Imperialism Under Belgium's Rule And The African Congo

King Leopold II - A cruel ruler in Congo that made profits off of mainly ivory and rubber. He eventually was forced to sell Congo to the Belgian government because people found out how harsh his rule was. Cecil Rhodes - Believed in colonialism and colonized Zimbabwe and Zambia. He greatly exploited the resources there and made a large profit off of diamond mining. He was one of the most significant and influential promoters of Britain's imperial interests.

Imperialism In the 19th and 20th centuries, various powerful nations sent colonizers to dominate weaker nations and expand their influence. This domination is called imperialism, which is still practiced today in moderation. Among the many countries shaped by imperialism were India and China. These two large countries were both colonized by the British who were one of the greatest imperialistic powers at that time.

“Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force” Dictionary Definition of Imperialism. In 1750 - 1900, European countries wanted to build empires all over the world; they wanted to provide materials for industrialization. Even though European countries, like France, Great Britain and Portugal, had very few establishments in Africa, they were constantly trading with them. Later, as Europeans tried conquer African land, native people became frustrated and upset; in response to imperialism. As Europeans states industrialized, they wanted to expand overseas and establish colonies in Africa.

Imperialism is not a new concept by any means to the human race. This form of movement has not only made many great empires rise to greatness, but have also made many fall (Roman). At many points in history the drive for imperialism was the only aspect some nations had in common (Cohen). Imperialism is simply the expanding of one’s power and influence by the complete taking over of other’s financial markets, industry, and abilities to be themselves.

Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. It is a great way to strengthen the economy and gain power and territory for countries that practice it, though it often failed and resulted in war and the deaths of innocents. Four intellectuals that played a big part in influencing American imperialism were Frederick Jackson Turner, Alfred T. Mahan, Herbert Spencer and John Fisk. All of these influencers had different ideologies and came together to justify American imperialism. They believed America needed to expand power and gain territories.

When Belgium colonized Congo, the Congolese people’s world quickly changed from the past, influencing their lives heavily. Ten to twenty-three million people died during Leopold’s rule from 1885 to 1908 (Kenneth). The Congolese people weren’t treated fairly and faced many hardships. Most Congolese people died because of King Leopold’s treatment, including war, starvation, forced labor and disease(Bland). This goes to show how poorly King Leopold treated the people and how he didn’t care about the Congolese people, only the reward.

Imperialism is the ambition of a powerful nation to dominate the political, economical, and cultural affairs of another nation or region. The idea of imperialism occurred after the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The specific years of imperialism are from 1870-1914. The regions that were affected by imperialism include Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These region were wanted by the imperialist powers of this time, which were: Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

According to alphahistory.com “Imperialism is a system where a powerful nation controls and exploits one or more colonies”. Toward the end of the 1800s, several imperial powers existed. The British empire was the largest. Both France and Britain had many colonies in Africa and Asia.

Imperialism has been the strongest force this past century; Enslaving natives, while obliterating civilizations. Imperialism is when a country or civilization swallows another country for its land, labor, and raw materials with influence or military force. Imperialism was both, good and bad. Imperialism was a good thing because it expanded existing civilizations, and allowed people to be more civilized under a large military force. Imperialism was a bad thing because people in charge would become too power hungry and try to gain more of everything disregarding the people who are suppose to be civilized.

Imperialism means one country extends control and power over another, not necessarily through settlement (effects of social Darwinism). Imperialism was justified by Social Darwinism because social Darwinism was the view that the strongest race would survive and the weaker would eventually die off. Imperialism justified that the weaker the country was struggling the "greater country" could force its customs on the other country. Imperialism benefits a small, favored group but never the nation as a whole. Social Darwinist believed that Imperialism was the expected expansion and an accomplishment of a well-evolved culture and the expansion would help remove or perfect an underperforming cultures.

During the early 19th century into the early 20th century, Britain was in their “Britain Imperial Era”, but British imperialism can date back to the 16th century (Marshall). British Imperialism was the period when Great Britain was expanding their empire into territories such as India and Africa. During this time, The British Empire was one of the biggest empires in history and it had many major negative and positive impacts on the cultures, politics, and economies in these territories. British imperialism had many negative effects on India, such as including economic exploitation, cultural suppression, and political oppression. The British exploited India's resources to enrich themselves, which would lead to widespread poverty (Wolpert).

“No matter how full the river is, it still wants to grow,” is a proverb from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as the Congo Free State while under King Leopold II’s rule. In short, this proverb describes the king of Belgium’s rule of the Congos in Africa; he wanted more control despite already ruling his own country. King Leopold II colonized the Congo by claiming it as his own property in hopes of gaining power, gaining more land mass, and obtaining natural resources for his own use and profit. The Congo was eventually annexed to Belgium. Given the size of the Congo, and the amount of untouched resources, King Leopold II deemed the land as desirable for personal rule; the Congo was later voted by the Belgian parliament to

Imperialism was a huge force in British history between 1880 and 1950 and during this time Britain became one of the world's largest imperial powers. According to Cornell Law School, “Imperialism can be defined as a doctrine, political strategy, practice, state policy, or advocacy that consists in extending power by territorial acquisition or by extending political and economic control outward over other areas.” Imperialism affected Britain economically, politically and culturally. One of the most significant impacts of imperialism on Britain was economically. Imperialism made it to where Britain could access the resources of its colonies which included labor and materials which allowed the country to expand its economy.

What is imperialism? Imperialism is an approach to expand a nation’s power and their influences over other lands. Empires would look for expansion in their rule over other countries like Africa, Asia, and the Middle East starting in the 1870s and continued until 1914. But, was Imperialism beneficial for developing nations? Imperialism benefited developing nations from the positive aspects of technological advancements, economic gain, and political power.

Imperialism is so profoundly intertwined with our world’s history that we are still feeling its effects today. It has ravaged races of people and yet lifted the powerful and wealthy. Imperialism is officially defined as the committed effort to incorporate a territory or country into the political, monetary, or cultural system of another power. Power is a word that commonly appears in the discussion of imperialism. This is not without cause because both of these definitions are greatly intertwined.