What happened to the Congo Free State as a result of the scramble?

In 1908 the Congo Free State was abolished and replaced by the Belgian Congo, a colony controlled by the Belgian parliament.

What was happening in the Congo in 1906?

Caricature of Leopold II of Belgium in the form of a snake choking the Free State of the Congo, 1906. Leopold II was forced to hire European mercenaries to defend his interests. These were organised into a private army, the Force Publique, which numbered up to 19,000 troops.

How was the Force Publique treated?

Atrocities. Under Leopold II the Force Publique was described as an “exceptionally brutal army”. Reports from foreign missionaries and consular officials detail a number of instances where Congolese men and women were flogged or raped by soldiers of the Force Publique, unrestrained by their officers and NCOs.

Why did the Belgian government take over control of the Congo Free State in 1908?

Several rebellions were mercilessly put down under Leopold’s direction. Demonstrations and protests demanded that Leopold end human rights abuses in the Congo Free State. In 1908, international pressure forced the king to turn the Congo Free State over to the country of Belgium.

How did Congo respond to imperialism?

International outrage over Leopold’s reign in the Congo led to a reform movement that eventually pressured the Belgian government into taking over the colony in 1908. The colony was renamed the Belgian Congo and new laws and regulations were introduced to limit the widespread abuse and death.

How did Belgium treat Congo?

On February 5, 1885, Belgian King Leopold II established the Congo Free State by brutally seizing the African landmass as his personal possession. The people of the Congo were forced to labor for valued resources, including rubber and ivory, to personally enrich Leopold.

What were the effects of imperialism on Congo?

The effects of imperialism on the Congo were the depletion of natural resources and the severe mistreatment of the residents.

How did Democratic Republic of Congo gain independence?

Belgian colonization of DR Congo began in 1885 when King Leopold II founded and ruled the Congo Free State. However, de facto control of such a huge area took decades to achieve. After an uprising by the Congolese people, Belgium surrendered and this led to the independence of the Congo in 1960.

How did Belgium colonize Congo?

What were the tactics of the Congo Free State?

A common tactic used in the Congo Free State was to demand a certain quota of rubber from each village. Missing a quota was punished violently. It was not uncommon for the hands and feet of men, women, and children to be amputated as punishment for not collecting enough rubber or ivory.

When did the Congo Free State start and end?

Atrocities in the Congo Free State. In the period from 1885 to 1908, many well-documented atrocities were perpetrated in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) which, at the time, was a colony under the personal rule of King Leopold II of the Belgians.

What was the public scandal of the Congo?

Public Scandal and the Creation of the Belgian Congo. It was not long until the atrocities being carried out in the Congo Free State were made known to the larger world. Accounts from missionaries, journalists, and travelers soon led to public outcry, particularly in Britain and the United States.

Why was the rubber tax a problem in the Congo?

Rubber profits boomed. By the 1890s, King Leopold was selling more rubber than he could harvest. For the people in the Congo, this meant that their quotas went up and meeting the rubber tax became nearly impossible. And that was a problem—because failure to meet your quota could be punishable by death.