how much money did belgium make from the congo

Belgium is the sixth richest country in the world: this has been confirmed in the recent edition of the Allianz Global Wealth Report 2016. The ABVV-FGTB in its current form dates back to 1945. 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. 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 . King Leopold II committed heinous . The government has balanced the budget every year since, until 2009 where it ran a deficit of about $25 billion. Unemployment in Wallonia is mainly structural, while in Flanders it is cyclical. 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]. The port houses, among others, big companies like ArcelorMittal, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Parts, Honda, and Stora Enso. 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. Young men in combat trousers stood by the roadside selling looted goods - tennis rackets, a toilet bowl, a fish tank. During the 19th century, iron ore and zinc deposits in the Sambre-Meuse valley were heavily exploited. Millions of Congolese are believed to have died under Leopold II's rule, 1900: Exploration of Congo region by Belgian industrialists hoping to exploit its wealth, This defaced bust of Leopold II stands in the grounds of the museum he built to house some of his Congo plunder. Unemployment also has been less of a problem in Flanders, which has experienced significant growth in service industries, than in Wallonia, where the negative consequences of deindustrialization remain. Millions of Congolese are said to have been killed or worked to death . These smaller unions tend to specialize in one profession or economic sector. The southern region continues a difficult transition out of sunset industries (mainly coal and steel), while sunrise industries (chemicals, high-tech, and services) dominate in Flanders. Here are some facts about Belgian rule and the two countries' difficult bilateral ties since. The commission is also to provide the basis for a reorientation of international relations with former colonial territories. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Begonias have been cultivated in the Ghent area since 1860. The man's name was Nsala and his wife and children had just been killed. As of July 2012, however, the statistical unemployment rate in Brussels was 20.6%.[30]. The port of Bruges-Zeebrugge is one of the most important, modern and fastest growing[31] ports in Europe. [24] The second biggest union is the socialist General Federation of Belgian Labour (ABVV-FGTB) which has a membership of more than 1.5million. Belgium is a small country in northwest Europe that joined Europe's race for colonies in the late 19th century. He quickly disregarded all of his Berlin Conference guidelines and began to economically exploit the region's land and inhabitants. Private European and American corporations invested heavily in the Belgian Congo after World War I. The first is when Joseph-Dsir Mobutu came to power in 1965. 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. There will be, in my humble opinion, a little respect that will become entrenched in people's heads. In January 1959, riots broke out in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) after a rally was held calling for the independence of the Congo. Reparations are also an important issue. Belgium's economy was immeasurably improved by the capture of Congo, says Pierre . In the mystery over what happened to DR Congo's leader, Laurent Kabila, many of the early facts were first confirmed by the Belgian Government. Belgian-Congolese diplomatic relations were characterised by ups and downs during Mobutus reign. The Belgian Industry claims 19% of the labor force; and agriculture claims 1%. The government was forced to borrow heavily from abroad to finance foreign trade (i.e., importing of foreign goods) and to sustain its generous social welfare system. The national unemployment figures mask considerable differences between Flanders and Wallonia. Rather than control the Congo as a colony, as other European powers did throughout Africa, Leopold privately owned the region. 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. Following this general paradigm shift, in October 2020, the Free University of Brussels agreed to return human remains from Congo to the University of Lubumbashi. 1909 The Congo Reform Association, founded in Britain, ends forced labor in the Congo Free State, today the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, many countries and individuals had learned of these atrocities by the early 20th century. The third shift is King Philippes letter to President Felix Tshisekedi on 30 June 2020, the anniversary of Congolese independence. Then, King Leopold II came to power in 1865 and believed that colonies would greatly enhance Belgium's wealth and prestige. According to a 2007 survey, nine of the 23 richest Belgian families could trace their fortunes to colonial Congo. A large statue of him, outside the royal palace, has been vandalised repeatedly, most recently during a Black Lives Matter protest. More information about the Democratic Republic of the Congo is available on the . Historically, coal was Belgiums most important mineral resource. The Belgian Congo (French: Congo belge, pronounced ; Dutch: Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. This sham was supposedly a scientific and philanthropic organization which would greatly improve the lives of native Africans by converting them to Christianity, ending the trade of enslaved people, and introducing European health and educational systems. The richest countries following are Norway, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden. The Congolese did not need people to come and rule them, but at the time it was presented as if King Leopold came to Congo to bring civilisation. By the 1960s the easily extractable coal reserves were exhausted, and most of the regions mines were closed. Against this grim backdrop, in 1982, Prime Minister Martens' center-right coalition government formulated an economic recovery program to promote export-led growth by enhancing the competitiveness of Belgium's export industries through an 8.5% devaluation. It's because of him that the Congolese were slaughtered, that children had their hands and feet cut off. After Germany's defeat in World War I, however, Ruanda-Urundi was made a protectorate of Belgium. We spoke to Julien Bobineau, who has researched the narratives around Belgiums history with the Congo, about the visit. During the conference, Belgian King Leopold II obtained international legitimacy for the ownership of the lands in what is now the Congo. Metallurgy, steel, textiles, chemicals, glass, paper, and food processing are the dominant industries. In May 1990, the government linked the Belgian franc to the Deutsche Mark, primarily through closely tracking German interest rates. Belgium has struggled to come to terms with its colonial past and its government has never expressed regret the same way King Philippe has done although in 2020 a Congo committee was established in the wake of the global anti-racism protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. Tourism is increasingly becoming a major employer in the local area. Others were looting the economy on an extravagant scale - even the embassy buildings in Japan were said to have been stolen. This problem is addressed through elaborate water-transfer systems involving canals, storage basins, and pipelines. Congolese societies, in contrast, were deprived of the potential to develop due to exploitation, slavery and genocide. Under Leopold, my country was ruined while he took the money to build his royal palace, and his royal gardens. Charleroi is in the center of a vast coal basin, called Pays Noir. It is an eye-catching centrepiece for an elegant park. Belgium is the world's largest producer of begonias, planting 60 million tubers per year. [20], Although Belgium is a wealthy country, public expenditures far exceeded income for many years, and taxes were not diligently pursued. Congo was first taken as the personal property of the Belgian King Leopold II. Since then, DRC has experienced corruption, inflation, and several regime changes. 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. The planted forests of the Ardennes and the Kempenland support Belgiums relatively small forest-products industry. The biggest union with around 1.7million members is the Christian democrat Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (ACV-CSC) which was founded in 1904. Your email address will not be published. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. It was established by the Belgian parliament to replace the previous, privately owned Congo Free State, after international outrage over abuses there brought pressure for supervision and accountability. However, many countries and . With limited education about Belgium's rule in Congo, there is little awareness of the brutality of its colonial past in the broader society. Maybe burnt down your village. Belgium also exploited the land and people of Ruanda-Urundi, the Belgian Congo's neighbor to the east. Each has helped shape the other. He turned the nation into a moneymaking machine by farming ivory and rubber and building a fortune on the labor of the people who lived there. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Moreover, Belgium has a number of important manufacturers of machine tools and specialized plastics. Today in History. About 80% of Belgium's trade is with fellow EU member states. While Leopold portrayed this as a great humanitarian act, his real purpose was to gain control of the upper Congo River and to acquire more workers. After many years of segregation, the tension erupted into the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 850,000 people died. It is dishonest on the part of Belgium, or those who run Belgium, not to recognise that if we have these buildings in Belgium today, if we have enough wealth in Belgium today, it is all thanks to Congo. Under Mr Mobutu, as under King Leopold, theft was becoming part of the mainstream economy. Belgian King Baudouin I finally relented and released the DR Congo into independence on 30 June 1960. Despite being the second-largest country in Africa, with an approximate area of 2.3 million square kilometres (890,000 sq mi), and being endowed with rich natural resources, the DRC is the second-poorest country in the world. Millions died. Among other criteria spelled out under the Maastricht treaty, the Belgian Government had to attain a budget deficit of no greater than 3% of GDP by the end of 1997; Belgium achieved this, with a total budget deficit in 2001 (just prior to implementation of the Euro) that amounted to 0.2% of GDP. I have family there and I can't be indifferent to the suffering I see there. Except for its coal, which is no longer economical to exploit, Belgium has few natural resources other than fertile soils. [20], Belgium's unemployment rate was 6.5% in 2008. Belgium's brutal colonialism: Riches that came from Congolese blood, Jean-Claude Ilunga says Belgium needs to say sorry for what happened in Congo. There are plenty of statues of Leopold II in this country and my opinion is that they belong in museums. The government and the king have so far only formulated a regret. A total of 4.99 million people make up Belgium's labor force. After the takeover, the country was renamed Congo Belge, but the interests remained the same. Or else they'll say that you're overqualified, even when you're saying that you just want the job, because you have to feed your wife and kids. 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. The lace made in Belgium has been internationally renowned for centuries. Until his death in 1909, Leopold II never set foot in his colony. [22] GDP growth in 2009 was negative at 1.5%. Under pressure from Britain and the United States, Leopold turned over ownership of the Congo Free State to the Belgian government in 1908. On the same day, then Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilms also expressed her regret regarding Belgiums colonial past. The colonial rule was romantically glorified in Belgium. The federal government ran a 7.1% budget deficit in 1992 at the time of the EU's Treaty of Maastricht, which established conditions for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) that led to adoption of the common Euro currency on 1 January 2002. European adventurers experienced great difficulty in exploring and colonizing the Congo River Basin, due to the region's tropical climate, disease, and the resistance of the natives. Intensive cultivation is confined to gardens and small farms, which are usually smaller than 10 acres (4 hectares). In 2006 Lige Airport was the 8th most important cargo airport in Europe. This colonial racism continued in everyday life until the middle of the 20th century. During his rule, Congolese people were forced into labour, often on rubber plantations, and suffered abuse, torture and murder. Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. The global net fortune has grown by 7.6% to a total of 128.5 billion euros. Quiz, Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz. They wanted to retain control over the raw materials in the Congo. [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. He reaffirmed his profound regrets on Wednesday. Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. The same report also demonstrates an increase in the global financial average this year. I want the government to accept that Belgium, and its king, created a lot of suffering in the Congo. Due to this brutality and European diseases, the native population dwindled by approximately ten million people. With the onset of a recession in the 1970s, this system became an increasing burden on the economy and accounted for much of the government budget deficits. But in Congo his influence was much more malign. Mined since the 13th century, these coal reserves were instrumental in Belgiums industrialization during the 19th century. In 2008, the per capita income (PPP) was $37,500. 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. The corridor between Antwerp and Brussels also has emerged as a major manufacturing zone, eclipsing the older industrial concentration in the Sambre-Meuse valley. I cannot say here how many millions or billions Belgium has to pay, but one thing is certain: the Belgian government has the opportunity to say that it wants to fix what was done. To combat the slow decline of this industry, which has been dependent on the handiwork of an aging population of skilled women, specialized schools were established in Mons and Binche to train younger workers. Your email address will not be published. The current countries of Rwanda and Burundi were once colonized by the Germans, who named the region Ruanda-Urundi. Belgium imports raw materials and semi-finished goods that are further processed and re-exported. "I would like to express my deepest regrets for these injuries of the past, the pain of which is now revived by the discrimination still too present in our societies," King Philippe wrote in the letter to the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi. 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. Other industrial and service activities include car manufacturing, telecommunications, photographic products. Here are some facts about Belgian rule and the two countries' difficult bilateral ties since. Or build hospitals, or a proper railway network. From then on, he was the private ruler of the tat Indpendant du Congo (Congo Free State), which was 80 times the size of his Kingdom of Belgium. [33] It also is the world's largest port for the import and export of new vehicles. He was assassinated by his political opponents in Katanga in January 1961 with the help of Belgian and US secret services. This page provides . It is estimated that about half of the then 20 million inhabitants of the Congo lost their lives due to the conditions people had to endure to extract raw materials, mainly of rubber. Today Belgium is one of the richest countries in Europe, but all that money came from my country. Although now a shadow of its former self, steel production and the manufacture of steel goods remain important. All three countries have experienced exploitation, violence, and poverty, but their rich sources of minerals may one day bring permanent peaceful prosperity to the interior of Africa. Imagine how it would feel if they made a statue of him, and you had to walk past it every day. university With his leopardskin hat and his throne, the old manipulator still looked the part, but in a country the size of western Europe he was losing control. In the past, Lige was one of the most important steel-making centres in Europe. 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]. Belgian per capita GDP ranks among the world's highest. "Belgium Colonialism." In the Congo Free State, Congolese hands were sys- tematically amputated when enslaved Africans failed to meet quotas for extract- ing rubber. But by the time Leopold was stopped, the damage was done. Uriel Sinai / Stringer/ Getty Images News/ Getty Images, Exploration of and Claims to the Congo River Basin, Independence for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This dilemma was exacerbated by two aspects. Perhaps Congo is too big a country to be governed as a single state. 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. Forced labour, corporal punishments, kidnapping, and slaughtering of rebellious villages were among other atrocities recorded during the period. In general, productivity in Flanders is roughly 20% higher (per inhabitant) than in Wallonia[citation needed]. In our Congolese community we have doctors, engineers, political scientists, psychologists. The photo was taken in 1904 at a missionary outpost in Baringa, in what was then called the Congo Free State. The King made 70 million Belgian francs' profit from the system between 1896 and 1905. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to Many European countries wanted to colonize distant parts of the world in order to exploit the resources and "civilize" the inhabitants of these less-developed countries. Government Spending in Belgium increased to 27582 EUR Million in the fourth quarter of 2022 from 27324 EUR Million in the third quarter of 2022. The country, which entered slave trade in the 16th century, carried more than 3 million Africans beyond the Atlantic until it abolished slavery in 1833, according to data in the British national archive. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. It must negotiate politically on an equal footing with its former colonies. Imagine if there was a man who slaughtered your family, but he was rich and gave money to the city. Mr Mobutu held it together while there were assets to spread around, but his successor Laurent Kabila had a more torrid time right from the start. For many years Leopold II was widely known as a leader who defended Belgium's neutrality in the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian war and commissioned public works fit for a modern nation. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Zeebrugge and Ostend, the main fishing ports, send a modest fleet of trawlers to the North Sea fishing grounds. But we do need to keep them - to display them in museums as a warning. 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 country achieved independence 52 years later, in 1960. Many of these peoples spoke Bantu languages. These buildings were paid for by King Leopold II. 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. [20] Foreign companies in Belgium account for approximately 11% of the total work force, with the U.S. It is the first time that a Belgian monarch has offered any form of apology for the brutality, death and plunder that the nation oversaw after colonising Congo in the 19th century. In 1930, the ACLVB-CGSLB adopted its current name.[27]. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. The second stage is that it is absolutely necessary that children are taught the reality of what happened in Congo. analyse how our Sites are used. The museum, in the Brussels suburb of Tervuren, was founded in 1897 by Leopold II at the height of colonialism. Consequently, as German interest rates rose after 1990, Belgian rates have increased and contributed to a decline in the economic growth rate. The economy of Belgium is varied and cannot be understood without taking the regional differences into account. The Free States concession system was soon copied by other colonial regimes, notably those in the neighbouring French Congo. This disparity began to fade during the interwar period. Although reasonably plentiful, existing water supplies incur heavy demands from industrial and domestic consumers. After international protests, Leopold II sold the private colony to the Belgian state in 1908. DRC was known as Zaire from 1971-1997. They are trained in so many areas, but they are unemployed. We support credit card, debit card and PayPal payments. As in other industrialized nations, pension and other social entitlement programs have become a major economic and political concern as the baby boomers approach retirement age. After independence in 1960 it was renamed Zaire and is now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Inhabitants were forced to pay taxes and grow cash crops such as coffee. [citation needed]. Previously, he was based in Paris as Energy Correspondent. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. * As international condemnation grew, the Belgian state took Congo over in 1908. Jean-Claude Ilunga helps to run a support group for the Congolese community in Belgium called Les Amis du Congo Solidarite. However, Leopold II is still commemorated with statues and monuments across Brussels. Nonetheless, most traditional industrial sectors are represented in the economy, including steel, textiles, refining, chemicals, food processing, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, electronics, and machinery fabrication. People say it's different - that Leopold was in the past, that he didn't even go to Congo. The relentless pursuit of profits in the Congo by King Leopold II resulted in one of the worst levels of moral decadence for mankind. Flanders' unemployment levels are generally only about half those of Walloon. As a result, cumulative government debt reached 121% of GDP by the end of the 1980s. By that time, UMHK was one of the largest single sources of Congolese . I think I would have to say yes. Ten experts were tasked with discussing several issues, including possible financial reparations and a stronger anchoring of Belgian colonial history in education curricula and society. Belgium's trade advantages are derived from its central geographic location and a highly skilled, multilingual, and productive work force. The people of the Congo were forced to labor for valued resources, including rubber and ivory, to personally enrich Leopold. Apart from returning looted art, Nsayi said reparation policy could also cover updating Belgian school curriculums and trade treaties that benefit Congolese people. Roads, railroads, electric stations, and public buildings were constructed by forced labour. The first major step Belgium took in internationalizing its economy occurred when it became a charter member of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952. cookies Given this high percentage, it seeks to diversify and expand trade opportunities with non-EU countries. Eighty percent of the crop is exported.[35]. Like a lot of people, I suppose I am a mixture of Belgian and Congolese. 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. The mineral-rich province of Katanga was voluntarily separated from DRC from 1960-1963. We have to teach this at school so the kids will have a different vision and will start looking at the Congolese differently. Joseph Conrad set his popular novel Heart of Darkness in the Congo Free State and described European abuses. But while Belgium prospered from its African connection, Congo's story has been one of chaos and decline. Belgium has a free-enterprise economy, with the majority of the gross domestic product (GDP) generated by the service sector. [20], The social security system, which expanded rapidly during the prosperous 1950s and 1960s, includes a medical system, unemployment insurance coverage, child allowances, invalid benefits, and other benefits and pensions.
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