by
LAUREN O.

NATIONAL FLAG OF CONGO:

LOCATION:

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONGO

Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza negotiated an agreement to establish Congo as a French territory.  The French wanted to take advantage of the rubber and ivory resources.   Once the French took over, the people of Congo didn’t like it very much. The French colonists treated the people of Congo very badly.  The French forced them into labor and abused them.

For the most part, colonization hurt the indigenous people of Congo.  They basically became slaves of the French people.  They were not allowed to go to school or earn money.  Even small children were forced into labor. The Congolese lost all of their rights.   French companies made money using the Congolese and selling the country’s natural resources, but this money was not used to improve the lives of the natives.  There was development of roads used to transport goods, but the French profited from this more than the natives did.

Finally, on August 15, 1960, Congo got its independence. This happened because in 1946, Congo was granted representation in the French parliament. Then, in 1958, Congo chose autonomy (to stand alone) within the French community. Congo got its independence two years later.  

Once Congo was independent, it continued to face problems.  Since the natives had been forced into labor for so long, there was a lack of education. In 1960, Congo contained fewer than thirty Africans with university training.  Congo had no public officers.  Doctors and engineers did not exist.  In addition, many conflicts and wars occurred in Congo because of all of its political disagreements.  Today, Congo is facing many problems that are the result of years of war.  There is a high unemployment rate, poverty, high death rate due to diseases and poor healthcare.  Poor water quality and lack of sanitation lead to many health problems.  Low education levels are still a huge problem. 

If The Republic of Congo had never been colonized, it would probably be very different today.  I think that there would be more original tribes and cultures that existed a long time ago. The Congolese probably would not have been forced to modernize.  For example, native Africans might still be living on undeveloped land all over the United States of America if not for colonization.  Also, Congo’s supply of rubber and ivory would not have been exported to the rest of the world using slave labor.

Works Cited

Flag and map courtesy of Microsoft Clipart Gallery.

Info Please. www.infoplease.com

All Refer Reference. www.reference.allrefer.com

Durost, Bruce and Fish, Becky. Congo

Lonely Planet. www.lonelyplanet.com

Central Intelligence Agency. www.cia.gov