Independent Africa: The Congo
- Independent from Belgian rule in June 1960
- Critical situation developed bringing the Cold War to Africa for 1st time
- Congo became tool of Western powers during Cold War
Background
- 1878: King Leopold II of Belgium appointed Henry Morton Stanley [explorer] to
acquire territory for him along Congo River
- Stanley concluded treaties with 400 African chiefs:
• Persuaded them to surrender sovereignty over their respective territories
- Berlin Conference [1885]: Leopold II obtained international approval for personal
empire
• “Congo Free State”
• Leopold was “King-Sovereign”
- Leopold’s aim was to amass large personal fortune for himself
• Based on ivory & rubber
- Elephants hunted to near-extinction
- Concession companies appointed by Leopold used slave labour to strip equatorial
forests of wild rubber [manufacture tyres]
- Villagers who failed to fulfil quotas were flogged, jailed & mutilated
• Arms / hands / ears cut off
- Congolese were killed for resisting Leopold’s rubber regime
• Entire villages massacred
- Leopold became one of wealthiest men in Europe
- Congo had been looted & lost around 10 million people
• Half population
- 1908: Public furore over barbarism of Leopold’s Congolese empire made him
surrender his private empire to Belgian government
, Legacy of Belgian Rule
- Belgian rule in Congo was very harsh:
• People of Congo forced to pay high taxes & subject to forced labour
- Belgian policy based on “paternalism”
• Belief that African people should be treated as children & not allowed any
responsibility or representation in government
- Few secondary schools
- No higher education for Africans
- Large number of primary schools
- Congolese could not own land
- Opposition brutally suppressed
- Post WWII Belgians determined to keep Congo under their control & stop spread of
nationalist ideas from other African colonies
• Until late 1950s: banned all political parties & independent African newspapers
- After violent protests in towns around Congo in 1959:
• Belgium granted independence within 6 months
• Hoping that if they moved quickly they could keep control of government because
Congolese politicians were so inexperienced
- People of Congo were unprepared for sudden change of policy
• Large number [120] of political parties quickly formed
• Many were regionally based parties drawing support from a single ethnic group
- Proliferation of political parties reflected demographic diversity of Congo
• 250 ethnic groups
• 700 different languages
- People of Congo prepared for elections in May 1960
• High hopes that independence would resolve problems caused by years of
poverty & oppression
- 120 political parties participated in elections
• No single party won outright majority of seats in parliament
- Mouvement National Congolais [MNC] under leadership of Patrice Lumumba
• Won most seats [37 with rival at 13]
• Only party attempted to gain nation-wide rather than regionally-based support
• Advocated nationalism
• Main support from Stanleyville
• Little support from Katanga [richest province - copper mines]
- Independent from Belgian rule in June 1960
- Critical situation developed bringing the Cold War to Africa for 1st time
- Congo became tool of Western powers during Cold War
Background
- 1878: King Leopold II of Belgium appointed Henry Morton Stanley [explorer] to
acquire territory for him along Congo River
- Stanley concluded treaties with 400 African chiefs:
• Persuaded them to surrender sovereignty over their respective territories
- Berlin Conference [1885]: Leopold II obtained international approval for personal
empire
• “Congo Free State”
• Leopold was “King-Sovereign”
- Leopold’s aim was to amass large personal fortune for himself
• Based on ivory & rubber
- Elephants hunted to near-extinction
- Concession companies appointed by Leopold used slave labour to strip equatorial
forests of wild rubber [manufacture tyres]
- Villagers who failed to fulfil quotas were flogged, jailed & mutilated
• Arms / hands / ears cut off
- Congolese were killed for resisting Leopold’s rubber regime
• Entire villages massacred
- Leopold became one of wealthiest men in Europe
- Congo had been looted & lost around 10 million people
• Half population
- 1908: Public furore over barbarism of Leopold’s Congolese empire made him
surrender his private empire to Belgian government
, Legacy of Belgian Rule
- Belgian rule in Congo was very harsh:
• People of Congo forced to pay high taxes & subject to forced labour
- Belgian policy based on “paternalism”
• Belief that African people should be treated as children & not allowed any
responsibility or representation in government
- Few secondary schools
- No higher education for Africans
- Large number of primary schools
- Congolese could not own land
- Opposition brutally suppressed
- Post WWII Belgians determined to keep Congo under their control & stop spread of
nationalist ideas from other African colonies
• Until late 1950s: banned all political parties & independent African newspapers
- After violent protests in towns around Congo in 1959:
• Belgium granted independence within 6 months
• Hoping that if they moved quickly they could keep control of government because
Congolese politicians were so inexperienced
- People of Congo were unprepared for sudden change of policy
• Large number [120] of political parties quickly formed
• Many were regionally based parties drawing support from a single ethnic group
- Proliferation of political parties reflected demographic diversity of Congo
• 250 ethnic groups
• 700 different languages
- People of Congo prepared for elections in May 1960
• High hopes that independence would resolve problems caused by years of
poverty & oppression
- 120 political parties participated in elections
• No single party won outright majority of seats in parliament
- Mouvement National Congolais [MNC] under leadership of Patrice Lumumba
• Won most seats [37 with rival at 13]
• Only party attempted to gain nation-wide rather than regionally-based support
• Advocated nationalism
• Main support from Stanleyville
• Little support from Katanga [richest province - copper mines]
