1918-1939 History of Central Africa Congo Leopoldville
1960-1971






Belgian Congo, 1939-1960



Governors General
1934-1946
1946-1952
1952-1958
1958-1960 		Pierre Ryckmans
Eugene Jungers
Leon Petillon
Henri Cornelis

In 1939 World War II began, and in 1940 Belgium again was occupied by the Germans. This time, the King cooperated with the Germans; the Belgian Congo, however, was loyal to the democratic Belgian government-in-exile in London. Congolese troops fought in the Abyssinia campaign. A strike by miners in Katanga (Nov. 1941) triggered a Congo-wide strike in December. Congo's mineral deposits and it's supplies of natural rubber made the country valuable to the allied war effort; Congolese URANIUM was critical to the American nuclear bomb development. In September 1944, a revolt broke out among African soldiers in the Belgian Congo.
In the years following the War, the United Nations pressed for democratic reforms. A new generation of Africans, many of whom with a western education, became politically organized. These organizations often were based on certain ethnies.
In 1955, Belgium announced a 30 year plan for the the transition to democracy and independence, eyed for 1985. Local elections were held in 1957. Leading Congolese politicians were PATRIC LUMUMBA and JOSEPH KASAVUBU; things soon got out of hand, and in 1960, independence was proclaimed. Immediately, MOISE TSHOMBE's KATANGA seceded, the country erupted in violence. The country's white population was evacuated.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		The Belgian Congo, from Democratic Republic of Congo Homepage
Library of Congress, Country Studies : Zaire
Democratic Republic of Congo, History of, from Infoplease
Patrice Lumumba, Biography of, from Infoplease
Jean Kasavubu, Biography of, from Infoplease
Congo Song by Stuart Cloete, from The Friends of Togo Guide to Books about Africa , book review on propagandists activity in the Belgian Congo 1943
African History Timeline : World War II, compiled by Jim Jones
Timeline of Congolese History, from Congo Online, in French
Radio in Belgian Congo (Unoccupied Belgium), from RVI, in English
Andries Dequae, De zelfgenoegzaamheid van een koloniaal bestuur (1950-1954) (The austerity of a colonial administration, 1950-1954), by Bram Cleys, diss. Leuven 2002, in Dutch
Congo 1955-1960 De aanloop naar de onafhankelijkheid. Een analyse van de berichtgeving in drie Vlaamse kranten: De Standaard, Vooruit, Het Laatste Nieuws. (Congo 1955-1960; The Road to Independence. An analysis of coverage in three Flemish newspapers) by Isabelle Ferrand, diss. Gent 2001, in Dutch
De buitenlandse betrekkingen van Belgisch Congo aan de vooravond van de Tweede Wereldoorlog (1939-1940) (Foreign relations of the Belgian Congo on the eve of WW II, 1939-1940), by Benoit van Maele, diss. Gent 1999, in Dutch
DOCUMENTS Flag of Belgian Congo, from FOTW
Banknotes of the Belgian Congo, from Ron Wise's World Paper Money
Map : Carte de l'organisation administrative en 1940, Carte de l'organisation administrative en 1960, from CoBelCo
Radio Congo interview with King Baudouin, 1958, from RTBF, in French
Radio programme on the Riots in Congo, Jan. 4th 1959, from RTBF, in French
Online Stamp & Post Card Catalogue Belgian Congo, by Guy van Rijn, in French
REFERENCE Chapter 32 : Congo I : Belgian Policy in Africa, pp.646-668; 33 : Congo II : Uranium, Giants, Pygmies, pp.669-690, in : John Gunther, Inside Africa, NY : Harper & Bros. (1953) 1955 [G]
Robert Cornevin, Histoire du Congo des origins prehistoriques a la Republique Democratique du Congo, Paris : Berger Levrault 1970, 391 pp.
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1944 p.106, 1945 p.103, 1946 pp.116-117, 1947 pp.121-122, 1948 p.116, 1949 pp.97-98, 1950 pp.105-106, 1951 p.103, 1952 p.99, 1953 pp.99-100, 1954 p.98, 1955 p.159, 1956 pp.99-100, 1957 p.158, 1958 p.98 [G]
Article Belgian Overseas Territories, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1959 pp.100-101 [G]
Article : Belgian Congo, in : Statesman's Year Book 1943 pp.724-729 [G]
Article : Belgian Congo, in : Americana Annual 1943 pp.96-97, 1944 p.88, 1945 pp.89-90, 1946 pp.95-96, 1947 pp.74-75, 1957 pp.84-85 [G]



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First posted in 2001, last revised on August 25th 2007

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