King Leopold’s Ghost
He cunningly employed these technologies to build an ethereal reputation amongst the Congolese; they were white men who rode on long steel snakes, possessed weapons that vomited fire, and had medications of a divine nature. Although these tools were a crucial part of Belgian’s Imperialist endeavors, it was not solely based upon these physical and economic tools that allowed King Loophole’s efficient colonization tot Iatric, but rather the clever and brutal exploiting of these factors of the Industrial Revolution itself to spark power over and terror amongst the Congolese, not dissimilar to the late Aztec Empire of
Mexico. It was a “revolution” pertinently named, as it thoroughly and abruptly eradicated the old fashioned way of doing things, and altered the lives of the Congo and its natives for generations to come. “To begin with, there was ovenproof” (Household 89). 19th century advancements in engineering and machining with regards to warfare technology brought upon the breech-loading rifle, as opposed to the “primitive muzzle loaders Which were the best arms that most Congolese could obtain” (Household 89).
The breech-loaded rifle was the forefront of Belgian diplomacy in the Congo, ND these new rifles proved to be far superior to the archaic weapons Of the Africans. The repeating rifle, also known as the Maxim Gun, further enhanced the terror of all Congolese, especially those who were unlucky enough to be on the other side of the corsairs. One such eye-witness account details an encounter with these weapons: “they killed many of the Bassos with sticks, which sent forth thunder and lightning” (Household 54).
King Leopold effectively used these weapons to build upon the mystical presence of the “White Man” because these weapons were relatively unknown to the Congolese, These “officially sanctified error” tactics proved to be an effective tool in quelling Congolese thoughts of resistance, “Another tool was medical knowledge.. They learned that quinine was a useful defense” (Household 90). ROR to medical advancements, the Europeans were extremely susceptible to African diseases, much like American indigenous people were to European diseases, and malaria was to blame However, the discovery of quinine as a defense to these illnesses, coupled with fruitful medical research of African illnesses, caused the “awesomely high death rate for Europeans in the African tropics to drop” (Household 90). As the death rate decreased, we see that the longevity Of the European populace in Africa Starts to grow, thereby establishing a firm foothold for European occupancy in the Congo.
Finally, these technologies could only be employed by industrial progress in the transportation department allowing the punctual delivery of rubber, which was in high demand due to the rubber boom. The steamboat provided relatively smooth travel across the unusual geography of the Congo for white men working in the Congo. The popular development of railroads in the Industrial revolution revived quick transportation for rubber, ivory, and “without it, the territory’s riches could not be brought to the sea except on foot” (Household 91).
The Belgian rule of the Congo, in terms of economic rule, was an overblown sense of mercantilism, where metronome Belgium was an economic leech, sucking the life and riches out of the Congo. Using philanthropy as an excuse, King Leopold successfully courted world powers into funding a part tot his Congo ventures. There was an insatiable thirst for ivory and Europeans began forcing Africans to accept low prices, however “almost none bothers Belgian francs cached any Congolese elephant hunters. For Africans, transactions in money were not allowed [in] what was essentially a command economy (Household 118).
The economy of the Congo was one of parasitism, where the Belgian parasite, using forced labor to extract raw materials, was benefiting at the expense of the Congo. As a result, there was a horrendous decrease in the native Congolese population, estimated to be around ICC million deaths directly related to the empire building tools and tactics of the Belgian occupation. 2. Sociology explains the creation of “The Other” as a necessary component to acclimate justification for the exploitation Of said “Other”, Whether for economic gains or purely for sadistic actions enacted upon the aforementioned.
A major aspect needed to formulate the concept of “The Other” is the degradation of “The Other” to further or sever all sentimental or emotional ties to “The Other. The idea of “The Other” would prove to be the foundation of “scientific” racial ideology, or racism, which categorizes human superiority by race. The rise “scientific” racism and Social Darwinism during the advent of New Imperialism gave European empire builders self-justification to conquer and exploit the Congo.
These racial ideologies covered any moral objections against the colonization of the Congo and other regions Of Africa, showcasing the power of ideology to allow oneself rationalize inhumane atrocities committed against others, The British are legendary for being a supercilious bunch: eyebrows raised and nose high, They lived by what was known as the “British Virtue” and “fervently believed in bringing ‘civilization’ and Christianity to the natives, filled with righteousness about combating 27).
Loon’s Albert Memorial provides us with the general European consensus on the white man’s priority over others, and, especially, the black man’s inferiority, This statue “showed a young black African, naked except for some leaves over his loins.. Representative of the uncivilized races’ and the ‘broken chains at feet refer to Great Britain in emancipation of slaves'”(Household 28).
It is through this “scientific” racism establishing the “Black Man” as “The Other” that gave Europeans an over-inflated sense of righteousness that bestowed them the idea Of “The White Man’s Burden” to educate and convert the “Black Man” by any means necessary, and the spoils of civilizing a race were merely bonuses. It is Obvious that, from a Resurrection perspective, the Africans were ridden with barbarism and they were undeserving of Africans riches, thus spawning European impulses of “antislavery zeal, search for raw materials, and Christian evangelism” (Household B).
Guns may kill and destroy a village, but an ideology can destroy nations; and in this case, these nations were the nations of Africa. A combination of pseudoscience and overzealous Christian fervor were the basis of “scientific racism” which was the driving for of the required degradation of “blacks” to force hem into the abysmal category of “The Other”. “People justified colonialism in various ways, claiming that it Christianizes the heathen or civilized the savage races” (Household 38).
Through this quote, it is clear that Africans were regarded as a peoples that were altogether nearly inhuman. This gave Europeans justification to colonize the African continent under “philanthropic” missions. Additionally, “to Europeans, Africans were inferior beings: lazy, uncivilized, little better than animals”(Household 121), also known as the myth of the lazy native. The idea of “The Other” made it possible “for the functionaries in the Congo to deal out pain and death”(Household 121). Cause “in any system of terror, the functionaries must first of all see the victims as less than human, and Victorian ideas about race provided such a foundation “(Household 121). Thus, the sum of all the above mentioned components Of “scientific” racial ideology eases the European conscience when coercing the African into forced labor for the benefit Of the European. However, those who saw through the veil of the injustice in King Loophole’s Congo were appalled by the gravely inhumane conditions and set out on personal vendettas and campaigns against “the scramble for Africa”.
Of this party, the African American George Washington Williams was the first great dissenter. George Washington Williams is hailed as “the greatest historian of the race” by W. E. B. Du Bois and definitely displayed his God-given perseverance and boldness in the beginning of his Open Letter to King Leopold. It was George Washington Williams undeterred sense tot justice and equality that gave even a spark of hope to the movement against the Loophole’s Congo. However, George Washington Williams’ dissent of the Congo was nearly erased trot memory, until ten years later, when E.
D, Morel appeared on the scene, Morel’s skills in publicity indignation brought the world’s spotlight upon the Condo’s atrocities, believing “the Congo was a state deliberately ad systematically founded on slave labor”(Household 188). Roger Casement was also a man with a “fully functional” moral compass who listened to a Force Applique officer pay for human heads during a military operation. Through the efforts of these men, and others, one an see that these men exemplified Jean-Jacques Rousseau standing on the good nature of man.
They fought against injustice and sought to destroy “The Other”, and kept “alive, a tradition, a human capacity for outrage at pain inflicted on another human being, no matter vetches that pain is inflicted on someone of another color, in another country, at another end Of the earth” (Household ASS). The investigatory talents of these men, when publicized, proved to be a crippling blow and ultimately led to the disintegration Of international endorsing Of the King Loophole’s prized colony. Although humanitarian groups are more present in today’s world than ever, the world is still victim to the undying plague that is De-humiliation.
Though our society continues to preach for universally equal human rights, it will never see the end of racial discrimination and cruelties because of a few characteristics forever ingrained in the a significant population human consciousness: ignorance, intolerance, and greed. Supplemental Questions 1. Between 1880 and 1920, the population of the Congo was slashed in halt: some ten million people were victims of Loophole’s Empire, This is the same number f people killed by the Nazis during WWW.
Explain the various factors why this massive carnage became virtually unknown in the United States and Europe. Who gets to write the histories we know and why? In what specific ways was the history of the Congo erased from public memory? Particularly consider the normalization of African voices and records. From childhood to high school, history is often taught from a Resurrection perspective which tends to fall into 3 history engineered for the protection Of “The White Man”.
At the time of Loophole’s Congo, Africans were still considered n inferior peoples, and ultimately, were still regarded as “The Other”. The social status of “The Other” largely diminished the magnitude of the atrocities committed against the Congolese in King Loophole’s Congo because there was simply less of a connection to the Congolese than to the European Jewish population that were subject to the Holocaust. Not only was there a social distancing between black-skinned and white-skinned people, but there was also a tremendous physical distance between countries of The West and the African continent.
This physical distancing provides not only difficulty in communicating ND publicizing what was occurring in Africa, but also clouds the mind’s eye in imagining and connecting with something that is happening so far away, The centuries old adage – “History is written by the winners” – also stands somewhat true and is applicable to the Congo scenario, Due to Belgian annexation of the Congo and a fairly successful totalitarian government and command economy, King Leopold was able to control, for some time, the Congolese population and hide what was really going on in his empire.
King Leopold also maintained a constant counter-campaign against dissenters f his empire, relying “on his skill at manipulating the press” (Household 237). A tactic on Vichy he used was to shift attention to other abuses, thereby diluting the negative press. This can be witnessed when “he dispatched an aide to British Africa to search out abuses to match those in the Conway he made sure there were frequent articles along the lines of ‘Opium in the British India’ and derogatory news items from all over the British Empire” (Household 237).
King Loophole’s Press Bureau would also fashion pro-Leopold books, pamphlets, and articles by bribing European editors and reporters into writing these articles. The final step in minimizing the legacy of Loophole’s Congo occurred one day in “August 1908, shortly before the colony was officially turned over to Belgium” (Household 294). Leopold burned all of the Congo State archives stating “I Will give them my Congo, but they have no right to know What did there”. By destroying the archives. Here becomes extremely little formal documents outlining the travesties of the Loophole’s Congo. Belgium later played the role of the victim, as “Germany invaded it in August 1914, and killed more than 5,000 Belgian civilians” (Household 296). As attention shifted to the aggressor that was Germany, the mass killings and torturous conditions enacted upon Africa by not only King Leopold, but by all of Rupee’s imperialist states, faded into what is known as the “great forgetting”. 7.
Describe the Condo’s history since independence (be specific). What does post-colonial Congo suggest about the lasting detects of brutal colonial regimes? Can Africa (and other parts of the post-colonial world) recover from this legacy? Why or why not? Consider why violence and injustice beget more violence and injustice and the way this continues to play out in Africa, The Congo independence movement spurred in the sass’s and was independence came in the sass’s, but the political scene of the Congo was extremely unstable.
After the waves of tyrannical rule, came a somewhat westernizes democratic national election that placed Patrice Lumbar as the government prime minister. The obscene amounts Of violence and abuse, however, would not simply be wiped from Congolese memory after they were granted independence.. Patrice Lumbar would not settle for independence, but called for the immediate vacating of the European and American reparations who had vast investments in the Congo.
Patrice Lumber’s stint as prime minister came to a violent end as Western influences caused anti- Lumbar factions to revolt and, in less than two months into his leadership role, he was captured, beaten, and shot, Autocratic rule was soon restored when Mobster’s coup successfully made him the country’s dictator for more than third years, Mobster’s rule was in some ways similar to King Loophole’s rule seeing that “some of his political enemies he ordered tortured and killed” (Household 303) and government-owned media began praising him as the “Messiah”, This monstrance that there was little political growth and maturity in the Congo nation, During Mobster’s rule, further violence erupted when Mobbed squandered state revenue and faulty currency disputations caused massive soldier riots, further leading to the deaths of hundreds of men. Because of this, Congo infrastructure deteriorated as “garbage piled up in heaps” and “government support of schools and hospitals dwindled to almost nothing” (Household 303).
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