Belgian Congo
Overview
Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History: Unit 11, Lesson 3
A discussion of the colonization of the Congo by Belgium focusing on the exploitation and violence carried out under King Leopold II.
Anticipating new rules about acquiring territory in Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909) employed a variety of methods to make it appear as if Belgium had long and substantial ties with Central Africa. His plans worked, for at the Berlin Conference, Leopold was recognized as the head of what would be referred to as the Congo Free State. Leopold had succeeded in his ambitions; he became the sovereign ruler of a vast colony, far surpassing his previous royal authority as king.
Spotlight On | THE RHODES COLOSSUS
Illustrated by the English cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne (1844-1910), “The Rhodes Colossus” represents European plans for Africa. A play on words, the image mimics the famous Colossus of Rhodes (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) by depicting Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) holding a telegraph line signifying his desire to have a rail and telegraph line from “Cape to Cairo” to better control and profit from the British presence in Africa. Here Cecil Rhodes is depicted as an almost unstoppable giant who looms over the whole continent. The image speaks to British power and the imperialists’ desire to rule and control Africa for their benefit. At the time of the publication, Cecil Rhodes served as prime minister of Cape Colony (part of what would later become South Africa) and had been a founding member of De Beers Consolidated Mines. This image became widely reprinted and is closely associated with the “scramble for Africa” and British imperialism.
Leopold II’s Congo Free State was rife with violence. With the Congo Free State now in hand, Leopold and his agents were desperate to extract wealth. European companies were given near-total freedom to operate and, in their pursuit of profit, employed extreme violence and oppressive tactics to seize land and force local labor.
Belgian efforts to extract profits from the Congo Free State initially centered around ivory elephant tusks. Demand for ivory was high and European companies, without any thought as to the lives of African elephants or the sustainability of the trade, harvested ivory at an astounding rate. Due to their brutal and indiscriminate killing of elephants, European hunters and merchants had, by the mid-1890s, virtually wiped out their source of profits. Leopold had mismanaged his colony and exploited, mistreated and abused the indigenous Congolese.
However, Leopold would be granted a second chance to glean profits from his colony. Scottish-born John Boyd Dunlop’s (1840-1921) development of the pneumatic tire led to an increased demand for rubber, which came from the sap of a tree that grew readily in the Congo.
Leopold, failing to learn from his past mistakes, once again allowed European companies free rein to exploit rubber in the Congo. These companies gave little consideration to the people harvesting the crop. To increase profit and production, company officials and their security forces began cutting off the hands and feet of Africans to intimidate them into working faster. Journalist Edmund Morel (1873-1924) would learn and later expose the truth of what was happening in the colony. In response to international pressure, Leopold II handed over his private colony to the Belgian state in 1908.
Nonetheless, the damage had been done. Belgium reaped tremendous wealth while destroying much of the Congo’s ecology and economy. This was a far cry from their stated mission of bringing Christianity and free commerce to Africa. Once again, European participation in Africa had caused tremendous harm to Africa and African people.