Congo Reform Association

Historical Context Essay

Nils Clausson (University of Regina)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Domains

Organisations and institutions (political)
Reform movements and reformers

Dates

Date of occurrence 1904-03

Places

United Kingdom (Location)
Congo (Involved)
Republic of the Congo (Involved)

Resources

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In March, 1904, Dr. Henry Grattan Guinness (an African missionary), Edmund Dene Morel (a journalist), and Roger Casement (a diplomat and author of the 1904

Casement Report

on the Congo) founded the Congo Reform Association to call international attention to the exploitation of Africans in the Congo Free State, which at the time was the personal fiefdom of Queen Victoria’s cousin, King Léopold II of Belgium. Since 1885 Léopold had owned the Congolese state (granted to him by the Berlin Conference) and had been exploiting its natural resources (mostly rubber) for his own private wealth. For many years prior to Casement’s Report and the formation of the Congo Reform Association, there were rumours and reports from the Congo alleging widespread human rights abuses and exploitation of…

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739 words

Citation: Clausson, Nils. "Congo Reform Association". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 December 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=13893, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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