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Created with Fabric.js 1.4.5 The Return on Rubber In 1884, the different leaders of Europe got together for The Berlin Conference in order to divide Africa amongst themselves. This was known as the Scramble for Africa.In this division of land, King Leopold II gained controlof the Congo, making it a colony of Belgium. In 1884, the different leaders of Europe got together for The Berlin Conference in order to divide Africa amongst themselves. This was known as the Scramble for Africa.In this division of land, King Leopold II gained controlof the Congo, making it a colony of Belgium. King Leopold II discovered rubber within the Congo soon after gaining control. He made a large fortune off of forcing the Congolese people to harvest the rubber for him and then selling it for a very high price. King Leopold II discovered rubber within the Congo soon after gaining control. He made a large fortune off of forcing the Congolese people to harvest the rubber for him and then selling it for a very high price. Rubber was sold as a commodity for a highprice because of the high demand for itworldwide. Rubber could be used tomanufacture many different productssuch as wheels for bicycles andautomobiles.The demand for rubberbegan in 1845, and the rubber boomoccurred in the 1890's-1900's. The highdemand for rubber pushed the IndustrialRevolution forward because with thisnew commodity, companies such asMichelin began adapting in order tocreate new products to sell that userubber. It led to the creation of morefactories, and in turn, more jobs forpeople. Because of these factoriesand the production of new items,the European countries such asBelgium that were collecting naturalresources from Africa became incrediblywealthy.King Leopold, for example, wasable to build new bridges, buildings, andparks which modernized Belgium. If the Congolese were unable to meet theirquota for the collection of rubber, The ForcePublique tortured and killed the people of theCongo. In order to prove that they had properlydisciplined those who failed to meet their quota,TheForce Publique chopped off their hands. As the pile ofhands of the Colgolese grew, so did the wealth of Belgium.From the beginning of Leopold's reign, the Congoexperienced a steep decrease in populationbecause of the abuse they experiencedabout10 million lives were lost from 18851908. If the Congolese were unable to meet theirquota for the collection of rubber, The ForcePublique tortured and killed the people of theCongo. In order to prove that they had properlydisciplined those who failed to meet their quota,TheForce Publique chopped off their hands. As the pile ofhands of the Colgolese grew, so did the wealth of Belgium.From the beginning of Leopold's reign, the Congoexperienced a steep decrease in populationbecause of the abuse they experienced-about10 million lives were lost from 1885-1908. 0 5 10 15 20 1885 1890 1895 1900 1910 Years Population number (in millions) Esmeralda Rodriguez Population Decrease in the Congo
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