European Imperialism In Africa (En)

INTRODUCTION

The Belgian Colonial Empire was composed of the three countries The Kingdom of Belgium colonized between 1885 and 1962, comprised by the Belgian Congo (nowadays known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) Rwanda and Burundi. Although Belgium is a small country in the northwest of Europe that raced for the colonization of territories in Africa during the 19th century, it achieved toobtain territories in the continent after they gained independence in 1830, Leopold II, the King of the Belgians, came to power in 1865, and made a massive plan to obtain colonies that would “enhance” Belgium’s prestige and wealth. Belgium’s colonization tactics were, considered after the Portuguese, the cruelest, greediest and bloodiest registered in modern European history, leaving hundreds ofthousand of deaths behind.

Belgium became an independent country from the Netherlands and UK in 1830, and by the time it became an independent country, Leopold II started to consider overseas territories, along with its fellow European countries, which had already taken the most prominent and rich territories overseas, it was not until 1843 when The King of the Belgians decided to start theplan of colonization and first signed, on May 16, 1843 with Ladd & Co, along with a gross injection of capital needed to start the process of colonization in Hawaii, but it all failed when the company ran into financial difficulties and broke the deal, leaving Belgium without potential places to colonize, this, until, along with the help of Henry Morton Stanley’s exploration, started to pay attentionto the vacant territories in Central Africa, territories which were distributed after the 1884’s Berlin Conference to France and Portugal, but of course, leaving Belgium the biggest piece of these.

During this essay, we’ll analyze the three main territories that were colonized by the Kingdom of Belgium, the historic facts that lead to this colonization, the main aspects of the tactics used atthe time, as well the repercussion it had and has to this day in the territories that were once colonies of this small country.

THE CONGO FREE STATE AND UNDER THE RULE OF LEOPOLD II

Congo is a country in the center of the African Continent, with a rich fauna and flora very different to the one known in Europe by the 19th century, as well with epidemics unknown to that point, which made thisvery difficult for Europeans to explore, it all started back in 1876 when Leopold II, King of the Belgians, started plans to organize explorations to the African territory, along with leading African explorers, Leopold was a man known for his ambition, which made him keen to acquire a territory in the “Black Continent” to enhance the power and prestige every European territory wanted to achieve bythe time, it all came possible when in 1865 he ascended to the throne and had the plan in the run, ambitious and stubborn, Leopold II took all the matter of the colony on his own hands, after most of the Belgians were not dreaming of an empire-building power.

Since most of the countries in Europe were interested in acquiring a territory in continental Africa, tensions rise, especiallyconcerning to the territories in the center of Africa, by the year of 1884, the Berlin Conference happened, lead by Otto von Bismarck, with the main goal of finding calmed times to the ones coming ahead, 14 nations attended to find a peaceful resolution, focused on the Congo crisis, this led to several days of tension and negotiations, that finally, on the 5th of February 1885, they all became to anagreement, this agreement was based on a set of rules to keep a conflict-free portioning of Central Africa, putting this as a free-trade zone, and acknowledging that any territorial claim was set to be reviewed based on the evidence of durable occupation of the territory by a country.

Leopold was considered to be the “triumphant “one, holding 2,344,000km2 followed by Portugal, with 909,000km2 to...