Belgium's Withdrawal From the Congo

Belgium’s Withdrawal From the Congo

Belgium’s story of colonialism in the Congo was one of repression and comparatively extreme brutality. Under the personal thumb of Leopold II and the thumb of the Belgian government, education and urbanisation led to the establishment of nationalism, and made independence, as was the political winds at the time, inevitable. Belgian determination to keep self-governance from the Congolese left the people in a state of repression, under the command of Belgium whilst their neighbours were rapidly being granted the right to self-rule. The process of independence was undoubtedly marred by protests turned riots, and ultimately forced through their freedom from Belgium.

The Belgian Congo, always susceptible to exploitation, was discovered by Union Minière, a mining company, in 1912, after the Leopold-owned country was handed to the government of Belgium. It was 1912 when it started to extract copper out of the Kalukuluku mine. The company consolidated power in the Congo, into ‘state within a state’ status. By 1961, it controlled around 7,000 square miles, and, according to historian John Higginson, 250,000 men were ‘forcibly pressed into its service’ in its first 30 years. The firm was a subsidiary of the Société Générale de Belgique conglomerate, which happened to have the command of 70% of the Congo’s economy at one point. Union Minière was a symbol of European domination over the people of Africa, and showed just how authoritative the Belgian colonial administration appeared to be. It vindicated those who demanded freedom from tyrannical imperial rule.

The paternalism that the Belgian administration displayed in the Congo, and the relative prosperity that it brought, was, by many, seen as patronising. Following the Second World War, the Belgian Congo had among the most liveable conditions in black Africa. In comparison to other colonial regimes, the Congo had more schools, hospitals and welfare than most in Africa. By the late 50s, 42% of the youth was literate, whilst there was a hospital bed for every 187 citizens. The Belgians clearly made it their mission to ‘civilise’ the Congo, but it wasn’t received as entirely benevolent. The Congolese workers saw this as a symbol of their exploitation; they could only have been given this by the fruits of their own labour. They viewed this, alongside their political status as subordinates, as a warrant for nationalism. The Congolese, whilst receiving various social programs, were still considered to be second class citizens. There was a state of apartheid that was to be simply accepted. The black population in cities had to remain in their houses from 9pm to 4am, and many aspects of society remained segregated. Belgium, unlike France and Britain, excluded Africans from positions of government, and banned the organisation of native political parties. This authoritarianism couldn’t last; people simply wouldn’t accept such blatant autocratic governance from an alien entity.

The shifting political norms following WW2 mandated independence even further. The two new superpowers, the USA and the USSR, opposed imperialism in principle. Nationalist movements in other colonies proved to be victorious over colonists, notably the Gold Coast in 1957, and the Belgian Congo’s neighbour, the French Congo, in 1960. Such political upheaval was impossible not to notice, and not to question by the people in the Belgian Congo. Nationalist movements established themselves in the Belgian Congo throughout the 50s. The Alliance of Bakongo (ABAKO) was set up in 1950 and the Movement National Congolais (MNC) was established in 1958, both opposing Belgian rule. They first caused a stir in 1959, on the streets of Leopoldville. Riots kicked off when police banned a meeting of ABAKO. 50 Africans died, whilst 250 were injured and 50 Belgians were killed. The Belgian cabinet had to act. It decided to adopt some form of self-governance, with local and municipal elections, but progress was limited. The leader of ABAKO, Joseph Kasavubu, demanded nothing but independence. Opposition in the Congo and at home mandated that the Belgian Congo hold elections in May 1960, and become independent by June 1960. 850,000 Belgians living in the Congo were evacuated, and the Congo, after years of struggle and oppression, had received its self-rule.

Ultimately, the political developments, global and domestic, mandated the Belgian Congo’s independence. Its policy of compassionate subjection galvanised national consciousness and created an educated political class ready to rise up. The experiences of other colonised peoples served to show the Congolese that independence was possible and that the Congo could be free from Belgium’s repression. The entrenchment of control in Congolese society created a dynamic of the oppressor vs. the oppressed, and lasted from the colonisation of the Congo until its inevitable independence.

References

1. Johnson, R.C. (1997) Heart of Darkness: the Tragedy of the Congo, 1960-67, Heart of darkness: The tragedy of the Congo, 1960-67. Available at: http://worldatwar.net/chandelle/v2/v2n3/congo.html (Accessed: 09 October 2023).
2. The Congo Crisis of 1960-1965: History, causes & effects (2022) World History Edu. Available at: https://www.worldhistoryedu.com/congo-crisis-of-1960-1965-history-causes-effects/ (Accessed: 09 October 2023).
3. Munshi, N. (2020) Belgium’s reckoning with a brutal history in Congo, Financial Times. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/a17b87ec-207d-4aa7-a839-8e17153bcf51 (Accessed: 09 October 2023).
4. Belgian Congo (2023) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Congo# (Accessed: 09 October 2023).