Were there Belgians who were known for their opposition to the Belgian colonization plans and their effective implementation?

Answer

Hi William,

There was indeed Belgian opposition to the colonization plans of both Leopold I and Leopold II, albeit for very different reasons. That is also the reason why no colony was created under both monarchs, but a ‘Free State’ under the personal care of Leopold II. Forces pro and contra kept each other in balance… Socialists in parliament in particular were opposed to government loans to the Association Internationale du Congo.

When the Free State was handed over to the Belgian state in 1909, there were also opponents, especially in the socialist quarter: Georges Hubin, Louis de Brouckère, Hubert Debarsy, Georges Grimard, Henri La Fontaine, Hector Denis… Ultimately, the BWP would vote against the takeover, except for a number of deductions. However, those socialist leaders did not do so for the same reasons: a colony would be bad for the Belgian workers, the country would better become an international colony so that all the burden would not lie with the Belgian state, the Congolese economy would be or become loss-making. Fundamentally anti-racist and anti-colonial motives are hard to find in Belgian archives. The BWP resistance to a Belgian colonization of the Congo almost completely melted away in the 1910s.

This is perhaps best illustrated by the cover of Emile Vandervelde: under Leopold II, he was an outspoken critic of the treatment of the Congolese population, which is why he became a fierce champion of the Belgian state, which he believed was the only way to rectify the situation: Belgians had to civilize the Congolese, but without the excesses of yesteryear. From anti- to pro-colonialist…