Leopold's colonization of Congo and its social, political, economic impacts

Imperialisms in Congo

Imperialism in Congo

The concept of Renewed Imperialism was prominent during the nineteen century. This period saw many European nations invade Africa and scrambled for nations that they were able to colonize. The effects of this period are still being felt by many African countries up-to-date as is the case with Congo. The influences of the colonizers are thought to have caused varied levels of destruction to many communities and the nations as a whole. For instance, the Leopold treatment of Congo is one of the major blows that came with colonization in Africa. Almost all the African nations were explored by Europeans and many other non-Africans who were on different missions. The innate aspect of colonization was felt in the fields of the economy, the social structures, and the political avenues. These colonies were regarded as imperial to the natural occurrence of change in the African countries. In order to have a working avenue in the field, there was a likelihood of slavery, destruction, and discrimination used by the colonizers. Nonetheless, the period of renewed imperialism affected differently to the African countries (Stanard 2012, p. 67-89).

The impact of the imperial governments and activities were dissimilar between different African countries. Colonization came to Africa as a way of having renewed avenues of leadership, dominance, and determination of the future prosperity of these nations. In many cases, the absolute intention of many colonizers was to have a dominion of the African nations as a way of having more power and material power in the region. The colonial masters had to use internal rifts as a way of trying to have their preferred stations and make them their colony. In the end, the people who suffered are said to have been the Africans. As replicated in Congo, many people of the African origin were subjected to slavery, death, and many of them were killed in the entire process.

The activities that characterized the imperial process were the colonization of the African nations coupled with the establishment of the boundaries. These marked dominance of one nation over the other. Initially, Congo was under the dominance of the Belgium colonizers. The colonization process was fierce and left many people of Congo origin to be subjected to racial discrimination even after the departure of the people of the European origin. The renewed imperialism has its impacts in the different sectors of human life including the political, social, and economic sectors.

How European imperialism impacted the African Congo

Social

The social structures in many African countries like Congo was ruined with the entry of the European colonies as experienced during the renewed imperial times. The United States and other nations like Japan used these avenues to foster their imperial ideologies. They played a critical role in defining the general terms and conditions that Africans experienced. The social structures initially existing had to be destroyed as a way of establishing the forceful dominance of the colonizers. The colonizers in Congo had to take dominion right from the avenues of leadership and social stratification that had been established by the Africans. As a way of having a full dominance of the people, the colonizers had to invade and destroy on the existing avenues of social leadership and implanted their own directives. In such a case, it became difficult for many Africans to engage in their initial way of managing the available social structures.

The departure of the colonies at the end of the renewed imperialism led to the destruction of the established African social events and activities. For instance, the departing Europeans left without any major plans on how the innate Africans could proceed with their lives. In the end, the existing Africans had to restart their drives of eliciting a strong avenue of managing the available avenues of growth and development in the region.

The establishment of the boundaries in Congo did not make any consideration of the existing African social forms of living. According to the Berlin order, that had no African consent, the new boundaries had to be established as a way of making way for future dominion of the colonizers. This happened in Congo as in many other African countries. The existing African societies had to be destroyed with the entry of new governments and other governments. At the end of the renewed imperial system, the colonizers left Congo without any major establishment in terms of the social foundations that could enable the African residents to continue developing on the existing foundations of life. When the colonizers were in the country, many other sectors like the economic avenues together with the political movements did not involve many Africans. This showed that immediately the colonizers left Congo, the Africans had to suffer the consequences of having to restart building on new mechanisms of growth and development in the region.

The efforts that initiated the destruction of the renewed imperial leadership and dominion came with struggles making the Africans to fight and succumb to deaths in the process. Eventually, the end mark was the destruction or creation of an imbalance in the manner in which people are able to access the available avenues of growth and development in the region. The social structures that had been established by the Europeans had to be destroyed as a way of establishing new mechanisms of growth and development in the region. The result of having to dwell with a strong movement they resulted in the establishment of the boundaries of life had to be a major boost to the creation of new social structures in the region. Moreover, the major structures of development were directed at having a new life after the departure of the Europeans and their new imperial systems in place. The major destructive features were realized from the fact that the departure of the Europeans left the Africans with further harm.

Economic impacts

The economic stability of Congo was not in any safer state before the start of the renewed imperialism. The renewed imperialism resulted in what is today a major blow to the African economy. The economic plans that had been put by the African countries were less of future growths and developments. This means that the departure of the Europeans from Congo left many economies in turmoil. Congo is one of the nations in the world that is suffering from poor economic structures.

These structures are dated back to the time of colonization. Moreover, the political unrests in the region have forced many investors, and economic builders to abandon Congo and engage with other African countries like Kenya and Nigeria together with South Africa. The hard economic conditions that are being experienced by Congo together with other nations has its basement from the impacts of the renewed imperialism as practiced by the United States of America and Japan among some other African countries (Olson & Shadle 1991, p. 89). The African countries have to engage in new structures of building their economic stabilities in order to remain and strong forces in the economic sectors of the world.