Congo Imperialism

Roger Casement

A British Consul famous for his reports on atrocities in the Congo. The Casement Report written in 1904 and tabled to British Parliament in 1906 was instrumental in the dismantling of Leopold's Congo. It was a 40 page report filled with eye witness testimonies of the killings in the Congo due to the rubber trade.

International African Association

A front organization created by King Leopold II of Belgium to further humanitarian projects in the area of Central Africa that was to become the Congo Free State. The organization was created at the 1876 Brussels Geographic Conference to which Leopold invited nearly forty well-known experts, who were mainly schooled in the geographic sciences or were wealthy philanthropists.

Congo Reform Association

A group created partly by E.D. Morel and Roger Casement that intended to draw attention to the atrocities that were occurring in the Congo and try to correct Leopold's mistakes. Due to the work of Casement and Morel they printed thousands of letters, newspapers and leaflets to distribute around the world.

Coltan

A mineral currently mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that is used in the production of electronics. It is often illegally mined by warlords who then use it to sell and fund their own armies. It is one of the key factors in the continuing crisis in the Congo.

George Washington Williams

African-American reporter who helped expose the cruelties inflicted upon the people of the Congo under King Leopold II. He was responsible for publishing an open letter to Leopold II which was printed on the front page of the New York Times. His letter was the first strong evidence that highlighted the issues within the Congo.

UN Resolution 143

After a report by the Secretary-General, and a request for military assistance by the President and Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo to protect its territory, the Council called upon Belgium to withdraw its troops from the territory and authorized the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to provide the Government with such military assistance that the national security forces may be able to meet fully their tasks. The Council asked the Secretary General to report to the Security Council as appropriate.

Congo Crisis

After independence from Belgium, rapid decolonisation left a political vacuum and few educated and trained professionals. Katanga seceded and took economic stability with it. Lumumba accepted aid from the USSR, combined with his Pan-African ideals, making him a pawn in the Cold War, US and Belgium have him assassinated, Mobutu steps in and becomes the military dictator of the Congo in 1965.

Rudyard Kipling

British writer who wrote of "The White Man's Burden" and justified imperialism. It was his views that became the common view of Imperialism among most Western countries.

Henry Morton Stanley

British-American explorer of Africa, famous for his expeditions in search of Dr. David Livingstone. He helped King Leopold II establish the Congo Free State. Famous for the totally awesome 'Stanley Cap'. He was known for his brutality during his expeditions. He was responsible for claiming land for Leopold by offering Chiefs trinkets in return for their signing over the land to Leopold. He was ruthless in his acquiring this land, shooting the Chief if he refused. The new Chief was then more agreeable.

Larry Devlin

CIA officer who was based in the Belgian Congo at the time of the independence movement. He was instrumental in the Congo Crisis and provided CIA support to the regimes of Mobutu and Moise Tshombe. He was asked to assassinate Lumumba, but never followed through on the plan because of his Catholic beliefs (apparently).

Berlin Conference

Conference that German chancellor Otto von Bismarck called to set rules for the partition of Africa. It led to the creation of the Congo Free State under King Leopold II of Belgium. The conference is generally believed to have begun the 'Scramble for Africa' during the early 20th century.

Moise Tshombe

Congolese politician who was responsible for leading the CONAKAT political party. He was a political opponent of Lumumba and was heavily responsible for the Katangan secession. He was supported by the US and Belgium due to his strong ties to the mining interests in Katanga. He was nicknamed 'Mr Cash Register'. He refused to allow UN troops to enter Katanga and many saw him as responsible for Lumumba's assassination.

International Geographic Conference

Convened in Brussels in 1876 by Leopold II. Invitees included famous African explorers and humanitarians from a number of countries. It was here that Leopold II convinced major European powers that a humanitarian colony in the Congo was a good idea.

Cloth and Trinket Treaties

Documents used by Henry Morton Stanley to 'legally' gain control of areas of land within the Congo. These treaties would promise native chiefs things such as one bolt of cloth each month, in exchange for all of their land, for all eternity. While the treaties were totally unfair, they did 'legalise' the conquest of the Congo by Leopold.

Edmund Morel

Employee of the Elder-Dempster shipping company based out of Antwerp. Responsible for basically starting the international human rights movement in the Congo Free State. Created the Congo Reform Association and was a constant thorn in the side of Leopold II. He formed his own newspaper 'The West African Mail' and wrote 'Red Rubber' to publicise the atrocities committed by King Leopold II and his officers in the Congo.

Congolese National Movement (MNC)

Formed by Patrice Lumumba in 1958 and was a nationalist party focused on Congolese freedom and Pan-African ideals. It was the party that managed to gain a majority (through coalition) in the June 1960 elections, making Patrice Lumumba the first Prime Minister of the Congo.

International Association of the Congo

Formed in 1879, this was a business organisation that was created to take over from the International Africa Association. Leopold and other European business men controlled this organisation to extract profit from the Congo colony. The majority of the money created buy this organisation went directly to Leopold.

Force Publique

Formed in 1885 when Leopold II gained trued ownership of the Congo Free State. These men were the military group used to control the Congolese in the Congo Free State. In 1960 it was made up of 23,000 men led by 1006 European officers. A year earlier it had served loyally to put down bloody nationalist demonstrations. However the bulk of the men were illiterate and recruited from the most backward parts of the country. They rebelled against their white officers in 1960 and became the Congolese National Army.

Mobutu Sese Seko

He overthrew Lumumba, the leader of the Congo, and turned him over to his enemy. He renamed the country Zaire, and ruled for 32 years. He used a combination of force, one party rule, and gifts to supporters to run his country. He was heavily supported by the United States. His government became known as a Kleptocracy, a government of thieves.

New Imperialism

Historians' term for the late nineteenth and early twentieth century wave of conquests by European powers, the United States, and Japan, which were followed by the development and exploitation of the newly conquered territories. The Scramble for Africa created by the Berlin Conference in 1884 was one of the key aspects of this phase of history.

Leopold II

King of Belgium who employed Henry Morton Stanley to help develop commercial ventures and establish a colony called the Congo Free State in the basin of the Congo River. He was wholly responsible for the commission system used for the rubber trade in the Congo Free State. Generally believed to be responsible for at least 10 million Congolese deaths.

CONAKAT (Confederation of Tribal Associations of Katanga)

Led by Moise Tshombe and formed in the 1950s. It was a pro-Western political party that took power in the Katangan region of the Congo. Their main goal was to work with Belgian minings interests and ensure that Katanga maintained its mineral wealth. Tshombe was an enemy of Lumumba and was ultimately one of the men responsible for his death.

Domain de la Couronne

Literally translated as Domain of the Crown. This area was excised from the free-trade zone by Leopold. It operated much the same as the Domain Prive, although all of the profits went directly to Leopold II. This was where Leopold collected most of his profit from rubber.

Katanga Secession

On 11 July 1960, with the support of Belgian business interests and over 6000 Belgian troops, the province of Katanga in the southeast declared independence as the State of Katanga under the leadership of Moise Tshombe, leader of the local CONAKAT party.

ABAKO

One of many ethnic affiliation groups that aimed to promote the well-being of its people above all others. Specifically, this group was formed to protect the Kikongo language. Eventually it became a powerful political party led by Joseph Kasa-Vubu. They contested the 1960 elections and gained a fair amount of power. This led to Kasa-Vubu being named the non-executive president within the new Congolese government.

Scramble for Africa

Sudden wave of conquests in Africa by European powers in the 1880s and 1890s. Britain obtained most of eastern Africa, France most of northwestern Africa. Other countries (Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Spain) acquired lesser amounts. It was put into action by the Berlin Conference of 1884.

Arthur Conan Doyle

The British author who wrote the Crime of the Congo. He was paid by the Congo Reform Association to write this book to help expose what was taking place under the rule of Leopold II.

Joseph Conrad

The British writer responsible for writing the book Heart of Darkness. This book is a fictionalised account of the author's experience while in the Congo Free State. It raises questions about racism and imperialism and was used by the Congo Reform Association to help expose the crimes occurring under Leopold's rule.

King Baudouin

The King of Belgium from 1951 until 1993. He was responsible for visiting Belgium during the independence period and delivered a speech in 1960 when Belgium was made independent.

Dag Hammarskjold

The UN Secretary General during the Congo Crisis of 1960. He was responsible for sending UN troops into the Congo during the Crisis of 1960-1961. He disagreed with Lumumba's views on how to use the troops. His plane crashed in 1961 and there is some evidence to suggest that it was shot down by Katangan forces loyal to Belgian mining companies.

Free Trade Zone

The area of the Congo where private companies were allowed to operate. Most of these companies were run by personal friends of the King. They were taxed heavily, which went against the Berlin General Act.

Force Publique Mutiny

The event that began the Congo Crisis. This took place in July of 1960 and involved soldiers mutinying against the Belgian officers, mainly due to pay disputes. The mutiny spiralled out of control and Lumumba appointed Mobutu and Lundala as head of the army. They were unable to control the rioting and Belgian paratroopers were sent into the Congo.

Patrice Lumumba

The first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1960. Was deposed and assassinated by political rivals in 1961. He believed in a Pan-African theory of uniting the splintered ethnic and tribal groups in the Congo. He was made an enemy of the US due to his request for Soviet assistance during the Congo Crisis.

White Man's Burden

The idea that many European countries had a duty to spread their religion and culture to those less civilised. It was a poem by the English poet Rudyard Kipling. It mixed extortion to empire with somber warning of the cost that educating and civilising the natives would have on the people who were called to do this duty. This idea was one of the key concepts behind new imperialism.

Belgian Congo

The loose name used to describe the Congo colony after 1908. It was controlled by a Belgian management organisation that consisted of members of the government, church and powerful mining companies. While conditions in the Congo did improve, it was still predominantly an economic colony. This period of Congolese history ends when the Congo gain their independence in 1960.

Congo Free State

The name given to the territory in central Africa controlled exclusively by Leopold II. It was formally created in 1885 by the Berlin Conference and would remain this way until 1908 when the Belgian government took possession.

Berlin General Act 1885

The result of the Berlin Conference of 1884. This document stated which parts of Africa would be governed by European powers. It also laid out the ground rules that would need to be followed by each country such as free trade and free access to the Congo River. It was this document that formally created the Congo Free State.

Congo Atrocities Debate

The series of debates held in British Parliament that dealt with the issues in the Congo Free State. They were first held in 1904, after the publication of the Casement Report. There were many subsequent debates, held up until 1910, 2 years after the Congo was handed over to the Belgians. In these debates, British parliament made decisions on how to deal with the crimes in the Congo, whether to face them alone, or enlist the help of other European nations.

Domain Prive

The so-called private domain of the king. All profit that was collected in this domain would go directly to the Congo Free State. Some of this money would be used to administer the colony, although the bulk of it flowed directly to the International Association of the Congo.

Kasai Secession

This event took place on the 8th August. The secession of this province would prompt Lumumba to enlist the assistance of the Soviet Union to airlift troops to try to reincorporate Kasai into the Congolese state.

Mark Twain

United States writer and humorist best known for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1835-1910). Responsible for writing the satirical novella entitled 'King Leopold's Soliloquy.' He was tasked to do this by the Congo Reform Association, led by Edmund Morel.