At the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, . Rubber Production Leopold used the rubber money to develop Belgium. Quiz, Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz. You had to reach a certain quota - say, a certain quantity of rubber. The country, which entered slave trade in the 16th century, carried more than 3 million Africans beyond the Atlantic until it abolished slavery in 1833, according to data in the British national archive. During the 100-day genocide, hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and sympathizers were massacred at the hands of predominantly Hutu aggressors. Tourism is increasingly becoming a major employer in the local area. The second stage is that it is absolutely necessary that children are taught the reality of what happened in Congo. In 2008, the per capita income (PPP) was $37,500. The region is one of striking contrasts: in the Condroz farms range in size from 75 to 250 acres (30 to 100 hectares), whereas in the Ardennes they are between 25 and 75 acres (10 to 30 hectares). His rules weren't about working for a fair wage - oh no, this was forced labour, where the workers were treated like slaves. Nobody tells you that openly so instead they say: "I'm sorry, sir, but you don't fit". Needless to say, Caroline profited greatly from the King's attention, earning her the nickname "Queen of the Congo.". Consequently, the 198082 recession shook Belgium to the coreunemployment mounted, social welfare costs increased, personal debt soared, the government deficit climbed to 13% of GDP, and the national debt, although mostly held domestically, mushroomed. Events Leading to the Scramble for Africa, Congo Free State Rubber Regime Atrocities, The Dutch Empire: Three Centuries on Five Continents, What Is Colonialism? organisation From the 1950s, a broad movement formed in Congo Belge to protest against Belgian foreign rule. The Congo became an independent republic on June 30, 1960. The southern region continues a difficult transition out of sunset industries (mainly coal and steel), while sunrise industries (chemicals, high-tech, and services) dominate in Flanders. Anti-European religious groups were active by the 1920s, including Kimbanguism and the Negro Mission in the west and Kitawala in the southeast. By that time, UMHK was one of the largest single sources of Congolese . How should Belgium reconcile with its brutal past? [20], Belgium's unemployment rate was 6.5% in 2008. The Belgian government and Catholic missions tried to aid the inhabitants by improving health and education and building an infrastructure, but the Belgians still exploited the region's gold, copper, and diamonds. The museum, in the Brussels suburb of Tervuren, was founded in 1897 by Leopold II at the height of colonialism. From 1885 to 1908, Belgian King Leopold II took control of the Congo. In 1930, the ACLVB-CGSLB adopted its current name.[27]. The corridor between Antwerp and Brussels also has emerged as a major manufacturing zone, eclipsing the older industrial concentration in the Sambre-Meuse valley. The Congolese did not need people to come and rule them, but at the time it was presented as if King Leopold came to Congo to bring civilisation. More information about the Democratic Republic of the Congo is available on the . Violent altercations between Belgian forces and the Congolese also occurred later that year, and Belgium, which previously maintained that independence for the Congo would not be possible in the immediate future, suddenly capitulated and began making arrangements for the Congos independence. Farms, with their closed courts, range in size from 75 to 250 acres (30 to 100 hectares). People ask me about the statues. Leopold II tried mightily to conceal this abuse from the international public. ThoughtCo. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. In the interior, gold, diamonds, copper, tin, cobalt, and zinc were mined; the colony became an important source of uranium for the United States during World War II. [25] The ABVV-FGTB traces its origins to 1857, when the first Belgian union was founded in Ghent by a group of weavers. It has since developed a highly-developed transportation infrastructure made up of ports (most notably the Port of Antwerp), canals, railways, and highways, in order to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. Inflation under 5% is in green. How much money did Belgium make from the Congo? With his leopardskin hat and his throne, the old manipulator still looked the part, but in a country the size of western Europe he was losing control. By the early 21st century, Belgium had diversified its sources of social-security funding and succeeded in balancing its budget. The man's name was Nsala and his wife and children had just been killed. In the Congo Free State, Congolese hands were sys- tematically amputated when enslaved Africans failed to meet quotas for extract- ing rubber. Curiously, Laurent Kabila did come to Brussels to meet the present Belgian King, but the days of European intervention in Congo's affairs are over. [26] The ACLVB-CGSLB was founded in 1920 in an effort to unite the many small liberal unions. 10 Horrifying Facts About The Genocide In The Congo Free State. The coal in the Sambre-Meuse valley occurred in a narrow band across south-central Belgium from the French border through Mons, Charleroi, Namur, and Lige. After slavery was officially abolished in 1910, Congolese workers received a wage for their work in the mines and on the plantations. 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. As in other industrialized nations, pension and other social entitlement programs have become a major economic and political concern as the baby boomers approach retirement age. [citation needed]. He turned the nation into a moneymaking machine by farming ivory and rubber and building a fortune on the labor of the people who lived there. The planted forests of the Ardennes and the Kempenland support Belgiums relatively small forest-products industry. They remind people of the bad things that have happened. Assistant Professor, Julius Maximilian University of Wrzburg. I want the government to accept that Belgium, and its king, created a lot of suffering in the Congo. Stones, principally specialty marbles, also are quarried. [citation needed] In 2009 Belgium suffered negative growth and increased unemployment, stemming from the worldwide banking crisis. 8. But people should ask themselves where all this fortune comes from? Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. I was born in Congo, and I also feel Congolese. The Antwerp-based BASF plant is the largest BASF-base outside Germany, and accounts on its own for about 2% of Belgian exports. "I sense a lot of nervousness in Belgium regarding a formal apology as Congo might use it to demand financial reparations", Nadia Nsayi, a political scientist who specialises in Congo, told Reuters. Today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the third largest country by area in Africa and has approximately 70 million citizens. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Economic growth rose from 2% in 1984 to a peak of 4% in 1989. [20], The social security system, which expanded rapidly during the prosperous 1950s and 1960s, includes a medical system, unemployment insurance coverage, child allowances, invalid benefits, and other benefits and pensions. General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium, "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019", "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: April 2023", "The outlook is uncertain again amid financial sector turmoil, high inflation, ongoing effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and three years of COVID", "People at risk of poverty or social exclusion", "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income EU-SILC survey", "Employment rate by sex, age group 20-64", "Unemployment by sex and age monthly average", "Euro area and EU27 government deficit both at 0.6% of GDP", "Scope affirms the Kingdom of Belgium's credit ratings at AA- and maintains the Stable Outlook", "General government gross debt annual data", "Aantal leden christelijke vakbond neemt jaar na jaar toe", "Hoeveel leden telt het ABVV? Inhabitants were forced to pay taxes and grow cash crops such as coffee. As a result, cumulative government debt reached 121% of GDP by the end of the 1980s. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, 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. Belgium is the world's largest producer of begonias, planting 60 million tubers per year. Antwerp is also known for diamond cutting and dealing. Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 The first is when Joseph-Dsir Mobutu came to power in 1965. The results of this rule were very uneven. Check if your Mr Mobutu held it together while there were assets to spread around, but his successor Laurent Kabila had a more torrid time right from the start. Perhaps Congo is too big a country to be governed as a single state. 11 Buildings That Reveal Belgiums History, Which Country Is Larger By Population? The third shift is King Philippes letter to President Felix Tshisekedi on 30 June 2020, the anniversary of Congolese independence. university 11 Votes) King Leopold II (1835-1909) of Belgium created the Congo Free State in 1885 as part of a professed desire to bring civilization and modernity to Africans. Indeed, Flemish and Walloon economies differ in many respects (consider for instance Eurostat and OECD statistics), and cities like Brussels, Antwerp, Lige, Bruges, Charleroi or Ghent also exhibit significant differences. Among other criteria spelled out under the Maastricht treaty, the Belgian Government had to attain a budget deficit of no greater than 3% of GDP by the end of 1997; Belgium achieved this, with a total budget deficit in 2001 (just prior to implementation of the Euro) that amounted to 0.2% of GDP. Young men in combat trousers stood by the roadside selling looted goods - tennis rackets, a toilet bowl, a fish tank. It will never replace the millions who were killed, but it will be something. The early 1980s saw the country facing a difficult period of structural adjustment caused by declining demand for its traditional products, deteriorating economic performance, and neglected structural reform. He took Congo as his own personal possession and made himself rich. Even the district largely rebuilt with European Union offices is dominated by an imperial Arc de Triomphe - a rival to the one in Paris. Belgium also exploited the land and people of Ruanda-Urundi, the Belgian Congo's neighbor to the east. Under the reign of terror instituted by King Leopold II of Belgium (who ran the Congo Free State as his personal fief from 1885 to 1908), the population of the Congo was reduced by half with some estimates suggesting that as many as 10 million Congolese lost their lives. [24] The second biggest union is the socialist General Federation of Belgian Labour (ABVV-FGTB) which has a membership of more than 1.5million. I think I would have to say yes. Since then, DRC has experienced corruption, inflation, and several regime changes. They wanted to retain control over the raw materials in the Congo. In the 1980s and 1990s, the economic center of the country continued to shift northwards to Flanders with investments by multinationals (Automotive industry, Chemical industry) and a growing local Industrial agriculture (textiles, food). The country has assembly plants for foreign automakers, as well as for foreign firms manufacturing heavy electrical goods. Racist images and colonial bias were constructed to justify foreign rule in the Congo. Because political associations were prohibited at the time, reformers organized into cultural clubs such as Abako, a Bakongo association formed in 1950. It is dishonest on the part of Belgium, or those who run Belgium, not to recognise that if we have these buildings in Belgium today, if we have enough wealth in Belgium today, it is all thanks to Congo. Some historians refer to this as a genocide. The doors are often closed to us. Millions have died from war, famine, or disease. Many Congolese people here are academics, with high qualifications from universities in Belgium. It's because of him that the Congolese were slaughtered, that children had their hands and feet cut off. Mined since the 13th century, these coal reserves were instrumental in Belgiums industrialization during the 19th century. Under the mantle of propagating Christianity and trade in Africa, Belgium exploited Congo's riches, including rubber. Marchal, the Belgian scholar, estimates that Leopold drew some 220 million francs (or $1.1 billion in today's dollars ) in profits from the Congo during his lifetime. Belgian Congo, French Congo Belge, former colony (coextensive with the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) in Africa, ruled by Belgium from 1908 until 1960. In 2021, Belgium's public debt was about 108% of the country's GDP. Exports in Congo decreased to 15031.30 USD Million in 2019 from 15966.80 USD Million in 2018. Due to this brutality and European diseases, the native population dwindled by approximately ten million people. The most important legacy of colonialism in Rwanda and Burundi involved the Belgians' obsession with racial, ethnic classification. Sixty years after Congo gained its independence, the Belgian king has expressed his "deepest regrets" for the suffering his nation caused as a colonial power. The government was forced to borrow heavily from abroad to finance foreign trade (i.e., importing of foreign goods) and to sustain its generous social welfare system. By 1992 mining had ceased there and in the countrys other major coal-mining area, in the Kempenland (Limburg province) in northeastern Belgium. The King made 70 million Belgian francs' profit from the system between 1896 and 1905. Richard, Katherine Schulz. Julien Bobineau received funding from the Bavarian Elite Network in form of a PhD scholarship, provided by the Federal Government of Bavaria (Germany). Unemployment also has been less of a problem in Flanders, which has experienced significant growth in service industries, than in Wallonia, where the negative consequences of deindustrialization remain. For some years ivory was a principal source of the great wealth that Leopold and his associates drew from the new colony. Antwerp is the first diamond market in the world, diamond exports account for roughly 1/10 of Belgian exports. The years of terror broke down traditional communities and created a long-lasting pattern of plunder. The vast majority of these people (80%), work in the service sector. Today in History. The economy of Belgium is a highly developed mixed economy. The Belgian government renamed the region the "Belgian Congo." And in March 2022, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced the return of 84,000 Congolese artefacts. read more. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Jean-Claude Ilunga lives in Belgium but is Congolese by birth and says it is time for the former rulers to apologise to Congo. Jean-Claude Ilunga helps to run a support group for the Congolese community in Belgium called Les Amis du Congo Solidarite. read more. As of July 2012, however, the statistical unemployment rate in Brussels was 20.6%.[30]. 1908 - Belgian state annexes Congo amid protests over killings and atrocities carried out on a mass scale by Leopold's agents. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. The mineral-rich province of Katanga was voluntarily separated from DRC from 1960-1963. Refineries, located principally in the Antwerp area, process crude petroleum. There are plenty of statues of Leopold II in this country and my opinion is that they belong in museums. Millions of Congolese are believed to have died under Leopold II's rule, 1900: Exploration of Congo region by Belgian industrialists hoping to exploit its wealth, This defaced bust of Leopold II stands in the grounds of the museum he built to house some of his Congo plunder. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. In the late 1950s, when France and the United Kingdom worked with their colonies to prepare for independence, Belgium still portrayed the Congo as an idyllic land of parent-child relationships between Europeans and Africans. Belgiums involvement in the political assassination was concealed until a commission of enquiry, launched by the Belgian parliament in 1999, found Belgium partially responsible for Lumumbas death. To combat the slow decline of this industry, which has been dependent on the handiwork of an aging population of skilled women, specialized schools were established in Mons and Binche to train younger workers. In his novella Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, who spent six months in the Congo in 1890 as a steamboat officer, gives a searing picture of the brutal and voracious European quest for Congo ivory. The trip was billed as a chance to recalibrate the relationship between the two countries after a dark colonial past. Rather than control the Congo as a colony, as other European powers did throughout Africa, Leopold privately owned the region. The same report also demonstrates an increase in the global financial average this year. By the 1960s the easily extractable coal reserves were exhausted, and most of the regions mines were closed. journalists in 50+ countries covering politics, business, innovation, trends and more. By the late 20th century, however, coal reserves in Wallonia were exhausted, the aging steel industry had become inefficient, labour costs had risen dramatically, and foreign investment (a major portion of the countrys industrial assets are controlled by multinational companies) had declined. From the far bank of the Zaire River, looking across Stanley Pool, Kinshasa seemed almost like a normal city, the glass of its tall tower blocks reflecting the evening sun. The European Commission negotiates on trade issues for all member states, which, in turn lessens bilateral trade disputes with Belgium.[20]. Except for its coal, which is no longer economical to exploit, Belgium has few natural resources other than fertile soils. Some Belgian families still remember their relatives who served in Congo and the tradition of "Black Pete" - a clownish servant portrayed by white people in Blackface, helping St. Nicholas bring gifts to children - remains popular though is increasingly seen as discriminatory. He took Congo as his own personal possession and made himself rich. Simply because their skin colour doesn't fit. Although some of that money was used for Leopolds little projects and settling debts, much of it went directly to his pocket as well. The official Belgian attitude was paternalism: Africans were to be cared for and trained as if they were children. 1909 The Congo Reform Association, founded in Britain, ends forced labor in the Congo Free State, today the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We use See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Belgian King Baudouin I finally relented and released the DR Congo into independence on 30 June 1960. Severed hands became the infamous symbol of the colonial state where officials brutally maimed those failing to deliver harvest quotas. These smaller unions tend to specialize in one profession or economic sector. They also demand an official apology for the colonial atrocities. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Belgian-Congo, The Ultimate History Project - Belgian Congo, EHNE Digital Encyclopedia - Colonial Education in the Belgian Congo, University of Central Arkansas - Political Science - Belgian Congo (1908-1960). Congolese societies, in contrast, were deprived of the potential to develop due to exploitation, slavery and genocide. Estimates of the death toll caused by colonisation range from one to ten million. Brussels' GDP per capita is much higher than either region, although this is in many ways artificial, as many of those that work in the Brussels-Capital Region live in Flanders or Wallonia. A Belgian parliamentary investigation into the assassination in 1961 of Congo's independence hero Patrice Lumumba, the free country's first prime minister, concluded at the beginning of the 2000s that Belgium was "morally responsible" for his death. Nonetheless, most traditional industrial sectors are represented in the economy, including steel, textiles, refining, chemicals, food processing, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, electronics, and machinery fabrication. Belgium's economy was immeasurably improved by the capture of Congo, says Pierre . With the expansion of domestic and commercial needs in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, increasing attention focused on problems of water quality and supply. No, but it would be the first step. Belgium is one of the worlds leading processors of cobalt, radium, copper, zinc, and lead. This sham was supposedly a scientific and philanthropic organization which would greatly improve the lives of native Africans by converting them to Christianity, ending the trade of enslaved people, and introducing European health and educational systems. Despite the heavy industrial component, services account for 74.9% of Belgium's GDP, while agriculture accounts for only 1% of Belgium's GDP.[20]. Belgium is a small country in northwest Europe that joined Europe's race for colonies in the late 19th century. 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From then on, he was the private ruler of the tat Indpendant du Congo (Congo Free State), which was 80 times the size of his Kingdom of Belgium. Leopold II tried mightily to conceal this abuse from the international public. offers FT membership to read for free. $578 billion (nominal, 2021 est.). It is the first time that a Belgian monarch has offered any form of apology for the brutality, death and plunder that the nation oversaw after colonising Congo in the 19th century. Following this general paradigm shift, in October 2020, the Free University of Brussels agreed to return human remains from Congo to the University of Lubumbashi. Pretoria News, Wednesday August 20, 2003. On January 1, 1999, Belgium also became a charter member of the European Monetary Union, paving the way for the introduction of the euro, which became the countrys sole currency in 2002, replacing the Belgian franc. In January 1959, riots broke out in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) after a rally was held calling for the independence of the Congo. Since the first official census by the Belgian authorities in 1924 put the population at about 10 million, it means that the King Leopold and the Belgian administration in the colony were responsible for the deaths of around 10 million Congolese. Begonias have been cultivated in the Ghent area since 1860. You can still enjoy your subscription until the end of your current billing period. The Belgian authorities are, as a rule, anti-protectionist and try to maintain a hospitable and open trade and investment climate. * In 2020, Belgium's current king, Philippe expressed deep regret for the "suffering and humiliation" inflicted on Congo during its 75 years under Belgian rule. Today Belgium is one of the richest countries in Europe, but all that money came from my country. Belgium is the sixth richest country in the world: this has been confirmed in the recent edition of the Allianz Global Wealth Report 2016. Under pressure from Britain and the United States, Leopold turned over ownership of the Congo Free State to the Belgian government in 1908. Unrest increased in the depression years (193136) and during World War II. June 11th, 2020. Belgium gained independence in 1830. Because if there were not Congo, Belgium would not be a rich country. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month. When the Belgian King Leopold II acquired the Congo Free State during the Scramble for Africa in 1885, he claimed he was establishing the colony for humanitarian and scientific purposes, but in reality, its sole aim was profit, as much as possible, as fast as possible. About 80% of Belgium's trade is with fellow EU member states. Required fields are marked *. It is Europe's largest port for RoRo traffic[32] and natural gas. Ten experts were tasked with discussing several issues, including possible financial reparations and a stronger anchoring of Belgian colonial history in education curricula and society. In the south a modest hydroelectric power industry has developed along fast-moving streams. Historically, Belgiums national prosperity was mainly dependent on the countrys role as a fabricator and processor of imported raw materials and on the subsequent export of finished goods. Unemployment has remained consistently more than twice as high in Wallonia than in Flanders, and even more in Brussels, during most of the last 20 years (2012: Flanders: 4.55%; Wallonia: 10.12% and Brussels: 17.47%[28]). Due to industrialization, objects such as tires were now required in mass in Europe; thus, the African natives were forced to produce ivory and rubber. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs. Manufacturing is the major economic activity in the provinces of East Flanders, Limburg, and Hainaut. Then, King Leopold II came to power in 1865 and believed that colonies would greatly enhance Belgium's wealth and prestige. During his rule, Congolese people were forced into labour, often on rubber plantations, and suffered abuse, torture and murder. On the other, the Belgian government had to respond diplomatically to the countless human rights abuses committed by Mobutus regime. Lige is also a very important logistic center: the city possesses the third largest river port in Europe, directly connected to Antwerp, Rotterdam and Germany via the Meuse river and the Albert Canal. The postwar boom years, enhanced by the establishment of the European Union and NATO headquarters in Brussels, contributed to the rapid expansion of light industry throughout most of Flanders, particularly along a corridor stretching between Brussels and Antwerp, which is the second largest port in Europe after Rotterdam. The cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants also is important, particularly in Flanders. Cities were divided into white and black neighbourhoods. In addition, sands from the Kempenland supply the glass-manufacturing industry, and clays from the Borinage are used for pottery products and bricks. Although now a shadow of its former self, steel production and the manufacture of steel goods remain important. After independence in 1960 it was renamed Zaire and is now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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