How did the Belgians takeover the Congo?
When the Belgians were finally ready to go into the Congo, it was a huge surprise to everyone in the Congo. Nobody thought that the Congo would be taken over because they had no way of communication with outer countries unless it was a note. When they finally arrived, there was no resistance because the Congolese knew that they had more technology and that they were a much stronger nation so they didn't resist. The Belgians promised the Congolese that they would have better education and an economic boost if the Belgians took control and the Congolese had no choice but to agree or else it could cause a lot of conflict.
During the rule of the Congo, many Congolese were put to work and they barely got any pay if they even got any. The worst part about this was that the King of Belgium, King Leopold II, authorized brutal abuse if the Congolese didn't work or tried to rebel against the authority. In some cases the Belgians would even have people killed if they tried to fight and attack officers that were in charge of the Congolese. When the Belgians entered the Congo, there was little resistance because the Congolese had no idea what was happening but until they realized the state of abuse and in some cases murder, they started to rebel a lot more. Some people were so fed up with the Belgians that some people even left there families to escape all of the brutal conditions and punishment that the people got. King Leopold really put an impact on the way the Congolese live because he had them all work for no pay, had them beaten if they are tired or refuse to work, and even killed people. People couldn't sleep at night knowing that they might die the next day so people started to rebel and death rates started to increase every day making the takeover of the Congo, one of the most brutal events in history. |