Belgian Congo Rubber Trade

état indépendant du congo.

Belgian congo rubber trade.

After the berlin conference of 1884 the 905 000 square miles of the belgian congo now the democratic republic of the congo became the personal property of king leopold ii of belgium. The scheme was a huge success. The abir congo company founded as the anglo belgian india rubber company exploited natural rubber in the congo free state the private property of king leopold ii of belgium. Kongo vrijstaat was a large state in central africa from 1885 to 1908.

Murder and mutilation were common. The company was founded with british and belgian capital and was based in belgium. In the period from 1885 to 1908 many well documented atrocities were perpetrated in the congo free state today the democratic republic of the congo which at the time was a colony under the personal rule of king leopold ii of the belgians these atrocities were particularly associated with the labour policies used to collect natural rubber for export. By 1902 the price of rubber had risen 15 times in eight years and it constituted 80 per cent of the exports of the congo free state as leopold had dubbed it.

It was privately owned by leopold ii not by the government of belgium of which he was the constitutional monarch leopold was able to procure the region by convincing other eurasian states at the berlin. The congo free state also known as the independent state of the congo french.