Belgium and the Congo, 1885–1980

This book explains how and why Belgium, a small but influential European country, was affected by its colonial activities in the Congo.

Guy Vanthemsche (Author)

9780521194211, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 April 2012

300 pages, 2 b/w illus. 4 tables
23.4 x 15.6 x 2.1 cm, 0.59 kg

'Vanthemsche has produced an important study of Belgian colonial rule, which will be a useful source for future studies on this topic. It deserves a wide readership among specialists on the Congo and on European colonialism more generally.' David N. Gibbs, The Journal of Modern History

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 Congo's past and present.

1. The origin of the colonial phenomenon in Belgium and its main developments up until 1960
2. The Congo and Belgium's domestic policy
3. The Congo and Belgium's external position
4. The Congo and the Belgian economy
5. Belgium and the independent Congo.

Subject Areas: Colonialism & imperialism [HBTQ], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], African history [HBJH], European history [HBJD], History [HB]