Colonialism in the Congo

By: Cameron Maccoll, Fraser Stitt, Veronica Birk

Topics to be Discussed

Definition of colonialism
Henry Morton Stanley
King Leopold II
Colonization by Belgium
influences of colonialism

Definition of Colonialism
According to Oxford dictionary,
colonialism is The policy or practice
of acquiring full or partial political
control over another country,
occupying it with settlers, and
exploiting it economically.
Traditionally, colonies have mainly
been formed by European powers,
such the Spanish, French, and British
colonies.
Map of Colonial Africa

Henry Morton Stanley

Explorer traveling down the Nile to
the Sea
Discovered to Congo ( first european
man to see the congo)
Made the newspapers
King Leopold employed Stanley to bring
western civilization and religion to His
new colony.

King Leopold II
Part of Belgian monarch
lots of money but no
gov power
Organized committee and
acquired the Congo as a colony of
Belgium

Belgian Colonization of Congo

- Congo Free State
Colonization started in 1885
Area claimed about 75x larger
than Belgium
He used many lies to get his way
Colony used to extract rubber,
ivory, and other materials
through forced labour
Extreme violence of the Force
Publique used to repress
rebellion

King Leopold II of Belgium

Belgian Colonization of Congo

- Belgian Congo

In 1908, Leopold was forced to

hand over control of the colony to
the Belgian Government
Conditions improved somewhat for
natives
Belgian Congo participated in both
WWI and WWII
The Congo gained independence
from the Belgians in 1960.
Map of the Belgian Congo after being
transferred to Governmental control from
1908 - 1960

Influence of Colonialism

Disease and lack of medical support,

approximately 45 000 people die each
month
Violence, the Belgian Congo was directly
involved in WW1 and WW2 due to being a
colony of Belgium
Social Instability, weak government status
Lack of Education, very few citizens attend
school

Bibliography

Colonialism Definition. Retrived from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/colonialism

The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Copyright 1998-2015. Retrived from http://www.globalissues.
org/article/87/the-democratic-republic-of-congo 45,000 continue to die each month.
The Ultimate History Project. Retrived from http://www.ultimatehistoryproject.com/belgian-congo.html Belgium,
unlike Britain or France, did not send effective missionaries to fund and organize education systems or schools.
"Congo Free State". Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica Inc.,
2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2015 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132463/Congo-Free-State
The Congo Free State Genocide. Religious Tolerance.org. Accessed 26 Apr. 2015. http://www.
religioustolerance.org/genocong.htm
Belgian Congo. Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. Accessed 26 Apr. 2015 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Congo
frasers bibliography
"Leopold II". Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 27 Apr.
2015 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/336654/Leopold-II
"Sir Henry Morton Stanley". Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica Inc.,
2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2015 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/563226/Sir-Henry-Morton-Stanley

Fin

Informative Reading

http://www.globalissues.org/article/262/40-years-on-lumumba-still-haunts-the-west
projects.ecfs.org/eastwest/Readings/CongoSim.pdf
http://www.ultimatehistoryproject.com/belgian-congo.html
Remembered where I'd gotten information on this from: http://youtu.be/4uArRzwKHvE