1. BELGIAN CONGO

2. Initial Occupation
1885 The Berlin Conference approves King Leopold’s claim to “The Congo Free State” as his personal colony until 1908.
International investors supported his claim to Congo.
He established rule with his personal army and he also expected the Belgian army to assist.
Info Source: ("Congo Free State,").
Picture: hbw2000.com

3. Benefits To The Imperial Power
Ivory and rubber were the main exports. Both were collected through a system of slave labor controlled by Leopold’s agents.
The forest elephant population was depleted and the focused changed to rubber collection
Pneumatic tires drastically increases the demand for rubber.
Picture: vietnambusiness.asia
Info Source: ("Congo- the Brutal," n.d.).

4. Belgian Congo

5. Treatment Of Indigenous People
8-10 million people died as a result of Leopold’s policies.
They were enslaved
Families were kidnapped to force people to produce rubber.
Cut off peoples hands if they did not produce enough rubber.
Info Source: ("Congo- the Brutal," n.d.).
Picture: en.wikipedia.org

6. Belgian Congo Money
Picture: coins.ha.com

7. The Congo Free State Map
Picture: gutenberg.org

8. Belgian Congo Map
Picture: Culturegrams.com

9. The Democratic Republic of Congo
Picture: lonelyplanet.com

10. Indigenous perspective
King Leopold II and his army took over power in Congo.
King Leopold II and the Force Publique terrorized the Congolese by kidnapping the families of the workers and cutting off hands if they didn’t produce enough rubber
In 1908 Congo was taken from Leopold and turned into a Conley ruled but the Belgians
The worst abuses were eliminated because the Belgians still wanted the copper, oil, diamonds and other minerals
(Congo).

11. Benefits and modernization
The Belgian modernized the colony
The Belgians built railroads and automobiles
They brought over electricity and telephones
("Encyclopedia Britannica,“).

12. Cultural imperialism
The Belgians forced many different Congo tribes to live together
The Belgians set up Belgian style schools
The Congolese lost their native language and way of religion
The Belgians brought a new system of law
(Everything Culture," ).

13. Resistance and independence movements
Congo rebelled from beginning
The first Congolese party started in whose name was Congo nation movement
In 1959 riots broke out and Congo people demanded independence
Congo became an independent republic on June 30, 1960
("Encyclopedia Britannica," ).

14. The Congo free state flag

15. The Democratic Republic of Congo
Red for people's blood
Yellow for prosperity
Blue for hope
Star for unity
(“Democratic republic of Congo”).

16. Consequences on the Imperial Power
Belgium gained wealth from the rubber in ivory they exported.
King Leopold was criticized for exploiting and enslaving the Africans.
Edward Morrel wrote about the horrible situation in the Belgian Congo.
Belgium’s treatment of the African people is an example of European Social Darwinism
(Congo Free State, 2011)
en.wikipedia.org

17. Consequences on the Occupied Region
When the Belgians left the country was unstable
The Congo lost a lot of its resources
Most people live in poverty
Government corruption has caused civil wars
picture:mydailyclarity.com
(Democratic Republic of the Congo, n.d.).

18. Modern Status Congo Belgium GDP-$37,900 per year Literacy rate-99%
HDI-.867 (rank 18)
GDP-$300 per year
Literacy rate-67.2%
HDI-.239 (rank 168)
seputarforex.com
(The World Factbook, n.d.).

19. Compensation
when people realized the Belgians were treating the Congolese horribly the international community forced King Leopold to end his rule and give control of the country to Belgium
Most of the worst abuses stopped: kidnapping of families, mutilation, and slavery.
Belgium apologized for killing the Congolese president Lumumba.
(Lumumba Apology: Congo's, n.d.)
blackhistoryheroes.blogspot.com

20. Mobutu took control of Congo in 1965
-made all political parties illegal because they were causing problems in the country
1967 he made one political party mandatory it was called the (MPR) Popular Movement of the Revolution.
Made Congo a policy of Africanisation country, he made a new flag, new national anthem, and changed the name of the country to Zaire.
Mobutu also changed the capital name from Leopoldville to Kinshasa.
The people of Congo even had to get African names, if they didn’t have one.
He bribed any of his rivals with money to keep them happy.
Nationalized foreign owned business and made Western investors leave (Zaire).
1990 had to unban the rule against political parties and then in 1997 he was over powered and fled the
country with his family.
Congo was in debt billions of dollars by the 1980’s because of him but he didn’t care because he was billions of dollars wealthier
( Mobutu of Zaire, )
fxcuisine.com

21. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Congo Free State. (2011). Retrieved February 14, 2011, from In Encyclopædia Britannica website:
Democratic Republic of the Congo. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2011, from
International Human Development Indicators. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2011, from UN website: profiles/‌Bel.html
Lumumba Apology: Congo’s mixed feelings . (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2011, from BBC website:
The World Factbook. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2011, from
Congo. (n.d.). Retrieved 2011, from Encyclopædia Britannica database.
Encyclopædia Britannica. (n.d.). Belgian Congo . Retrieved from
everything culture. (n.d.). Democratic Republic of the Congo . Retrieved 2011, from