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The effect of the berlin conference of 1885 on the african continent
The belgia congo essay
The belgia congo essay
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1908 was the year the belgian congo was established The Berlin conference was where king leopold decided to take over the Congo in Africa. The outcome of the Berlin Conference set the stage for Belgians to use tools of imperialism for their takeover of the congo. Belgians exerted control over the congo, by controlling the rubber industry which included dangerous work decisions, low wages and forced labor. The Belgians also created schools which introduced catholicism to the congolese even though this was not the congoleses culture. Lastly they used military force against the congolese as a tool to control the congolese. The Belgians controlled the congolese by using military force to make them collect rubber, endangering their lives in addition missionaries taught catholicism to the congolese however only a small portion of children ended up actually getting an education.
The Belgian Congo influenced as well as destroyed the education system of the congolese. In 1908 the Belgian Congo had 587 missionaries that only taught 46,075 students which was a small portion of the congolese. The missionaries goal each day was to undercut the african culture but to also to promote colonial domination. For the duration of the late 19th century and the early 20th century the churches role in education and religion was to advocate colonialism.(belgian colonial education policy) Most of the congolese tried to dodge mission schools because what mission schools taught jeopardized the congolese values and cultural beliefs. The Church believed that higher education should only be taught to for people entering the priesthood. Because of this, most students that attended school only received a basic education.(belgian colonial education policy). Belg...
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...There were thousands of Belgians that had served in the congo and the crimes that took place were not known to the Belgian population.
Ultimately, The Belgians controlled the congolese by using military force to make them collect rubber, endangering their lives in addition missionaries taught catholicism to the congolese however only a small portion of children ended up actually getting an education. Belgians controlled the rubber industry due to the outcome of a lot of money because the king was in debt. They also did not give the Congolese the correct education because the taught catholicism which was not the congoleses culture. Lastly belgians used military to make the congolese do things they do. Ultimately, the Belgians treated the congolese horribly by exerting control over them. Eventually the congolese earn independence and the Belgians do not own them.
The book mainly chronicles the efforts of King Leopold II of Belgium which is to make the Congo into a colonial empire. During the period that the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River.
Joseph Conrad was a struggling polish immigrant and he wants to serve in Congo on a steamship probably moving around rubber and from what he saw he was definitely sick and bite he wrote the novel heart of darkness which as Hochschild shows is a very really pretrial of how corrupt and abusive official really were. But even his novel really captures suffering of Conges. His novel really talks about the mental anguish that conscious white people felt watching this stuff going down. The anguish clerk E.D. Murrow when he discovers this he came as a crusading journalist and he was very single-minded in his devotion finding the government documents and showing Belgium out to be criminals that they were here. Roger Casement was very veiled to exposing Belgium Congo and getting turn over from King Leopold to Belgium government proper which helps thinks little but not as much as people had expected for the two African-American heroes George Washington Williams and Williams Sheppard they gained a lot of fame internationally and they did gain some respect from plant first of United States, however, they still denigrated society. So we see that this is over hundred years ago people were much coarser much less concern with human life that lays
King Leopold and his allies’ had great power over the Congo, which he soon exploited for its large supply of rubber. As said in the King Leopold’s Ghost, “For Europ...
The land Leopold had obtained was about eighty times larger than that of Belgium itself. Plus, Leopold was proclaimed the “sovereign” ruler of all the Congo Free Sta...
In order to achieve his dream, King Leopold II wanted to be sure that no other country got in his way. Belgium was a small country and Leopold knew that his country posed no threat to others. If he started to conquer the Congo, other countries might follow suit and overcome him.
During the Brussels conference in 1876, Leopold found the International African Association. Its object was, “the exploration of the country and the founding of stations which should be rest-houses for travellers and centres of civilization” (Tusan 195). The founding of the Congo as a free state was also proposed at the Brussels conference. Afterward came the Berlin conference of 1885. The Berlin conference was the formalization of the scramble and regulated european colonization and trade. It also defined the borders of the Congo, ensured free trade, and the abolition of the slave trade. The Treaty of Berlin was made to regulate colonization in Africa. As it stated, “All the powers exercising sovereign rights or influence in the aforesaid territories bind themselves to watch over the preservation of the native tribes, and to care for the improvement of the conditions of their moral and material well-being, and to help in suppressing slavery, and especially the slave trade. They shall, without distinction of creed or nation, protect and favour all religious, scientific or charitable institutions and undertakings created and organized for the above ends, or which aim at instructing the natives and bringing home to them the blessings of civilization” (Tusan 200). King Leopold then went on to claim the Congo as his personal property. He stated, “Our refined society attaches to human life (and with reason) a value unknown
...teristic disparity of prestige between the two nations contrast greatly since the Belgian Congo was strictly a slave-state used for resources, the Belgians did not provide Western education to their subordinates. As light was shed on the abomination that was the Belgian Congo, historians and explorers flocked to see the inhumane treatment of the devastated colony. Joseph Conrad, a Polish novelist, narrates the character Charlie Marlow, a sailor at the time of imperialism, who had personally witnessed the treatment of the Congolese and said this," After all, that was only a savage sight, while I seemed at one bound to have been transported into some lightless region of subtle horrors, where pure, uncomplicated savagery was a positive relief, being something that had a right to exist—obviously—in the sunshine." (Marlow) Marlow refers sympathetically to the Congolese
King of Belgium, Leopold the second was responsible for the deaths and cruelty of millions due to his harsh leadership over the Congo Free State. This large area is in the modern day Democratic Republic of the Congo and at the time was rich in rubber. Congo Free State was created to improve the lives of its native inhabitants, but Leopold II took absolute control. Under his control he mutilated and killed the servants who mined for the rich resources in the land. Workers had to mine enough of their designated supplies, if not they would be given their punishment which was either mutilation or death.
The Congo Crisis was a war of cultures between the US and the USSR. Despite the Soviet Union having some support within the Congo, the US was able to prevail and instill capitalism by taking more direct action in the Crisis and by ensuring the new leader of Mobutu was friendly to American interests. The Congo Crisis negatively affected decolonization by serving as an example of the failings of an independent state ran by Africans, despite a majority of problems coming from foreign influence. As a battle of the Cold War, the Congo acted as foreshadowing to the US success over the USSR and as proof to the West that capitalism was the best and foreign ideas were inferior, negatively affecting their opinions of other states for years to come.
While Leopold II, the King of Belgium, desperately wanted an overseas colony, The Belgian people did not share his enthusiasm; which created the feelings of neglect and apathy Belgium had towards Congo. The Congo Free State, established “in the margins of the Berlin Conference” in 1885, allowed Leopold to “gain international recognition of his possession” which he had begun to take control of since the 1870s. However, while Leopold was securing control of the Congo, the Belgian people were not interested in controlling colonies, as they believed that colonies “would merely soak up resources that would be better used for social purposes at home.” Thus, the Belgian people decided to solve the problem of having an unwanted colony by separating the Belgian government from...
King Leopold’s role of playing philanthropist was essential to his success in the Congo. He was able to successfully manipulate the public by hiding behind a false identify of a philanthropist claiming to be in the Congo to help save the African people. While all through the 1980’s he used this fake role to seize control of the Congo and using the indigenous people as slave labor with over eight million people being killed during his tyranny. King Leopold first started his conquest over the Congo after meeting Henry Morton Stanley who told him of the potential of the region. It has good natural transportation systems and minimal military threat from the indigenes tribes because of the centuries of slave hunting in the area. When the Committee
The behavior shown by the Belgian perpetrators was based on achieving their goals of becoming wealthier and committing the atrocities was just a way of keeping the masses working. This was significantly different from the behavior shown by the Nazis that was purely based on hate crimes. When comparing the Holocaust and the atrocities in the Belgian Congo, I was able to further understand the differences between crimes against humanity and genocides. Furthermore, the impact they have on society, especially how easy it was for the Belgian government to wash out the permanent footprint they caused on the Congo. As previously stated, the main differences we could find were the monetary priorities established in the Belgian Congo and the motivations behind the ethnic extermination, which led to the Holocaust.
When Congo gained its independence from Belgium it struggled to develop and remained a weak state. There were many factors that led to Congo being unable to progress and create strong institutions within its countries borders. “Political divisions along the ethnic lines were prevalent, though this fact could be misleading. Ethnicity became the primary source of political mobilization i...
Over a period from 1960-1965, the first Republic of the Congo experienced a period of serious crisis. There was a terrible war for power that displayed senseless violence and the desperation to rule. There were many internal conflicts among the people. The country eventually gained independence from Belgium. For many countries this would be a time for celebration. Unfortunately for the people of the Congo this became a time to forget. Almost immediately after independence and the general elections, the country went into civil war. Major developed cities like Katanga and Kasai wanted to be independent from the Lumumba government. Different factions started to fight the government and Katanga and Kasai tried to secede from the rest of the country out of fear of the mutinous army that was out of control looting and killing.
The Berlin Conference of 1884 peacefully divided Africa between world leaders. The conference, also known as the Congo Conference, looked at Africa as a great source of wealth in many areas to be shared among the participating countries. The division that took place at no time had at interest the people of Africa. By the time Africa regained its freedom in the 1950’s, most areas had developed severe political and racial division. The result of this turbulence and division is the occurrence of such violent civil wars and genocides in African countries such as Rwanda.