After the takeover, the country was renamed Congo Belge, but the interests remained the same. The Congolese, who by then had some rights such as owning property and voting in elections, began to demand independence. Belgium was, of course, the colonial power in Congo until 1960, and links between the two countries remain strong. Manufacturing is the major economic activity in the provinces of East Flanders, Limburg, and Hainaut. https://www.thoughtco.com/overview-of-belgian-colonialism-1434364 (accessed May 2, 2023). * Belgium is yet to return thousands of Congolese art works including statues, elephant ivory masks, manuscripts and musical instruments looted by Belgian and other European collectors, scientists and explorers during the colonial era. The national unemployment figures mask considerable differences between Flanders and Wallonia. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. The government, in an effort to reverse the near-depression levels of industrial output that had developed, subsidized ailing industries, particularly steel and textiles, and offered tax incentives, reduced interest rates, and capital bonuses to attract foreign investment. But once again, the money to pay for this symbol of grandeur was squeezed from the Congo. Mr Mobutu invited journalists to witness him swearing in a new batch of ministers, a new collection of snouts at his government's trough. The postwar boom years, enhanced by the establishment of the European Union and NATO headquarters in Brussels, contributed to the rapid expansion of light industry throughout most of Flanders, particularly along a corridor stretching between Brussels and Antwerp, which is the second largest port in Europe after Rotterdam. These buildings were paid for by King Leopold II. Belgium imports raw materials and semi-finished goods that are further processed and re-exported. By that time, UMHK was one of the largest single sources of Congolese . ThoughtCo, Jul. The most deciding event in precipitating the war was the genocide in neighbouring Rwanda in 1994, which sparked a mass exodus of refugees known as the Great Lakes refugee crisis. For relations to truly improve, the Belgian state must acknowledge its historical responsibility more strongly. These efforts were moderately successful, but they left Belgium with one of the largest budget deficits in relation to gross national product in Europe. For 126 years, the US and Belgium have played key roles in shaping Congo's destiny. An army commander, he seized power and established an autocratic dictatorship that lasted until 1997. Belgium also exploited the land and people of Ruanda-Urundi, the Belgian Congo's neighbor to the east. offers FT membership to read for free. King Leopold sent the explorer Henry Morton Stanley to the region. Bureaucrats and politicians see it every day as they whizz round the Schuman roundabout. The Congo is a massive country, the size of Western Europe. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Belgian per capita GDP ranks among the world's highest. 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. Perhaps Congo is too big a country to be governed as a single state. He gave her tons of money, land, jewels, and even made her a baroness. 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. After slavery was officially abolished in 1910, Congolese workers received a wage for their work in the mines and on the plantations. The global net fortune has grown by 7.6% to a total of 128.5 billion euros. 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. Only the Scandinavian countries have a higher trade union density. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. 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 third major multi-sector union in Belgium is the liberal (classical liberal) union General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (ACLVB-CGSLB) which is relatively small in comparison to the first two with a little under 290 thousand members. We spoke to Julien Bobineau, who has researched the narratives around Belgiums history with the Congo, about the visit. Regionally, Flanders has attracted a disproportionate share of investment, but the national government has offered subsidies and incentives to encourage investment within Wallonia. The corridor between Antwerp and Brussels also has emerged as a major manufacturing zone, eclipsing the older industrial concentration in the Sambre-Meuse valley. cookies Belgium's riches came at the cost of so much pain in the Congo - so much suffering and misery. He acquired millions of square kilometers of central African land for Belgium. Chalk and limestone mining around Tournai, Mons, and Lige, which supports a significant cement industry, is of greater contemporary importance. Theres a dark history between Belgium and the DRC that started in the 19th century. 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. During the conference, Belgian King Leopold II obtained international legitimacy for the ownership of the lands in what is now the Congo. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. 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. Historically, Belgiums national prosperity was mainly dependent on the countrys role as a fabricator and processor of imported raw materials and on the subsequent export of finished goods. how much money did belgium make from the congo university Under Mr Mobutu, as under King Leopold, theft was becoming part of the mainstream economy. Belgium is one of the worlds leading processors of cobalt, radium, copper, zinc, and lead. The port houses, among others, big companies like ArcelorMittal, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Parts, Honda, and Stora Enso. [citation needed]. Joseph Conrad set his popular novel Heart of Darkness in the Congo Free State and described European abuses. Although reasonably plentiful, existing water supplies incur heavy demands from industrial and domestic consumers. Since then, DRC has experienced corruption, inflation, and several regime changes. 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. * As many as 10 million people are estimated to have died in Congo from killings, famine and disease . [26] The ACLVB-CGSLB was founded in 1920 in an effort to unite the many small liberal unions. Under Leopold, my country was ruined while he took the money to build his royal palace, and his royal gardens. Metallurgy, steel, textiles, chemicals, glass, paper, and food processing are the dominant industries. Getty Images. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. Pixabay. The colonial rule was romantically glorified in Belgium. And if it could lead to a new partnership between the two countries. Belgian Congo, 1908-1960 . If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. From 1885 to 1908, Belgian King Leopold II took control of the Congo. Leopold II: Belgium 'wakes up' to its bloody colonial past For centuries the Congo River basin was inhabited by tribes and kingdoms with individual cultures. Most streams rise in the Ardennes and flow northward; three-fourths of the countrys groundwater originates in the south. The horrific consequences of rubber's toxic past - BBC News $578 billion (nominal, 2021 est.). Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Many Congolese people here are academics, with high qualifications from universities in Belgium. 11 Votes) King Leopold II (1835-1909) of Belgium created the Congo Free State in 1885 as part of a professed desire to bring civilization and modernity to Africans. It has a number of regional headquarters of multinational corporations. The Belgian government renamed the region the "Belgian Congo." Given this high percentage, it seeks to diversify and expand trade opportunities with non-EU countries. 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. DRC was known as Zaire from 1971-1997. read more. Millions are now refugees. There will be, in my humble opinion, a little respect that will become entrenched in people's heads. He was assassinated by his political opponents in Katanga in January 1961 with the help of Belgian and US secret services. The doors are often closed to us. In May 1990, the government linked the Belgian franc to the Deutsche Mark, primarily through closely tracking German interest rates. [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. 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). 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. Lige has also been an important centre for gunsmithing since the Middle ages and the arms industry is still strong with the headquarters of FN Herstal. After only two months in power, Lumumba was deposed in September 1960. 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. Jean-Claude Ilunga lives in Belgium but is Congolese by birth and says it is time for the former rulers to apologise to Congo. ThoughtCo. Simply because their skin colour doesn't fit. During the 19th century, iron ore and zinc deposits in the Sambre-Meuse valley were heavily exploited. Back then the liberal union was known as the "Nationale Centrale der Liberale Vakbonden van Belgi". Lige Science Park south east of the city, near the University of Lige campus, houses spin-offs and high technology businesses. 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. And thirdly, Belgium must consider making some reparations. Retracing Belgium's dark past in the Congo, and attempts to forge The open countryside of north-central BelgiumHainaut, Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant, and Hesbaye (the region of rolling land southwest of Limburg)includes pastureland as well as intensive diversified cultivation of such crops as wheat, sugar beets, and oats; local variations include orchards in northern Hesbaye. There is a Congo flavour in music and food and Congo exiles can be found plotting in Brussels' bars and hotels - some still referring to their homeland by its former name, Zaire. Attracted by the EU 1992 single-market program, many foreign firms and lawyers have settled in Brussels since 1989. It is Europe's largest port for RoRo traffic[32] and natural gas. 10 Horrifying Facts About The Genocide In The Congo Free State The country achieved independence 52 years later, in 1960. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Government Spending in Belgium averaged 18630.83 EUR Million from 1980 until 2022, reaching an all time high of 27582.00 EUR Million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and a record low of 9857.00 EUR Million in the first quarter of 1980. The Belgian economy also is inextricably tied to that of Europe. Roads, railroads, electric stations, and public buildings were constructed by forced labour. Exports in Congo decreased to 15031.30 USD Million in 2019 from 15966.80 USD Million in 2018. In particular, U.S. firms played a leading role in the expansion of light industrial and petrochemical industries in the 1960s and 1970s.[20]. Forced labour, corporal punishments, kidnapping, and slaughtering of rebellious villages were among other atrocities recorded during the period. And if you didn't reach that, then it was a bullet in the head or they cut off your hands or feet, or took your wife. In our Congolese community we have doctors, engineers, political scientists, psychologists. 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. "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. Belgian King Baudouin I finally relented and released the DR Congo into independence on 30 June 1960. [20], Although Belgium is a wealthy country, public expenditures far exceeded income for many years, and taxes were not diligently pursued. You had to reach a certain quota - say, a certain quantity of rubber. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in January 2002.