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. 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.
Belgium and the Congo, 1885 1980 Vrije Universiteit Brussel Translated by Alice Cameron and Stephen Windross Revised by Kate Connelly
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 Information on this title: /9780521194211 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 /. 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.
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
Contents List of Figures List of Tables page viii ix Introduction 1 1. Origin of the Colonial Phenomenon in Belgium 14 2. The Congo and Belgium s Domestic Policy 33 3. The Congo and Belgium s External Position 101 4. The Congo and the Belgian Economy 143 5. Belgium and the Independent Congo 200 General Conclusion 268 Annex 273 Index 281 vii
Figures 4.1. Belgian imports from the Congo and Belgian exports to the Congo (value), index 1913=100 page 151 4.2. Belgian imports from the Congo and Belgian exports to the Congo in percentage of total Belgian imports and exports 151 viii
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 Belgian- Luxembourg Economic Union (in %) 238 5.2. The Congo s Share in Belgium s Bilateral Assistance to Developing Countries (1960 1999) 252 ix