Which African countries did Belgium colonize?

Answer 1

The mastermind of the Belgian colonies in Africa was King Leopold II of Belgium. He wished to acquire overseas territories to compete against other empires and to bring riches to himself. In 1876 King Leopold hosted a conference in Belgium that brought nearly forty well-educated philanthropists and experts together to form a organization for humanitarian efforts in Africa: The International African Association. The original premise of the "IAA" was to help develop and modernize the impoverished and nearly untouched region of Africa now known as the Congo. Soon, though, Leopold was able to take over the Association while promising that he was only doing it for humanitarian efforts (a lie that fooled many). The idea of a humanitarian association helping Africans modernize soon collapsed as Leopold took over the society and basically booted out the people wishing to do good. Leopold founded the Congo Free State in 1885, his own personal colony. Conditions in the Free State were harsh and brutal, as he used the populace to exploit the riches of the land. Whole villages were forced to work for Leopold, and if they didn't meet their quotas they were tortured, mutilated and even killed. A grim society emerged in the Congo as body parts were used as a morbid sort of currency and status symbol (something that never happened in other nation's colonies). Death was rampant and poverty was widespread as Leopold became more and more powerful. As millions died and the whole nation became enslaved, international knowledge of the crimes being committed in the Congo grew. Europeans and Americans founded the Congo Reform Association in 1904 to spread knowledge of the Congo and fight Leopold's tyrannical reign. In 1908, due to pressure from the Belgian public and other nations, as well as diplomatic maneuvers, Leopold was forced to hand his colony over to the Belgian Government (who previously had no control over the Congo). Even as conditions improved in the new Belgian Congo, Leopold's tyrannical and bloody reign scarred the area and gave a bad name to European Empires and colonies in general. Conditions in the Congo improved after the Belgian government's takeover, and by time World War one started in 1914, much of the Congolese populace was loyal to the government. Congolese forces helped fight the neighboring German colonies during the war, and soon after the war ended in 1918 the Belgians came under control of a new African possession: Ruanda-Urundi. Ruanda-Urundi had formerly been part of German East Africa, but Belgian forces occupied the territory during the war and were rewarded with control over the land. Ruanda-Urundi was a mandate of Belgium, which meant it wasn't a colony; it was a territory governed by Belgium for the advancement of freedom and modernity. When World War II started in 1939 the Belgian African possessions once again remained loyal to their mother country. Even when the government was exiled to England after the German occupation of Belgium in 1940 the still-free African colonies remained loyal to the allies and aided them throughout the war. Congolese soldiers aided the allies in the East African campaign against the Axis Italian colonies, as well as in the Burma campaign against the Japanese. The Congo produced much needed materials such as gold and uranium for the allies, as well. During this time, however, the formations of a Congolese independence movement became somewhat obvious. The Congolese independence movement gained steam throughout the 1950's, and in 1958 rioting against the Belgian authorities in the Congo led the government to announce they would work towards Congolese independence. The Belgian Congo became independent as the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 30, 1960. Preparations for the independence of Ruanda-Urundi continued, and on July 1, 1962 Belgium's last little African territory became independent as two new nations: Rwanda and Burundi.

Answer 2

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