Thesis: Imperialistic practices of Belgium in the early 20th century, such as overworking employees in the rubber industry, led directly to low literacy rates, high crime rates and an unstable economy today in the Republic of Congo.
Evidence: Belgians were drawn to imperialize the Congo because of its strategic location and the abundance of natural resources.
Analysis: That being said, that was the only reason the Belgians came. They had no interest in helping the Congo become a successful country, which was not the mind-set that Leopold the II wanted his troops to have. His troops knew that the only reason that they were there is to make a profit and if that meant killing ten million Congoniese …show more content…
With many generations of Belgian rule, the literacy rates were on a fast decline, which is why the literacy rates today are still relatively low.
Evidence: Although there are many reasons as to why the Congo’s economy is very poor and developing, the main reason is because when the Republic of Congo was under Belgian rule, the economy like I said before was primarily based on the export of rubber. So when the people gained control of the Congo again, the whole rubber industry crashed because nobody wanted to work in it. When the rubber industry crashed so did the whole economy.
Analysis: Ever since the Congo has been working to rebuild its economy. If it weren’t for imperialism, the Republic of Congo could be much different than it is today. It could have a flourishing economy and a stable government but because imperialism has affected the Congo so much negatively, it is not.
Evidence: Not all things that came with imperialism were negative. Although many people were treated poorly, the economy at the time was very successful. During WWII, Belgium was under German control, and therefore Belgium’s only way of profit was through the Congo. Many people from Belgium then immigrated over to the Republic of