Congo Imperialism

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In the late 19th century imperialist European nations rushed to control territory in Africa, introducing new forms of government and western culture. Along with these positive reforms came negative impacts such as widespread disease and mistreatment towards the indigenous people. Central Africa, precisely the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was soon under Belgian control and would not gain their independence until 1960. Belgian imperialism in Central Africa greatly impacted the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s culture, government, economy, and education for years to come.
To begin, the European imperialists impacted the indigenous people of the Congo by bringing western cultural effects and practices. The majority of the European influence …show more content…
In July 1885, the DRC was ruled under King Leopold II of Belgium and was named Congo Free State. Under Leopold’s rule, millions of Congolese people died due to mistreatment. When other nations began to protest King Leopold’s rule, Belgium took over Congo Free State in 1908, renaming it the Belgian Congo (Gondola par.44). The years of political instability to come in 1950 to 1965 dramatically affected the economy of the DRC. In July of 1960, the province of Katanga, which was a main resource for copper, declared itself independent from the DRC. Next, the diamond producing province of Kasai threatened to become independent as well. As the DRC’s economy and government began to weaken, the U.N. intervened and put an end to the Katanga secession. Decades later, the Congolese still struggled to maintain a stable government. In the text, Gondola states “During the 1980's, severe economic problems and a lack of political freedom resulted in growing public dissatisfaction in Zaire.”(par.61). Due to the civil disorder in the country and worldwide recessions of the 1970s, the DRC faced constant economic problems. In the DRC today, the level of poverty is about 63% (“Congo, Democratic Republic…” ), despite the slow rise in its …show more content…
Although Belgian imperialists improved certain aspects of the DRC, such as bringing modern technology and medicine, it negatively affected it for years to come. In the end, imperialism brought a multitude of factors that were harmful and many that were beneficial, but without it, this country, and many others, would not be the same way that they are
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