The Imperial Impulse of Capitalist Greed - THE BELGIAN CONGO

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AS and A Level Economics

 

“The Belgian exploitation of the Congo was the single most murderous episode in the European seizure of Africa” (Hochschild, A, 1999).  While the recollections of colonial history are scarred with tales of greed, subordination and exploitation, the New Imperialist age; the years between 1875 and 1914, are characterized by an almost-unfathomable mentality of profit through the exploitation of local peoples.  The study of this New Imperialist mindset reveals tales of untold cruelty and oppression on a massive scale.  The most notable imperial atrocity is that of the Belgian-controlled Congo Basin, a traditional society that was transformed into an arena for slavery and abuse through the hands of greedy and ruthless Belgian imperialists.  The determining factor for Belgian imperialism in the Congo between 1878 and 1905 was greed, rather than goodwill or humanitarian concern.  As colonialists raped and pillaged the African countryside, European diplomatic powers fought amongst one another to secure their respective share of the continent and Belgium, under the rule of the criminally indifferent King Leopold II, made clear its intention to “seize African territory and then rule the country as if there were no inhabitants” (Leopold, L, 1880).  This essay will critically examine the causes of Belgian imperialism in the Congo and the effects that such colonial activity had on the Congolese, thereby establishing a causal link between Belgium’s imperialistic activities and the nation’s underlying motive of greed.

Belgium’s willingness to commit resources and men to the mysterious ‘dark continent’ is representative of the general diplomatic conditions of the New Imperialist age.  The concept of ‘new imperialism’ took many forms, ranging from blatant economic growth and strategic opportunities, to the possession of empires as expressions of national prestige, and even the establishment of colonies as areas for the relocation of surplus population.  Belgium, as a relatively small country with very few natural resources, saw the establishment of colonial possessions in Africa as an opportunity to make profits on capital investment, facilitating the industrial revolution that was underway in Europe at the time.  Belgium’s economic and industrial expansion in the mid-to-late 1800’s, and the production of monopolistic finance capital, created the need for new continental markets for Belgian investments.  Hobson supports this theory, stating that “it is undeniable that the search for lucrative yet secure overseas investments played a very great part in the European urge to acquire colonies” (Hobson, A, 1902).  In addition to these straightforward economic motives, King Leopold II, the instigator of Belgian imperialism, saw colonization in Africa as a chance to exercise dignity and prestige over his fellow continental European rivals, namely France and Germany.  King Leopold II had witnessed Portugal’s success in annexing Mozambique, and saw the colonisation of the Congo as the obvious solution to the aggressive nationalism expressed by the people of Belgium.  Greatly aiding his cause was the Berlin Conference in 1884-1885, and the subsequent initiation of the Berlin Act in 1885, which considerably widened Belgium’s window of opportunity to annexe the Congo.  Belgium’s imperialistic nature was embroidered in the country’s past, as a direct result of decades of competitive, protectionist politics and the historical co-existence of economic interests and political aims.  Belgian imperialism in the Congo was, as Lenin argues, “a direct continuation of the fundamental properties of capitalism in general” (Lenin, V, 1916).  But despite the probable economic and political benefits, there was no irresistible compulsion or determinism for Belgian imperialism; it was based solely and resolutely on greed.

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The Belgian colonial effort in Africa began with H.M Stanley’s (see figure 1) exploration of the Congo basin in the year 1878, under the instruction of King Leopold II.  Stanley set up outposts along the Congo River, and mediated amongst the Congolese, while Leopold persuaded other European diplomatic powers to recognise him as the ruler of the Congo, a right which he was entitled to under the conditions of the Treaty of Berlin.  The country nowadays referred to as the Congo became Leopold’s personal colony on the 1st of July 1885, and was renamed as the ‘Congo Free State’.  This ...

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The Imperial Impulse of Capitalist Greed - THE BELGIAN CONGO
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