Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19421-1 - Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 Guy Vanthemsche Frontmatter More information
Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 While the impact of a colonising metropole on subjected territories has been widely scrutinized, the effect of empire on the colonising country has long been neglected. Recently, many studies have examined the repercussions of their respective empires on colonial powers such as the United Kingdom and France. Belgium and its African empire have been conspicuously absent from this discussion. This book attempts to fill this gap. Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980, examines the effects of colonialism on the domestic politics, diplomacy and economics of Belgium, from 1880 – when King Leopold II began the country’s expansionist enterprises in Africa – to the 1980s, well after the Congo’s independence in June of 1960. By examining the colonial impact on its mother country, Belgium, this study also contributes to a better understanding of the Congo’s past and present. Guy Vanthemsche is professor of contemporary history at Free University Brussels (Vrjie Universiteit Brussel). Professor Vanthemsche is also secretary of the Royal Commission of History in Belgium. He is co-director of the Belgium-based journal Revue Belge de Philologie et d’Histoire.
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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19421-1 - Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 Guy Vanthemsche Frontmatter More information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press
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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19421-1 - Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 Guy Vanthemsche Frontmatter More information
Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980
Guy Vanthemsche Vrije Universiteit Brussel Translated by Alice Cameron and Stephen Windross Revised by Kate Connelly
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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19421-1 - Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 Guy Vanthemsche Frontmatter More information
cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Mexico City Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473, USA www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521194211 © Guy Vanthemsche 2012 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2012 Printed in the United States of America A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data Vanthemsche, Guy. Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 / Guy Vanthemsche. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-521-19421-1 (hardback) 1. Belgium – Relations – Congo (Democratic Republic) 2. Congo (Democratic Republic) – Relations – Belgium. 3. Colonization – Political aspects – Belgium – History. 4. Colonization – Economic aspects – Belgium – History. 5. Belgium – Politics and government – 1830–1914. 6. Belgium – Politics and government – 1914– 7. Belgium – Economic conditions. 8. Congo (Democratic Republic) – Colonization – History. 9. Congo (Democratic Republic) – Politics and government. I. Title. DH569.C7V26 2012 967.51′02–dc23 2011048650 ISBN 978-0-521-19421-1 Hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19421-1 - Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 Guy Vanthemsche Frontmatter More information
To my wife Françoise, who was born in Léopoldville and on whom the Congo has also left its mark In memory of Jean Stengers, who left his mark on Belgian colonial historiography
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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19421-1 - Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 Guy Vanthemsche Frontmatter More information
© in this web service Cambridge University Press
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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19421-1 - Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 Guy Vanthemsche Frontmatter More information
Contents
List of Figures List of Tables 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Introduction Origin of the Colonial Phenomenon in Belgium The Congo and Belgium’s Domestic Policy The Congo and Belgium’s External Position The Congo and the Belgian Economy Belgium and the Independent Congo General Conclusion
Annex Index
page viii ix 1 14 33 101 143 200 268 273 281
vii
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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19421-1 - Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 Guy Vanthemsche Frontmatter More information
Figures
4.1. Belgian imports from the Congo and Belgian exports to the Congo (value), index 1913=100 4.2. Belgian imports from the Congo and Belgian exports to the Congo in percentage of total Belgian imports and exports
page 151 151
viii
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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19421-1 - Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980 Guy Vanthemsche Frontmatter More information
Tables
2.1. Opinion Poll on the Belgian Congo (1956) page 80 4.1. Share (in %) of the Total Empire (dominions included) (= EMP) and of the sub-Saharan African Colonies (= SA) in the Exports and the Imports of Great Britain, France, Portugal and Belgium (1879–81 to 1945–51) 154 4.2. Belgian Capital Exports in the Form of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) 1879–1939 (in millions of current Belgian francs, annual averages) 167 4.3. Share of Customs Duties on Imports and Exports in Total Tax Revenues of the Congo and in the Total Value of Imports and Exports (in %) 170 4.4. Net Profits as a Ratio of Capital and Reserves 185 4.5. The Congo’s Share (in %) in Belgian Port Activity (1895–1939) 188 5.1. The Congo’s Share in Imports and Exports of the BelgianLuxembourg Economic Union (in %) 238 5.2. The Congo’s Share in Belgium’s Bilateral Assistance to Developing Countries (1960–1999) 252
ix
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