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Congofreestatestudysheet

The Congo Free State in 1885 relied on rubber collection for its economy. Rubber was collected from weak rubber vines by forcing native Africans through severe punishments including torture, death, and holding women as hostages. The rubber was sold to Belgium and greatly profited King Leopold II, who used the funds to build structures in Belgium. However, the rubber collection methods devastated the rubber vines and treated native people very cruelly, similar to slavery.

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56 views2 pages

Congofreestatestudysheet

The Congo Free State in 1885 relied on rubber collection for its economy. Rubber was collected from weak rubber vines by forcing native Africans through severe punishments including torture, death, and holding women as hostages. The rubber was sold to Belgium and greatly profited King Leopold II, who used the funds to build structures in Belgium. However, the rubber collection methods devastated the rubber vines and treated native people very cruelly, similar to slavery.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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Congo Free State - 1885 Economy

Based on the collection of rubber from rubber vines


These vines were a lot less sturdy than rubber trees
Some profit was made from the collection of minerals
The rubber was sold to Belgium nations to be used in the fabrication of tires
This greatly helped Belgiums economy, given that the transportation industry
was beginning to evolve into motorized vehicles
The rubber vines were very weak and could not endure the extreme strain of
continuously collecting rubber from them
Because of this, they eventually wore out
Rubber was so valuable that Congo citizens were taxed with rubber, with severe
punishments on those who did not obey them
These punishments included torture, destroying of their houses, and death
The end goal was to maximize the profit made from the rubber
There were rewards for those who collected more rubber
Very similar to slavery, if not worse
Native Africans were forced to collect rubber
Those who did not attain their quotas were killed
Women were held as hostages until the quotas were met
Leopold used the profits to build extremely nice buildings in Belgium

Political:
King Leopold II ruled the Congo free State during 1885
Gained the congo state by convincing the Europeans using personal diplomacy to give
him a large piece of the congo
Largely due to the Committee for Studies of the Upper Congo
He wanted Belgium to join the European Empires in the imperialistic race
Leopold christianized the Congolese
Turned the congo from a vanity possession to a slave plantation
Used methods such as lashings and killings
Encouraged the Congolese to reach their goals by abducting and threatening
family
Unruly slaves would have their hand cut off and the soldier would keep it as a
sign of control
Arab slave traders died in the state of Congo after their leader was killed
Rebellions started in 1891 after Leopolds troops shot a Congo leader, Msiri
The only form of transport was by the river, until the railroad was created
Belgians had to take control of the state to stop the horror of the slaves
The total killed is estimated to be around 2 to 15 million, making leopold one of history's
top ten mass murderers
The congo diplomacy is relatable to Hitlers lebensraum

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