Congo Central Africa Case Study

With reference to economic, political and/or international relations, explain the appeal of the Congo to the great colonial powers in Europe.

The Central African region where the Congo is located had held European interest since the 1500’s, when the Portuguese first began the slave trade. After the slave trade, powers in Europe began to realize the potential of the African continent for colonial interests. Thus began the scramble for Africa, dividing the continent between several European countries. The Congo appealed to the colonial powers in Europe due to the availability of raw materials, as well as the tantalizing lure of wealth and power. After the Industrial Revolution took hold in Europe, industrial powerhouses realized they would need a new source for materials if they were to continue manufacturing. Africa was the best place to collect new materials such as the rubber and ivory found in the Congo. Not only were raw materials readily available in the Congo, but so were native peoples to serve as slaves and consumers for manufactured goods. This would be very beneficial for European powers. So, once they realized the resources that could be uncovered in the Congo region, they began to colonize, forever disrupting the peace that was …show more content…
King Leopold took full advantage of this possibility, buying the Congo for himself, claiming he was leading a humanitarian effort for the peoples of the Congo. However, he was instead exploiting the natives of the Congo to gain wealth, forcing the Congolese to work for him collecting rubber for manufacturing uses. The Congo’s resources were a great asset to King Leopold, and in his effort to collect the wealth of the Congo, the native people and native culture suffered. Still, the lure of the Congo was so strong that King Leopold, as well as other European countries could not