In the south a modest hydroelectric power industry has developed along fast-moving streams. The Belgian government renamed the region the "Belgian Congo." In particular, U.S. firms played a leading role in the expansion of light industrial and petrochemical industries in the 1960s and 1970s.[20]. The broad debate alone can only be conducted in Belgian society alongside Congolese actors. The country has assembly plants for foreign automakers, as well as for foreign firms manufacturing heavy electrical goods. They did not have much contact with Europe, but in the 1400s and 1500s one of the kingdoms had contact with Portuguese explorers. By that time, UMHK was one of the largest single sources of Congolese . The national unemployment figures mask considerable differences between Flanders and Wallonia. If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. However, shortly after independence, there was a falling out between the independent government and Western powers, primarily the US and Belgium. The Antwerp-based BASF plant is the largest BASF-base outside Germany, and accounts on its own for about 2% of Belgian exports. Theres a dark history between Belgium and the DRC that started in the 19th century. The cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants also is important, particularly in Flanders. The trip was billed as a chance to recalibrate the relationship between the two countries after a dark colonial past. Exports in Congo decreased to 15031.30 USD Million in 2019 from 15966.80 USD Million in 2018. And perhaps to give the Congolese the respect they deserve. century all the way up to the horrendous period known as the slave The Belgian authorities are, as a rule, anti-protectionist and try to maintain a hospitable and open trade and investment climate. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/overview-of-belgian-colonialism-1434364. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. Racist images and colonial bias were constructed to justify foreign rule in the Congo. In general, productivity in Flanders is roughly 20% higher (per inhabitant) than in Wallonia[citation needed]. Their output is counted in Brussels and not where they live, artificially raising the per capita GDP of Brussels and slightly lowering that of Flanders and Wallonia. [21], For 50 years through World War II, French-speaking Wallonia was a technically advanced, industrial region, with its industry concentrated along the sillon industriel, while Dutch-speaking Flanders was predominantly agricultural with some industry, mainly processing agricultural products and textiles. Belgium is one of the worlds leading processors of cobalt, radium, copper, zinc, and lead. Because if there were not Congo, Belgium would not be a rich country. [19], Belgium's economy has capitalised on the country's central geographic location, and has a well-developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Begonias have been cultivated in the Ghent area since 1860. [20] A slight decrease in the accumulated public debt compared to GDP has been seen, however, thanks to a higher economic growth rate compared to the budget growth rate, which pushed the percentage from 99% of GDP in 2009 to 95% of GDP in 2011, a four-point decrease in two years, a feat rare enough to mention in the Western World. Belgium's economy was immeasurably improved by the capture of Congo, says Pierre . The different current economic situations prove this historically generated discrepancy for which there must be a compensation. Others were looting the economy on an extravagant scale - even the embassy buildings in Japan were said to have been stolen. Most farms in the far northmaritime Flanders and the lower Schelderange in size from 25 to 75 acres (10 to 30 hectares), some of which are under pasture, while the remainder are cultivated, with wheat and sugar beets again the dominant crops. The first nationwide Congolese political party, the Congo National Movement, was launched in 1958 by Patrice Lumumba and other Congolese leaders. As a result, cumulative government debt reached 121% of GDP by the end of the 1980s. The country has been a member of a variety of supranational organizations, including the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU), the Benelux Economic Union, and the EU. The United States established diplomatic relations with the DRC in 1960, following its independence from Belgium. Leopold's army mutilated or killed any African who didn't produce enough of these coveted, profitable resources. [34] Tourism is also a major component of the economy of Bruges. Brussels also has many commuters, with 230,000 coming from Flanders, and 130,000 from Wallonia. King Leopold sent the explorer Henry Morton Stanley to the region. A large statue of him, outside the royal palace, has been vandalised repeatedly, most recently during a Black Lives Matter protest. Stanley successfully made treaties with native tribes, set up military posts, and forced most Muslim traders of enslaved people out of the region. During the 19th century, iron ore and zinc deposits in the Sambre-Meuse valley were heavily exploited. 8. Reparations are also an important issue. For centuries the Congo River basin was inhabited by tribes and kingdoms with individual cultures. They had no role in legislation, but traditional rulers were used as agents to collect taxes and recruit labour; uncooperative rulers were deposed. Jean-Claude Ilunga lives in Belgium but is Congolese by birth and says it is time for the former rulers to apologise to Congo. Leopold's cruel, greedy activities in the current Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi continue to affect the welfare of these countries today. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. The man's name was Nsala and his wife and children had just been killed. Most streams rise in the Ardennes and flow northward; three-fourths of the countrys groundwater originates in the south. Despite the heavy industrial component, services account for 74.9% of GDP, while agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP. In the early 1980s the government attempted to reduce the budget deficit; the debt-to-GDP ratio decreased as tighter monetary and fiscal policies were implemented by the central bank. The Belgian Government encourages new foreign investment as a means to promote employment. The Belgian foreign minister broke the news that Mr Kabila had been shot, and the prime minister was quick to announce he would be sending troops to the region, although not to DR Congo itself. It will never replace the millions who were killed, but it will be something. Sixty years after Congo gained its independence, the Belgian king has expressed his "deepest regrets" for the suffering his nation caused as a colonial power. And in March 2022, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced the return of 84,000 Congolese artefacts. On January 1, 1999, Belgium also became a charter member of the European Monetary Union, paving the way for the introduction of the euro, which became the countrys sole currency in 2002, replacing the Belgian franc. Anti-European religious groups were active by the 1920s, including Kimbanguism and the Negro Mission in the west and Kitawala in the southeast. The Legacy of Belgium's 19th and 20th Century African Colonies. Killed her. But he demanded and received a huge cash payment and other benefits from Belgium for "his great sacrifices made for the Congo." Again, the Congo people had no say in their fate. He acquired millions of square kilometers of central African land for Belgium. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. It's because of him that the Congolese were slaughtered, that children had their hands and feet cut off. The Democratic Republic of Congo is widely considered to be the richest country in the world regarding natural resources; its untapped deposits of raw minerals are estimated to be worth in excess of U.S. $24 trillion. I want the government to accept that Belgium, and its king, created a lot of suffering in the Congo. Violent altercations between Belgian forces and the Congolese also occurred later that year, and Belgium, which previously maintained that independence for the Congo would not be possible in the immediate future, suddenly capitulated and began making arrangements for the Congos independence. General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium, "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019", "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: April 2023", "The outlook is uncertain again amid financial sector turmoil, high inflation, ongoing effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and three years of COVID", "People at risk of poverty or social exclusion", "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income EU-SILC survey", "Employment rate by sex, age group 20-64", "Unemployment by sex and age monthly average", "Euro area and EU27 government deficit both at 0.6% of GDP", "Scope affirms the Kingdom of Belgium's credit ratings at AA- and maintains the Stable Outlook", "General government gross debt annual data", "Aantal leden christelijke vakbond neemt jaar na jaar toe", "Hoeveel leden telt het ABVV? Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. However, as nuclear reactors generate more than half of Belgiums electricity, the use of water for cooling in nuclear power stations is much more significant. Africans worked the mines and plantations as indentured labourers on four- to seven-year contracts, in accordance with a law passed in Belgium in 1922. Required fields are marked *. The richest countries following are Norway, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden. [26] The ACLVB-CGSLB was founded in 1920 in an effort to unite the many small liberal unions. This problem is addressed through elaborate water-transfer systems involving canals, storage basins, and pipelines. From the far bank of the Zaire River, looking across Stanley Pool, Kinshasa seemed almost like a normal city, the glass of its tall tower blocks reflecting the evening sun. Together with the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Belgium is also one of Benelux member states. Eighty percent of the crop is exported.[35]. Belgium Colonialism. It culminated in the Berlin Conference. Belgiums involvement in the political assassination was concealed until a commission of enquiry, launched by the Belgian parliament in 1999, found Belgium partially responsible for Lumumbas death. In 1930, the ACLVB-CGSLB adopted its current name.[27]. Most of this economic activity was controlled by foreign companies, such as the Belgian Union Minire du Haut-Katanga (UMHK), whose assets in 1965 were valued at nearly $430 million. Leopold promised that he would develop his private property to improve the lives of the native Africans. Young men in combat trousers stood by the roadside selling looted goods - tennis rackets, a toilet bowl, a fish tank. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs. 30, 2021, thoughtco.com/overview-of-belgian-colonialism-1434364. Like a lot of people, I suppose I am a mixture of Belgian and Congolese. It is thought the king's letter would not be considered as a "full apology", for fear that this would lead to claims for reparations. My children feel Belgian, but I am split. They are trained in so many areas, but they are unemployed. The port houses, among others, big companies like ArcelorMittal, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Parts, Honda, and Stora Enso. Belgiums water resources are concentrated in the southern part of the country. On the other, the Belgian government had to respond diplomatically to the countless human rights abuses committed by Mobutus regime. Is it enough to just say sorry and ask for forgiveness? Links to more From Our Own Correspondent stories are at the foot of the page. The Belgian Congo (French: Congo belge, pronounced ; Dutch: Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. How should Belgium reconcile with its brutal past? Check if your Belgium's capital, Brussels, would have been a very different city without its Congo connection. Marchal, the Belgian scholar, estimates that Leopold drew some 220 million francs (or $1.1 billion in todays dollars) in profits from the Congo during his lifetime. Much of that money, Hochschild suggests, went to buying Leopold's teen-age mistress, a former call girl named Caroline, expensive dresses and villas, and building ever grander . "I sense a lot of nervousness in Belgium regarding a formal apology as Congo might use it to demand financial reparations", Nadia Nsayi, a political scientist who specialises in Congo, told Reuters. It is also the main hub and the headquarters of TNT Airways. When it comes to the restitution of objects from colonial contexts, the Belgian government has allocated 2 million euros (about US$2.1 million) to research the provenance of the objects. A Belgian parliamentary investigation into the assassination in 1961 of Congo's independence hero Patrice Lumumba, the free country's first prime minister, concluded at the beginning of the 2000s that Belgium was "morally responsible" for his death. They too are now exhausted, but the refining of imported metallic ores remains an important component of Belgiums economy. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The coal in the Sambre-Meuse valley occurred in a narrow band across south-central Belgium from the French border through Mons, Charleroi, Namur, and Lige. Belgiums fishing industry is relatively small; almost all fish are consumed within the country. The official Belgian attitude was paternalism: Africans were to be cared for and trained as if they were children. One of the founding members of the European Community, Belgium strongly supports deepening the powers of the present-day European Union (EU) to integrate European economies further. Despite the heavy industrial component, services account for 74.9% of Belgium's GDP, while agriculture accounts for only 1% of Belgium's GDP.[20]. Belgium has a free-enterprise economy, with the majority of the gross domestic product (GDP) generated by the service sector. Joseph Conrad set his popular novel Heart of Darkness in the Congo Free State and described European abuses. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. An army commander, he seized power and established an autocratic dictatorship that lasted until 1997. read more. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. In 2020, the AfricanMuseum changed its guidelines in dealing with objects from colonial contexts. Hundreds of thousands of ethnographic objects - mainly looted objects, but also donations - were brought to Tervuren and are still stored in the museum today. However, by the 1960s, Ruanda-Urundi also began to demand independence, and Belgium ended its colonial empire when Rwanda and Burundi were granted independence in 1962. But people should ask themselves where all this fortune comes from? Next to these specialized unions there is also the Neutral and Independent Union that rejects the pillarization of the "big three" trade unions (their affiliation with political parties). The Congo became an independent republic on June 30, 1960. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. This was against the backdrop of the global Black Lives Matter movement in which protests against racism and the neglect of colonial history grew within the Belgian population. After many years of segregation, the tension erupted into the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 850,000 people died. Marchal, the Belgian scholar, estimates that Leopold drew some 220 million francs (or $1.1 billion in today's dollars ) in profits from the Congo during his lifetime. Consequently, as German interest rates rose after 1990, Belgian rates have increased and contributed to a decline in the economic growth rate. However, thanks to Belgium's high personal savings rate, the Belgian Government financed the deficit from mainly domestic savings, minimizing the deleterious effects on the overall economy.[20]. Although Leopold II established Belgium as a colonial power in Africa, he is best known for the widespread atrocities that were carried out under his rule, as a result of which as many as 10 million people died in the Congo Free State. Belgian-Congolese diplomatic relations were characterised by ups and downs during Mobutus reign. However, this was much less than the payment Europeans received for the same work. They remind people of the bad things that have happened. Indeed, Flemish and Walloon economies differ in many respects (consider for instance Eurostat and OECD statistics), and cities like Brussels, Antwerp, Lige, Bruges, Charleroi or Ghent also exhibit significant differences. At the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, other European countries did not want the Congo River region. Quiz, Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz. After the takeover, the country was renamed Congo Belge, but the interests remained the same. The colony in the Congo - the Congo Free State - was personal property for the Belgian king and there was little oversight over what happened there. Foreign investment led to considerable growth in the engineering sector of Belgiums economy in the late 20th century. Unemployment in Wallonia is mainly structural, while in Flanders it is cyclical. According to a 2007 survey, nine of the 23 richest Belgian families could trace their fortunes to colonial Congo. Consequently, the 198082 recession shook Belgium to the coreunemployment mounted, social welfare costs increased, personal debt soared, the government deficit climbed to 13% of GDP, and the national debt, although mostly held domestically, mushroomed. Belgian per capita GDP ranks among the world's highest. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga/AFP via Getty Images, Lecturer in Environmental Art - School of Art and Design. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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