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Scramble For Africa Begins
The Scramble for Africa began in 1876, when the Belgian leader Leopold II read a report about the potential profits to be made from the resource rich Congo basin. The move that Leopold makes on Africa sets off a motion, and encourages the rest of the great European nations to claim African land for themselves. This was also now possible as a result of improved technology in the form of better medicine to fight african diseaces which europeans had no resistance to, better guns, and steam ships. -
Creation of the International African Association
The members of the Bussels Geographic conference voted to create the International African Association, headed by Leopold himself the aims of the I.A.A were to oversee the "humanitarian" work and exploration, in Africa, as well as to over see the colonisation of the area. It was however all a cunning ploy made by Leopold to get him closer to the Congo without making it look like profit was on the forefront of his mind. -
Brussels Geographic Conference
This was a conference held by Leopold II, as he was looking to find more information about Africa, in particular the Congo Basin. It was at the conference that the International African Association was formed to over see the civilisation of Africa. -
International Association of the Congo formed
The International African Association was soon replaced by the International Association of the Congo, which was essentially a business with Leopold owning all shares. -
The Berlin Conference
The Berlin conference was a meeting called by Bismarck, between all of the great European nations to decide what to do with Africa, now that most of the powers of Europe had shown interest in owning land in Africa. During the conference Leopold II was granted international recognition for owning the Congo, renamed The Congo Free State.The conference also created new laws regaurding colonisation. The Berlin conference general act also brought in rules on trade and making new settlements in Africa -
Creation of the Force Publique
Leopold created a militia/police force. It was run by Belgian officers and had both European and Congolese troops. The Force Publique was responsible for many of the atrocities in the congo including the mutilation of the workers if they failed to provide enough to the government. The Force Publique was also required to cut the hands off of those who they had shot to show that they had not wasted any bullets. However, they often ended up cutting hands off of live people to make up their quota. -
Cloth and Trinket Treaties
Henry Morton Stanley embarked on his second expedition to Africa, this time with a mission from Leopold II, to "buy" him land in the Congo Basin, by giving the tribal elders a bolt of cloth and a bead, in return for their land. This was also a compulsory arrangement, as any tribal elders who did not agree to the treaties were killed. -
Letter to the Prime Minister
Leopold II sent his prime minister, minister Beernaert, a letter outlining his reasoning as to why Belgium should make moves on the Congo, and how he wants the Prime Minister to support his decision. His reasons for taking the Congo include, expanding Belgium as a country, helping the natives with humanitarian work, increasing the prestige Belgium, allowing access to the centre of the African continent, -
Domain System brought in
Leopold brought in a domain system, at the time of introduction there were two classifcations, free trade zones, which were where foreigners could trade their goods and the domain prive, where all profits went to the state -
Domain La Couronne
Leopold, unhappy with his profits set up a third domain, domain la couronne, where all of the profits generated went directly to him and bypassed the state entirely. -
Congo Reform Association
Founded by the clerk Edmund Morel and Roger Casement, The Congo Reform association sought to expose the atrocities in which had been going on in the Congo. This association was a large contributer to the exposure of the Belgian Tyranny and the annexation of the Congo by the Belgian government, from Leopold II. -
Congo Atrocities Debate
This was a debate which was sparked by public awareness in britain about the situation in the Congo Free State Public awareness was obtained by E.D Morel and Mark Twain in the Congo Reform Association, together they published reports and pamphlets alerting the populace of the crimes being committed in the Congo, as well as writing countless letters to government officials. The British government then held a debate, in which they demanded that the Belgian government hold an inquiry into the Cong0 -
Belgian Congo
After the momentum caused by the casement report, which outlines the humanitarian atrocities caused by Leopold II in the Congo, the Belgian government, decided to annex the congo and take it from Leopold. After this the Congo became the Belgian Congo and was run by the Belgian government. The Belgian Congo was better than before, as more moeny went back into the community, as well as more hospitals and a flourishing economy. However the people were still forced to work and had almost no rights. -
End of the scramable for Africa
By 1914, all of africa was colonised, with the glorious UK domination Africa from Egypt to south africa aswell as Nigeria and the Gold Coast, France owned west Africa, Germany, Tanzania and Namibia the Portuguese held Angola and Mozambique, and the belgians holding the Congo -
Foundation of CONAKAT
Emerged from a wealthy part of the congo- katanga, lead by a shrewd and wealthy politician (Moist Harambe)Moise Tshombe. This party was supportive of the Belgian Regime and wanted to continue the colony under Belgian rule. Moist Harambe went on to form the Katanga Seccesionist group and formed an uprising agiasnt the Congolese Government. -
Foundation of ABAKO
Originally started as an group to promote the use of the kikongo language, it transformed into a political party to make politcal demands from the belgian government. Abako’s leader Joeseph Kasa-Vubu’s intention was to reunite the Bakongo people who were split apart due to their traditional lands extending over the boundaries of several different african countries. Joseph managed to gain lots of political power. and when the MNC-ABAKO coalition was formed joespeh was made president. -
MNC (Congolese National Movement) Founded
MNC was dedicated to achieving independence for the Congo.It was made up of many young intellectuals. One of it's founding members and leader being Patrice Lumumba. MNC had many smaller factions within it making the party itself hard to control. MNC after becoming the Congo's largest nationalist party formed a coalition with the ABAKO party so that they could form a more stable government. -
Leopoldville Riots
ABAKO party was told by the Government that they would be held accountable if an event that they were holding became political.The leaders of ABAKO believing this to be an order to cancel the even tried to cancel it,except people still turned up and thought that the government had shut down their gavo.They all got hella salty and started breaking stuff.The crowd attacked whites and police officers.35000 Africans were involved.This resulted in MNC prospering as ABAKO leaders were imprisoned -
Congo Independance
After much campaigning and protest Belgium allowed Congo to have independance, and the govenrment which was voted in several months prior was given total control of the country -
Force Publique Mutiny
After a address by their general to a group of soldiers near Leopoldville,telling the soldiers that nothing would change from before Independence to after. This greatly angered the troops,as they believed that their White officers and commanders would leave,allowing the positions to be taken up by black troops. They rebelled and ruined the credibility of the new government as it showed they cannot control their own army.This mutiny encouraged the beligans to send in men to hlep defend the whites -
Katanga Declaration of Independence
Supported by the Belgians, Moïse Tshombe handed in Katanga's declaration of independence from the DRC. Lumumba asked the UN for support in both repelling the Belgian troops from the Congo and stopping the Katanga rebellion. When the UN failed to take the warranted action Lumumba asked for help from the USSR, making the international community think he was a communist sympathiser, and labelling him as a threat to capitalist africa. also leading to Lumumbas eventual demotion and assassination. -
Kasa Vubu Dissmissed Lumumba
Under allegations of being a communist Kasa Vubu dissmissed lumumba. Lumumba likewise ignors this decree and dissmisses Kasa Vubu. -
Mobutu's first coup
With the constitutional crisis of both the Prime Minister and the President dismissing each other, Mobutu with the blessing of the UN and US took over in a bloodless coup and ordered the soviet advisors out of the country. He replaced Kasa Vubu and Lumumba with a board of college graduates. This was intended to be a temporary government until the politicians could cool down and return to normal business. However Mobutu sides with Kasa Vubu and had Lumumba imprisoned -
Assassination of Lumumba
Lumumba was given over to the radical Katanga secessionists who executed him by fireing squad. His body was then cut up and dissolved in acid to prevent him from being found and becoming a martyr for the cause. -
Kasa Vubu is reinstated
Mobutu gave command back over to the Congolese government and ove rthe next four years the congo was riddled with political instability -
Mobutus second Coup
Mobuto, all salty at the politicians being rubbish nad not able to hold a stable government took over the congo again, and this time made himself dictator for several decades all the while embezzling billions of dollars from the congo until his eventual overthrowment in the 1990s
