Congo (4)

Question 1

• The Congo, with its vast mineral resources and strategic position in central Africa, became a focus of attention by the superpowers during the ____ ____.
• In Tanzania an ambitious and ____-_____ form of African socialism was applied with mixed results.

Answer 1

Cold War

wide-ranging

Question 2

What happened when Congo became independent in June 1960?

Answer 2

When the Congo became independent from Belgian rule in June 1960, a critical situation soon developed which brought the Cold War to Africa for the first time. The Congo became a tool of the Western powers during the Cold War.

Question 3

_____ rule in the Congo was very harsh.

Answer 3

Belgian

Question 4

What were the people of Congo forced to endure under Belgian rule?

Answer 4

The people of the Congo were forced to pay high taxes and had to do forced labour. Belgian policy was based on ‘paternalism’ - a belief that African people should be treated as children and not allowed any responsibility or representation in government.

Question 5

What was education like during Belgian Rule?

Answer 5

There were few secondary schools and no higher education for Africans, although there were a large number of primary schools.

Question 6

After the ____ ____ _____, the Belgians were determined to keep the Congo under their control and they tried to stop the spread of nationalist ideas from other African colonies.

Answer 6

Second World War

Question 7

What led Belgium to grant independence to Congo?

Answer 7

Until the late 1950s, they banned all political parties and independent African newspapers. However, after violent protests in towns around the Congo in 1959, Belgium decided to grant independence within six months.

Question 8

Why did the Belgians move so quickly?

Answer 8

They were hoping that, if they moved quickly, they could keep control of the government behind the scenes because Congolese politicians were so inexperienced. The people of the Congo were totally unprepared for this sudden change of policy and a large number of political parties were quickly formed.

Question 9

Many of these were regionally-based parties that drew their support from a single ____ group.

Answer 9

ethnic

Question 10

What did the people have high hopes of after independence?

Answer 10

As the people of the Congo prepared for the elections in May 1960, they had high hopes that independence would resolve the problems caused by years of poverty and oppression.

Question 11

What was the result of the elections?

Answer 11

In the elections, 120 political parties participated and no single party won an outright majority of the seats in parliament. The MNC (Mouvement National Congolais), under the leadership of Patrice Lumumba, won the most seats. It was the only party that had attempted to gain nationwide rather than regionally-based support.

Question 12

What did Lumumba form after Congo became independent?

Answer 12

When the Congo formally became independent in June 1960, Lumumba formed a coalition government.

Question 13

He became ____ ____, and he appointed his main rival, _____ ______, as president.

Answer 13

prime minister

Joseph Kasavubu

Question 14

What type of government did the leaders of Congo want?

Answer 14

Lumumba wanted a strong unitary or centrally controlled government, while Kasavubu and other leaders favoured a loose federation, where each region would have some autonomy.

Question 15

What happened 5 days after independence?

Answer 15

Five days after independence, units in the Congolese army mutinied, demanding the removal of Belgian officers. Violent conflicts broke out in many parts of the country, including attacks on Belgian property and civilians.

Question 16

What was the unity of the new state threatened by?

Answer 16

The unity of the new state was also threatened by the breakaway of two provinces, Katanga (backed by Belgian mining interests) and Kasai (backed by the Soviet Union).

Question 17

Which province was the most important?

Answer 17

The most important was Katanga which Moise Tshombe declared to be an independent state. As 50% of the Congo’s total revenue came from Katanga’s mineral wealth (mainly the copper mines), this was a serious blow to the new state.

Question 18

What did Lumumba see as an attempt by Belgium to restore colonial control? (2)

Answer 18

• When Belgium sent troops to the Congo, supposedly to protect Belgian property and the 100 000 Belgian nationals still in the Congo, Lumumba and others saw this as an attempt by Belgium to restore colonial control.
• They were also suspicious of Belgian motives because of their control of the copper mines in Katanga.

Question 19

Who did Lumumba appeal to for help?

Answer 19

Lumumba appealed to the United Nations (UN) for military assistance to restore order, to reunite the country and to ensure the withdrawal of Belgian forces. Although a multinational UN force was quickly sent to the Congo, it struggled to achieve these aims. Under pressure from the USA, it was unwilling to use force against Katanga.

Question 20

What did Lumumba accuse the UN of?

Answer 20

Lumumba accused the UN of representing Western interests and appealed to the USSR for help.

Question 21

What alarmed the USA?

Answer 21

As Soviet agents, technicians, and transport vehicles started arriving, the USA and other Western nations became increasingly alarmed.

Question 22

Angered by Lumumba’s appeal to the USSR, _____ deposed him as prime minister.

Answer 22

Kasavubu

Question 23

Who seized power at this critical stage?

Answer 23

At this critical stage, the commander of the Congolese army, Joseph Mobutu, seized power. He immediately expelled the Soviets and ordered the arrest of Lumumba.

Question 24

How did Lumumba die?

Answer 24

Lumumba was murdered in captivity, in controversial circumstances, in January 1961. There is evidence to suggest that Mobutu, Tshombe, the American CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and agents of the Belgian government were all involved.

Question 25

What did the UN do to protect Lumumba?

Answer 25

In addition, the UN stood by and did nothing to protect Lumumba and even allowed him to be taken to Katanga where he was killed.

Question 26

What was Lumumba regarded as after his death?

Answer 26

After his death, he was regarded as a martyr by communists around the world, and an African university in Moscow was named after him.

Question 27

When did Mobutu seize power?

Answer 27

Eventually, in November 1965, Joseph Mobutu, with support from the USA, seized power in a military coup. He established a one-party state and strong central government control.

Question 28

Who supported Mobutu?

Answer 28

For the next 32 years, as Mobuto Sese Seko (he changed his name from Mobutu in 1972), he ruled the Congo (renamed Zaire) as a dictator, with support from the USA which viewed him as a useful ally against Soviet ambitions in Africa.

Question 29

How did the USA support Mobutu?

Answer 29

The Americans provided financial and military aid, as well as regular briefings from the CIA. Between 1965 and 1988, US aid to Zaire totalled $ 860 million. On his frequent visits to Washington, Mobuto was promised support, welcomed as an ally and constantly flattered by a succession of US presidents.

Question 30

What were US interests in Zaire motivated by?

Answer 30

US interests in Zaire were partly motivated by its enormous mineral wealth in copper, cobalt, industrial diamonds and other minerals.

Question 31

What was the economic situation in Zaire?

Answer 31

At first, the economy soared as American and other Western investors poured capital into development projects and mining ventures in Zaire. By the mid-1970s however, the economy had started to collapse, partly because of the collapse in the world copper price.

Question 32

At the same time, Mobuto’s rule became more ____ and ____. He allowed no criticism and brutally suppressed all opposition.

Answer 32

autocratic

corrupt

Question 33

True or false

Zaire, under Mobuto, became known for widespread democracy.

Answer 33

False, Zaire, under Mobuto, became known for widespread corruption. He looted government funds and is thought to have sent billions of dollars out of the country into his personal investments in Europe.

Question 34

Did the USA resent Mobuto’s autocratic ruling style?

Answer 34

Yet Mobuto continued to receive support, both military and financial, from Western governments, even though they knew how corrupt and undemocratic his regime was. They regarded him as a faithful ally they could rely on to uphold Western interests. In return, they were prepared to protect him.

Question 35

What happened when armed rebels invaded southern Zaire?

Answer 35

When armed rebels invaded southern Zaire from Angola in 1977 and 1978, Mobuto immediately claimed that the communist governments of Angola, Cuba and the Soviet Union were behind the invasions. As a result, Western governments - the US, France and Belgium - quickly sent aid to Mobuto.

Question 36

What effect did the end of the Cold War have on the situation in Zaire?

Answer 36

The end of the Cold War in 1989 had a radical effect on the situation in Zaire. The US no longer needed Mobuto as an anti-Soviet partner, and so was not prepared to step in and support its former ally. Without US support, Mobuto was overthrown in a civil war in 1997. He fled into exile where he died a few months later.