what countries did belgium colonize in africa
In Rwanda, independence brought increased ethnic tensions because of the policies of the Belgian colonial administration. Both Hutus and Tutsis served in the kings military. The Congo was also characterized by the extraordinary development of huge mining industries (particularly in the province of Katanga, well known for its copper, and in the Kasai region, famous for its industrial diamonds). It is estimated that millions of Congolese died during this time. Encyclopedia.com. that existed between the Europeans and the Africans. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The Scramble for Africa: The Scramble for Africa was a period of rampant colonialism of African territories by European powers, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Available at: http://www.diplomatie.be/fr/archives/archives.asp. As the strategic importance of Mobutu disappeared with the end of the cold war, little or no attention was paid to the Congo. While some Africans initially welcomed European rule, others opposed it from the start. In 1960, as the result of a widespread and increasingly radical pro-independence movement, the Congo achieved independence, becoming the Republic of Congo-Lopoldville under Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Kasa-Vubu. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Yielding to international pressure, the parliament of Belgium annexed the Congo Free State and took over its administration on November 15, 1908, as the colony of the Belgian Congo. As the independence of Rwanda became inevitable in the 1950s, however, the Belgians changed course and started to empower the Hutus by increasing their political and economic muscle and providing them access to modern education. There were slight improvements in the everyday economic and social life of the Congolese that were comparable to conditions in other European colonies in Africa. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here: The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia: Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed. Although Great Britain held several, Belgium, Intelligence and Security Agencies, http://www.diplomatie.be/fr/archives/archives.asp, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/belgiums-african-colonies. Cawthorne, Nigel. What is the meaning of healthcare system? It also had a small concession in China and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. Western colonialism, a political-economic phenomenon whereby various European nations explored, conquered, settled, and exploited large areas of the world. Stengers, Jean. Leopold II, an ambitious and enterprising monarch, was fascinated by the Dutch colonial "model" in Java and wanted to enhance his country's grandeur by exploiting a vast colonial domain, destined to enrich the mother country. French explorers fanned out in equatorial Africa, and a French mission began the conquest of Indochina in the 1860s. A classic image depicts the Belgian Congo as being run by the "Trinity" of administration, capital, and the (Catholic) Church. Leopold II exploited the Congo for its natural rubber, which was starting to become a valuable commodity. [15] By the 1950s the Congo had a wage labour force twice as large as that in any other African colony.[16]. Even before the 1870s some new gains had occurred. The economic system of the kingdom was organized into guilds based on agriculture and handicraft industries. Portugal's African ColoniesOne of the great ironies in the history of European colonialism is that the small country of Portugal established one of the first colonial empires and then retained its colonial possessions well after most other European nations had lost theirs. Other articles where history of Belgium is discussed: Belgium: History of Belgium: This section surveys the history of the Belgian territories after 1579. . The period ended after World War I, and by the 1970s most of the European colonies in Africa had become independent. After the Government assumed direct control, the treatment of the people did improve but only marginally. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. North Africa experienced colonisation from Europe and Western Asia in the early historical period, particularly Greeks and Phoenicians . Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/belgiums-african-colonies. Belgian native policy, which had rigidified the ethnic boundaries between Tutsi and Hutu and consequently had exacerbated the ethnic identity of these groups, was largely responsible for the intensification of ethnic rivalry between these groups after the end of foreign rule. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. After the June 1960 elections, Lumumba became prime minister and Kasavubu the ceremonial president. In the Western press, this conflict was portrayed as a racial and cultural one, between the tall, aristocratic, pastoral Tutsis, and Hutus who were uneducated peasant farmers. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Article 5 stated that upon their arrival on the territory, the settlers would become Guatemalan natives (indignes de Guatemala) fully subject to the existing constitution and laws of the country, relinquishing their former Belgian or other national birthright, as well as any claim to any privileges or immunity as foreigners. Poor relations between factions within the Congo, the continued involvement of Belgium in Congolese affairs, and intervention by major parties of the Cold War led to a five-year-long period of war and political instability, known as the Congo Crisis, from 1960 to 1965. Autocratic rule did not need to find ways of negotiating how different factions could cooperate within a sustainable, participatory system of governance or access a fair share of resources. Arguably, in comparison with other colonial powers in Africa, Belgium did less to prepare its overseas subjects for political independence, investing little in education and training, and extracted the riches of its colonies at enormous human cost. During World War I, Belgian colonial troops participated in the military campaigns against the Germans in East Africa. Belgium itself had gained independence in 1831 when it broke away from the Netherlands and became a new nation. When Laurent Kabila drove him from power in 1997, Mobutus wealth deposited in foreign banks was in excess of $4 billion. Roughly 98% of Belgium's overseas territory was just one colony (about 76 times larger than Belgium itself) known as the Belgian Congo. New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article The Challenge of Third World Development, 4th ed. It was established by the Belgian parliament to replace the previous, privately owned Congo Free State, after international outrage over abuses there brought pressure for supervision and accountability. The first wave of genocide by the Hutus against the Tutsis took place earlier, however, under the administration of the Belgians in 1959. Leopold II, King of the Belgiansas his coun, The Thirteen Colonies were British colonies in North America founded between 1607 (Virginia) and 1732 (Georgia). With support from a number of Western countries who saw Leopold as a useful buffer between rival colonial powers, Leopold achieved international recognition for the Congo Free State in 1885. The Portuguese colonial empire was the first and the last European empire overseas, from the conquest of Ceuta (1415), in Morocco, North Africa, until the formal handover of Macau to the People's Republic of China (1999). In the margins of the 18841885 Berlin Conference, the world's main powers recognized the AIC as the legal authority over a vast territory in the heart of Africa, a new "state" called the Congo Free State. More or Less: Heroes and Killers of the 20th Century. With these events sea power shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and . 1972. There had been vicious cycles of violence beginning in December 1963 when Hutus killed more than 10,000 Tutsis and sent about 150,000 into exile. A rich Hutu who purchased a large herd of cattle could become a Tutsi, while a Tutsi who became poor would drop into the Hutu caste. Since the 1994 genocide, Rwanda has successfully conducted both local and national elections. There was social mobility (both upward and downward) in this stratified Rwandese society. Mobutu was used as a Western stooge to stop an alleged communist incursion into Africa. The Consul of Belgium and the president of the Brera Academy established a charitable foundation with the goal of building a village for artists and a hotel.[23]. The people, although classified as Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa, essentially spoke the same language. During both world wars, the Belgian Congo played a great role as purveyor of raw materials for the Allies, while the Congolese troops also engaged in warfare against the German and Italian forces. 7 What were the former British colonies in Africa? [6], A sharp reduction of the population of the Congo through excess deaths occurred in the Free State period but estimates of the deaths toll vary considerably. This was in contrast to the British and the French, who generally favoured the system of indirect rule whereby traditional leaders were retained in positions of authority under colonial oversight. 1822) [19]. If this small European country nevertheless succeeded in ruling a vast colony in Central Africa, this was due only to the tenacity of its second king, Leopold II (18351909). The Belgians, in turn, gave the Tutsis privileged positions in politics, education, and business. Belgium seized Rwanda and Burundi from Germany in 1916; two years later, after the defeat of Germany in World War I, Ruanda-Urundi was formally given to Belgium as a League of Nations (later United Nations) trust territory. [2] Belgian traders also extended their influence in West Africa but this too fell apart following the Rio Nuez Incident of 1849 and growing Anglo-French rivalry in the region. //
