Independent Africa: The Congo (Grade 12) (P2)

Question 1

Under which country and for how long was the Congo a colony?

Answer 1

The Congo was colonised by Belgium from 1878-1959
and was one of the wealthiest colonies in Africa

Question 2

What were the features of Belgian colonial rule?

Answer 2

Belgium practised paternalist colonialism.
- exploited for its resources (rubber in particular
- high taxes
- forced labour
- limited secondary education (nothing higher)
- Nearly 10 million died under King
Leopold’s Rule (1885 – 1908)

Question 3

How did colonialism affect the Congo politically and socially?

Answer 3

• No political opportunities for Africans (Belgian administrators treated Africans as children)
• No representation at the central government level
• No political parties allowed
• small educated elite
• 30 university graduates out of a population of 14 million

Question 4

How did colonialism affect the Congo economically?

Answer 4

• an economy based on raw resources (cotton rubber, copper, tin, diamonds)
• Belgian mining companies and plantations
• Profits taken to Belgium, not Congo
• workers abused, exploited, and underpaid
• local industries began to be established only after WW2
• one of the richest colonies, but only for the colonisers

Question 5

How did Belgium feel about African Nationalism?

Answer 5

Belgium was determined to hold onto the Congo:
- attempted to contain nationalist ideas
- political parties still banned
- no independent African newspapers allowed

Question 6

Name the two important nationalist movements that formed in the Congo and their leaders

Answer 6

• Joseph Kasavubu – Alliance des Ba-Kongo
  (ABAKO)
• Patrice Lumumba – Mouvement National
  Congolais (MNC)

Question 7

Explain the Leopoldville riots and what resulted from them

Answer 7

• 1959
• demonstrators destroyed govt
  buildings and churches in anger of unemployment, discrimination and
  overcrowding in the Congo
• Belgium decided to grant
  independence immediately, allowing for its first democratic elections
• (hoping to maintain control
  because of the inexperience of
  politicians)

Question 8

Explain the difficulties of the 1960s elections

Answer 8

• Around 120 parties registered between May 1959 and May 1960, almost all of which were formed around 1 of the Congo’s 200 ethnic groups
• The divisions along ethnic lines made the Congo vulnerable to power
  struggles

Question 9

When did the Congo gain political independence?

Answer 9

30 June 1960

Question 10

What did the Congo’s independence look like right after the elections?

Answer 10

• Belgium kept control of the economy and military
• MNC won most seats but the polls were very close
• Patrice Lumumba was named Prime Minister. (Wanted a strong central government)
• Joseph Kasavubu was named President. (Wanted a loose federation with regional autonomy)

Question 11

What two problems faced the country right after it became independent?

Answer 11

1. Congolese Army (The
   Force Publique) mutiny
   against their Belgian
   officers, attacking Belgian civilians and their property
   - Lumumba replaced all Belgian officers with Congolese ones
2. The secession of Kasai (backed by the USSR) and Katanga (declared independent territory)

Question 12

How and why did Katanga break away from the Congo? What did this lead to?

Answer 12

• Leader Moise Tshombe wanted to take advantage of the Katanga province’s mineral richness (especially in Uranium)
• Katanga was backed by Belgian mining companies who sent troops and weapons
• This was justified by the protection of Belgian nationals and colonial rule/control
• Civil war broke out between the succeeding states and the rest of the Congo

Question 13

In what way did Lumumba try to find support to quell the foreign support of Katanga and Kasai?

Answer 13

Lumumba appealed to the UN (United Nations) for help to restore order by re-uniting the country and removing the Belgian troops

Question 14

Was the UN effective in helping Lumumba restore order in the Congo?

Answer 14

No.

• UN peacekeepers refused to help put down the Katangan rebellion.
  The UN was not willing to use force against them

Question 15

Who did Lumumba appeal to for help after the UN failed him?

Answer 15

The USSR

Question 16

What did inviting the Soviet Union into the Congo in a bid to restore order result in?

Answer 16

• The USSR sent Soviet technitians and aid to help put down the (Belgian supported) Katangan rebellion
• The US and other western powers took notice as cold war tensions rose around the Congo
• The Congo became a zone of Cold War rivalry

Question 17

How did the US respond to Soviet involvement in the Congo?

Answer 17

• President Eisenhower furious
  that the USSR attempted to establish a power base in Africa
• CIA become involved and were authorised to ‘eliminate’ Lumumba
• Tshombe of Katanga and Belgian authorities support the CIA’s plan

Question 18

How did the government of the Congo break down after the US and USSR’s involvement in the civil war?

Answer 18

• President Kasavuba deposed Lumumba from his role as prime minister and placed him under house arrest
• Lumumba, upset at this, announces his dismissle of Kasavuba’s presidency
• Confusion and Chaos spread in the Congo as nobody is sure of who’s in-charge

Question 19

Who declared a coup d’ état of the Congo as the government collapsed in and how did he carry it out? When? (First coup)

Answer 19

Joseph Mobutu (head of the Congolese army) declared a military coup of the Congo in June 1960

• Expelled the Soviets and arrested Lumumba, with the support of the US
• Sets up a Congolese Govt with Kasavubu as president again

Question 20

When was Patrice Lumumba murdered?

Answer 20

17 january 1961

Question 21

How was Patrice Lumumba assassinated?

Answer 21

• Mobutu, Tshombe, CIA, and Belgian agents all involved
• Lumumba was imprisoned by Mobutu for 2
  months and then handed over to Tshombe
  and Belgian officers before being executed by firing squad

Question 22

How was Lumumba’s memory held in the eyes of the people?

Answer 22

• Patrice Lumumba became a martyr for communists and African nationalists
• Became a symbol of opposition to foreign
  intervention
• Lumumba was a much loved figure because:
• Support for a truly national government
• Open criticism of Belgian colonialism
• Support for pan-Africanism

Question 23

What did Mobutu do after Lumumba’s assassination? (4 years later)

Answer 23

• 1965
• Mobutu seized power, establishing a one-party state
• The party in question:
  the Popular Movement of
  the Revolution (Mouvement Populaire
  de la Revolution – MPR)
• Mobutu managed to re-integrate the breakaway provinces of Katai and Katanga
• Changed the name of the Congo to Zaire in 1971

Question 24

Why did Mobutu receive substantial support from the US?

Answer 24

• Seen as an ally against the USSR (Mobutu was the one who sent them away from the country)
• The mineral wealth of Zaire was attractive to the US (copper, cobalt,
  industrial diamonds)

Question 25

What did Joseph Mobutu change his name to?

Answer 25

Joseph Mobutu -> Mobutu Sese Seko

Question 26

What was the nature of Mobutu's rule over the Congo/Zaire?

Answer 26

- Corrupt and dictatorial - focused on increasing his profits and power - the army and police acted as his personal bodyguards and crushed any political opposition (torture, cruelty, public hangings) - the constant switching of ministers (in order to avoid political rivals from emerging) led to a poorly governed country

Question 27

What were Mobutu's economic policies?

Answer 27

- 1970s - Copper formed 40% of export earnings - Mobutu used profits from Copper mining to start a 10-year industrialization program: - Inga hydroelectric dam was the biggest project - Steel mill built in Kinshasa - A power line that stretched across the Congo commissioned

Question 28

What about Mobutu's economic policies changed as Zairianisation began?

Answer 28

- Mobutu nationalized 2000 foreign-owned companies (essentially rinsing them of all profit for himself) - Establishes a kleptocracy

Question 29

Explain what a kleptocracy is

Answer 29

- When corrupt leaders use political power to steal the wealth of the land & people they govern. Then rewarding family and friends with state land and resources, industries, facilities, sectors of the economy etc. - Economy plundered – nepotism, corruption, mismanagement

Question 30

What were the details of Zaire's economic crisis?

Answer 30

- Civil servants went unpaid - Soldiers set up roadblocks and extort money from civilians - Hospital staff sell medicines - All infrastructure begins to collapse into chaos - Everyone becomes entangled in the web of corruption All in Zaire suffer as a consequence - Zaire goes bankrupt, turning to massive borrowing and aid deals to avoid total collapse (More under the influence of the West) (Neo-colonialism established in Zaire)

Question 31

Explain Authenticité

Answer 31

Cultural and Political Shift: - Mobutu encouraged the adoption of "Authenticité" measures, which included renaming the country from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Zaire, and promoting the use of Indigenous names, customs, and traditions - encourage national pride: “An increased awareness of indigenous African beliefs and practices”

Question 32

What was Zairianisation's impact on foreign relations?

Answer 32

- The policy alienated Western allies, particularly the U.S. and European countries, that had significant investments in the Congo. - Mobutu sought to assert independence from foreign powers - Zairianization strained the economy, leading to reliance on foreign aid and loans, despite the nationalistic rhetoric.

Question 33

How did Zairianisation impact education in the country?

Answer 33

- focus on primary education in French - the system favoured the urban elite - replaced free schooling with paid schooling

Question 34

What plans were involved in implementing Mobutu’s vision of Zaire?

Answer 34

Authenticité - increased awareness of indigenous African beliefs and practises Zairianization - nationalisation of foreign owned small businesses Mobutuism- Zaire’s official state policy. Personality cult