1908-1918 History of Central Africa Belgian Congo
1939-1960








Belgian Congo, 1918-1939



Governors General
1916-1921
1921-1923
1923-1927
1927-1934
1934-1946 		Eugene Henry
Maurice Lippens
Martin Rutten
Auguste Tilkens
Pierre Ryckmans

The Belgian colonial administration was little interested in getting the local population involved in political life; the administration's attitude is referred to as PATERNALISM.
In 1926, the seat of administration was moved from Boma to LEOPOLDVILLE, modern Kinshasa. Economically, the emphasis lay in the development of the economy, especially the mining industry - copper, diamonds, uranium.
The League of Nations mandates RUANDA and URUNDI, although treated as separate entities, were administrated from Leopoldville.
Under Belgian rule, Catholic missionaries were active, introducing schooling and western medicine to rural areas.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Library of Congress, Country Studies : Zaire
Links to the History of Zaire/Congo, from Ideology in the Schoolbooks in the Belgian Congo, by Honore Vinck, from ABBOT
D.R. du Congo, from Atlas Universalis, encyclopedic description of gepgraphy and history (scroll down for Kimbanguisme); in French
DOCUMENTS Flag of Belgian Congo, from FOTW
Convention revising the General Act of Berlin of 26 February 1885 and the General Act and Declaration of Brussels of 2 July 1890, St. Germain-en-Laye 1919, from Australian Treaty Series 1920 No.17
Message by Mr. Renquin, Ministry of Colonies, to the Missionaries in the Congo, 1920, from Contre la censure, le clericalisme et les religions
Map : Carte de l'organisation administrative en 1929, from CoBelCo
Online Stamp & Post Card Catalogue Belgian Congo, by Guy van Rijn, in French
REFERENCE Robert Cornevin, Histoire du Congo des origines prehistoriques a la Republique Democratique du Congo, Paris : Berger Levrault 1970, 391 pp.
Books on Congolese history from Afrique en Livres, French language titles only
Article : Belgian Congo, in : Statesman's Yearbook 1919 pp.698-703, 1924 pp.692-697, 1925 pp.702-708, 1926 pp.681-686, 1928 pp.689-695, 1929 pp.683-689, 1932 pp.688-694, 1937 pp.722-728 [G]
Article : Belgian Congo, in : Americana Annual 1927 pp.95-96, 1928 pp.85-86, 1930 pp.100-101, 1931 pp.102-103, 1932 p.101, 1933 pp.91-92, 1934 pp.105-106, 1935 pp.92-93, 1936 p.84, 1937 p.72 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on August 22nd 2007

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