Belgium's Congo Catastrophe: A Legacy of Greed and Suffering

Belgium's colonization of the Congo represents one of the most brutal examples of exploitation through imperialism, this becomes evident by the widespread offenses, forced labor, and human rights violations fulfilled under King Leopold II’s unforgiving sovereignty with the greedy intention of wealth and power.  

Section I: Belgium Colonization of Congo

Subsection A: Who Colonized and How They Did It

• In 1879, King Leopold began the International Association of the Congo in order to explore the country and gain power over the territory. 

• In 1885, King Leopold of Belgium claimed his ownership of the territory, the Congo Free State

• He managed to manipulate himself as a humane sovereign to fellow European leaders, ultimately allowing him power over the Congo

• After his act was dropped it was clear he simply wanted to capitalize on the Congo's extensive resources in order to enrich Belgium and himself.

Subsection B: Their Motives to Colonize

• "You are not going to teach them what they know already."

• "And make sure that [they] never become rich. Sing every day that it's impossible for the rich to enter heaven. Make them pay tax each week at Sunday mass. Use the money for the poor to build flourishing business centers."

• These quotes show how Belgium (more specifically, King Leopold II) did not care about spreading their culture and beliefs but only to conquer the economic aspects.

• Leopold wanted to claim as much territory as possible as they were upset with their little territorial gain of Belgium.

• The main reason for colonizing Congo was for the economic gain.

• "Ivory, rubber, and palm oil had gained an increasing share of the European market, and the territory defined by the great Congo River promised to have all of these products in abundance."

• "Convert always the blacks by using the whip. Keep their women in nine months of submission to work freely for us."

• These quotes further show how slavery was used to harvest and produce all of these items for trading in Europe to make Belgium a huge profit.

• Below is an image representing the true brutality of the matter. The description holds more details.

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"In one, a man sits on a low platform looking at a dismembered small foot and small hand. They belonged to his five-year-old daughter, who was later killed when her village did not produce sufficient rubber. She was not unique - chopping off the limbs of enslaved Congolese was a routine form of retribution when Leopold II's quotas were not met."

Subsection C: Their Justification for Colonizing

•"[W]ith the stated aim of "exploring and civilizing Africa" through "legitimate trade" and "suppression of the slave trade," Leopold convinced the major European powers and the United States of his commitment to promote free trade and protect the rights of the natives of the Congo"

•"European missionaries were inspired by the belief that they had to introduce Christianity and 'civilize' Africans who were perceived as 'savages'."

• Both of these quotes symbolize the masking of Leopold's true intentions.

• With this as his reasoning he was easily able to take power of the territory and follow through with his immoral plans.

Section II: The Aftermath

Background Info on the Aftermath: On June 30, 1960, Congo became independent. This gave them hope for a more organized society however, the hope for order just caused more chaos.

• As a result of King Leopold's acts, around 5-10 million people died under him. This was about half of their population.

• Right after Belgium abruptly pulled out of Congo a civil war broke out

• Starvation was one of the main causes of death due to the immense workload put on the Congolese.

• Legacies within the country were destroyed; villages and families were mascaraed.

• The Congo is now one of the most dangerous countries of the world as well as one of the world's rape capitals.

• Today there are now two different countries the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Looking at Belgium, we see that they are in a peaceful state.

• Today, there is still tension between the two countries

• Congolese leader Lusinga Iwa Ng'ombe's great-grandson sent a letter to King Phillipe of Belgium

• He sent the letter because he found out that his great-grandfather's skull is in Belgium, and he feels it belongs to him and his country.

• "Mr. Lusinga said he never received a reply."

• Mr. Lusinga said, "We hope that this matter will happen amicably, in circumstances of mutual forgiveness, in order to write a new page in history."

Question: Do you believe Congo would have these titles if they had not gone through the suppression Belgium faced them?

Rundown of Belgium Imperializing Congo and the Conclusion

In conclusion, Belgium's colonization of the Congo exemplifies the brutality of imperialistic exploitation as demonstrated by widespread offenses, forced labor, and human rights violations under King Leopold's merciless rule, all driven by the yearning for wealth and power.

"In one, a man sits on a low platform looking at a dismembered small foot and small hand. They belonged to his five-year-old daughter, who was later killed when her village did not produce sufficient rubber. She was not unique - chopping off the limbs of enslaved Congolese was a routine form of retribution when Leopold II's quotas were not met."