king transatlantic slave trade
would only worsen
Introduction
19th century Congo-basin:
See map Congo river basin
o Political fragmentation in the West
Kingdoms ravaged by centuries of
slave trade
o Trade-empire in the East
Tibutip empire Arab slave trader
that builts massive trade empire
o Long-distance trading routes
o No cultural or political unity
Today Congo basin is home to more than 250 languages
80x size of Belgium (same of entire Western Europe) and very
divers socially, culturally and politically
Introduction
19th century Belgium
o Independence in 1830
o Neutrality in constitution
o Constitutional monarchy
King has limited powers
o Industrial state
Second state in EU to industrialized
(industrial powerhouse at the time)
o Liberal economic beliefs and diplomacy
Free trade is good
o Distrust towards colonialism (in BE at first)
‘incidental expenses’
Worries that colonies lead to additional cost (more
invest than extract wealth)
Seen as barrier to trade (trade with colonies, less with
EU-counerparts) problem for industrial state as BE
(don’t like preferential trade agreements)
national identity
newly independent nation freed itself from different
empires
this is called: the reluctant imperialist thesis: BE only reluctantly became
imperialist power
