Why Europeans were interested in
C Africa
 Natural Resources
 Exploitation
 Colonization
Henry Morton Stanley
 Famous explorer / journalist
 Claimed the Congo River basin
for
King Leopold II of Belgium
 In search of Dr. Livingston
 Responsible for the deaths of
many Africans in the Congo
Dr. Livingston
 Medical missionary and explorer of Africa
 London Missionary Society
 First European to cross the interior of
Africa
 Lost contact with the outside world and
was found by H. M. Stanley
 Died in Africa
C Africa Before, During and After
WWII
C Africa Before, During and After
WWII
 Almost all of Africa was under colonial rule during




WWII
Not until after the war did independence movements
gain support
European countries were left weak after WWII
However most countries were not given support or
prepared for self rule
As a result may bloody conflicts erupted
C Africa Before, During and After
WWII
Country
Year of Independence
Cameroon
1960
Democratic Republic of the Congo
1960
Central African Republic
1960
The Congo
1960
Gabon
1960
Rwanda
1962
Burundi
1962
Zambia
1964
Equatorial Guinea
1968
Angola
1975
Gabon
 Became independent in 1960
 Omar Bongo 1935-2009
 Second President of Gabon
 World’s longest serving
non-monarch ruler
 One of world’s wealthiest heads
of state
 Speculation of corruption from
country’s oil money profits
Republic of the Congo
 Gained independence in 1960 from
Belgium
 Patrice Lumumba
 Independence leader and first
elected Prime Minister
 Only lasted 10 months
 Congo Crisis
 Lumumba was ousted by a military
coup, imprisoned and executed by
firing squad
 Coup was supported by the US
government
Ziare
 Sese Seko takes control of the Congo




with the support of the US
Wanted to purge country of colonial
past
Created an authoritarian gov’t
Was corrupt
Over thrown in the First
Congo War
Democratic Republic of
the Congo
 Renamed again after the First Congo War
 Laurent Kabila was the first President
 Promised reform but never happened
 He was assassinated by his body guards
 Joseph Kabila
 Son of Laurent took over country after his
father’s death
 Thought to be inexperienced
 Rebuilt relations with the West and made
reforms
 Ended the Second Congo War
Other Issues in C. Africa
 Deforestation
 Commercial companies are cutting
down the rainforests in C. Africa
 Wildlife Poaching
 Animals such as gorillas, elephants,
and rinos are killed and harvested for
their value on the black market