Lesson #07 - Imperialism in Africa - Leopold II and the Congo

Leopold II and the Congo

Dr. David Livingstone, I Presume?

Explorers and missionaries began pushing into the interior of Africa beginning in the early 1800's. The best known missionary was Dr. David Livingstone. He traveled across Africa for 30 years, writing about his experiences and peeking the interests of other Europeans and Americans. Livingstone wanted to end slave trade and open up the interior of Africa to Christianity and trade. In 1869, after Livingstone hadn't been heard from in years, Henry Morton Stanley was hired to find Livingstone, succeeding in 1871. Stanley found Livingstone in modern-day Tanzania and greeted him with the legendary phrase, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?".

Henry Morton Stanley, Leopold II, and the Congo River Basin

Shortly after Henry Morton Stanley had found Livingstone, Stanley was secretly hired by Leopold II, king of Belgium, to explore the Congo region of Africa and make trade treaties with African leaders in the areas he explored. The African leaders most likely did not understand the terms of these treaties. These treaties gave land rights in the Congo to Leopold II in return for trinkets or other objects. In 1876, Leopold organized the International African Association (the Congo Society) to legitimize his actions in the Congo (the Congo Society was merely propaganda).

Leopold publicly appeared to be protecting those living in the Congo from slavery, disease, and warfare. In reality, Leopold used the Congo, its resources and people for personal profit. Eventually Leopold's land claims in Africa became known as the Congo Free State.

Ivory and Harvesting Rubber

Leopold made the Congo basin his personal colony (not a colony of Belgium). Leopold profited from the natural resources of the Congo. The Congo was rich in ivory, but when rubber became valuable due to the Industrial Revolution, Leopold II turned his attentions to the harvesting of the sap of rubber plants. Rubber vines grew throughout Central Africa. However, harvesting rubber from a vine in Africa was more difficult than rubber trees in Asia. Leopold created an army of enforcers called the Force Publique (FP) in 1885 to enslave the natives and force them to harvest rubber to increase profits.

The Force Publique (FP)

The colonization of the Congo was lucrative for Leopold II. He became the richest man in the world, worth an estimated $500 million at the time. However, Leopold's personal fortune came at the expense of human suffering and death. Congolese workers and villagers faced shockingly brutal conditions. The Force Publique (FP) mutilated natives (including severe whipping using a leather whip called a sjambok and cutting off the hands of living Congolese people), destroyed villages, and used mass murder to 'motivate' the slave workers in order to increase profits. Over 10 million Congolese natives died due to these abuses.