Case Study #2Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Outline Geography History Dictators Civil War Conflict Minerals

Geography

Brainstorm:

What do you think the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) looks like?

Geography

Geography

Second largest

country in Africa

¼ the size of the USA

Geography

Located on the equatorMidpoint between the polesAverage temperature: 25 ° C

Geography

Congo River• Deepest river in the

world• 3rd largest river in

the world• 9th longest river in

the world

Geography

Mt. Nyiragongo• Active volcano in the

DRC• One of the most

active in the world• One of the least

studied because of the constant warfare in the region

History

Before we go into the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo… we

need to go back and review the history of globalization…

Phases of Globalization (Dominant Western Perspective)

Phase One (2,000 BC - 1400): The Spread of Trade• Goods and ideas were spread by caravans, horses, & walking• Rise of Asian power• Land and sea routes are important (i.e. Silk Road)

Phase Two (1400 - 1950): Discovery and Expansion• Helped by advances in shipping• Started with Christopher Columbus sailing to the Caribbean• Rise of European expansion & imperialism• Widespread industrialization with the Industrial Revolution

Phase Three (1950 - present): Widespread Interconnectedness• Includes economic, social, political• Rapid growth of world markets• Instant communications• Rise of China and India as economic powers

History

Phases of Globalization (Dominant Western Perspective)

Phase One (2,000 BC - 1400): The Spread of Trade• Goods and ideas were spread by caravans, horses, & walking• Rise of Asian power• Land and sea routes are important (i.e. Silk Road)

Phase Two (1400 - 1950): Discovery and Expansion• Helped by advances in shipping• Started with Christopher Columbus sailing to the Caribbean• Rise of European expansion & imperialism• Widespread industrialization with the Industrial Revolution

Phase Three (1950 - present): Widespread Interconnectedness• Includes economic, social, political• Rapid growth of world markets• Instant communications• Rise of China and India as economic powers

History

During this

second phase,

the “Age of

Discovery,”

Europeans started exploring Africa…

History

ACTIVITY

Draw three scenes – one for each of the phases of globalization.

Draw the symbols, people, landscapes, and anything else you think you might

see/have seen during each of the phases of globalization

The Scramble for Africa

During the Age of Discovery, we saw Europeans establish settlements and trade posts along the coast of the African continent but there was little interest in the interior of Africa for many years….

What Changed? Why did people go to the interior?

History

The Scramble for AfricaTrade

• Increased European demand for raw materials unavailable in Europe, especially copper, cotton, rubber, cocoa, diamonds, and tea

• As trade increased, Africa offered cheap materials, limited competition, and abundant raw materials

Industrial Revolution• Industrialisation brought about rapid advancements in

transportation and communication, especially in the forms of steam navigation, railways, and telegraphs

Medical Advances • An effective treatment for malaria enabled vast expanses of

the tropics to be accessed by EuropeansStrategic Areas

• Gathering strategic military bases and trade route access (often good bargaining items)

History

The Suez Canal

The first interior place to

be thoroughly explored

The second place to be thoroughly

explored…

THE CONGO

History

Exploring the Congo

King Leopold II of Belgium

• King Léopold II of Belgium sparked the scramble for Africa • Why? He wanted more resources

• Went to Africa and claimed the Congo region

• Why? Rich in ivory and rubber – needed rubber for increasing amounts of tires…

• Brutal ruler – villages had quotas for production and if they didn’t meet them, they would get their hands cut off

• Used Propaganda - did not let knowledge of his atrocities get out and bribed publishers to write positive stories

History

Is this Propaganda?

PropagandaThings that are

used to persuade people

to accept a cause or a position by

presenting only one side of an

argument

Congo labourers who failed to meet rubber

collection quotas were often punished by having their hands

cut off

Leopold is rumored to have killed up to 16 million Congolese Indigenous people

A father in the Congo looks at the severed hand and foot of his five year old daughter

What do you think this cartoon is symbolizing?

What do you think this cartoon is trying to say?

Do you think Belgium was the ONLY Empire that wanted resources from

Africa…?

The Scramble for Africa

Was a period of invasion,

occupation, colonization and

annexation of African territory

by European powers between 1881 and World

War I in 1914

History

The Scramble for Africa

Berlin Conference (1884-1885): A conference among

the world’s imperial powers to split up Africa… no African

representatives were given a voice… or territory….

History

Berlin Conference

Fake Reason: “Humanitarianism“• Condemnation of the slave trade• Prohibition of the sale of alcoholic

beverages and firearms in certain regions

• Expressed concern for missionary activities

Real Reason: Establish Rules of Competition• No nation was to stake claims in

Africa without notifying other powers of its intentions.

• No territory could be formally claimed prior to being effectively occupied.

Real Life• The competitors ignored the rules

when convenient

History

Why are we learning this?

History: Activity Mission: Re-organize the classroom – what do

you think we should do?

Rules: Get into groups of five Read your handout & follow the directions Submit your proposal for the new classroom

design

History: ActivityDebrief:

How did you feel during this activity? Why did you compete with the other groups to claim

the furniture? Do you think this was a fair way to claim the furniture?

What might have been a better way? If unclaimed furniture remains, who should get it? Did anyone ask me how I thought the classroom

should be designed? How does this activity compare to the Scramble for

Africa?

History: Activity

Reflection

The scramble for African territories among European powers was like…

Create an analogy, finish the response, and create a drawing of the analogy

MY ANALOGY!?! Does it work? The scramble for African territories

among European powers was like… A game of Hungry Hungry Hippos!

History: Worksheet In groups of two, analyze the worksheet “The

Quest for Empire: Analyzing European Motives”

For each source, determine the motivation for empire building (Gold, Glory, God) and provide an explanation for your choice

Dictators

After WWII, many imperial powers pulled out of Africa…

This created a power-vacuum

In many African countries, imperialist powers were replaced by home-grown dictators

WHY?

Dictators

Power Vacuum? After WWII, the United

Nations was created Maintain peace &

promote cooperation

Created a charter that did not fit with imperialism and owning nations…

Dictators

UN Charter:

“…To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal

rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to

strengthen universal peace…”

DictatorsIndependence (June 30, 1960)

A President & PM were put in place but there was unrest…

Mobutu Sese Seko led a coup financed by the USA and Belgium (he opposed communism and they wanted to stop the spread of communism)

DictatorsMobutu

Mobutu declared himself head of state

Elections were held where he was the only candidate

Embezzled government funds and took international loans and placed them in his personal bank account

DictatorsBrainstorm!

What do you think the word “dictator” means?

What about “dictatorship?”

DictatorsDictator: A ruler who has complete control over

a nation

Dictatorship: A type of government where a single person rules with absolute power.

Civil War

Rwandan Civil War: Tutsis v. Hutus Tutsis were in control of the Rwandan government 1.2 million Hutus fled to the Congo – killed Tutsis in

the Congo Rwanda and Ugandan armies invaded the Congo…

overthrew Mobutu and Laurent-Kabila was the new leader

Civil war continued… Kabila was assassinated and his son, Joseph Kabila took over

Joseph called for multilateral help from the UN

Civil WarMultilateral Assistance – United Nations

Created a “United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)”

Negotiated a cease-fire agreement Oversaw the country’s first free and fair elections – Joseph

Kabila won Fighting still continues as different forces (rebel forces, Rwanda,

etc.) try to gain control of the Congo’s rich resources March 2013: The UN has given the peace-keeping organization

orders to “neutralize” and “disarm” rebel groups in the resource-rich east of the country…

To date, over 5 million people have died…

Conflict Minerals

What’s so valuable about Congo’s resources?

Conflict Resources

Brainstorm!

What is everything you can think of that is related to cell phones?

Conflict Resources

Brainstorm!

What is everything you can think of that is related to guns?

Conflict Resources

How do you think these might be related?

Conflict Minerals

Conflict Minerals

Documentary: Blood in the Mobile

Conflict MineralsCalculating the TRUE cost of a cell phone

Questions to Research & Answer:1. How are our cell phones linked to minerals in the Congo?2. Why are the Congo’s minerals called “conflict minerals?”3. How have conflict minerals have damaged Congo’s environment?4. Answer the following questions about life in the Congo:

a) Describe the life a mine worker in the Congo. b) Where does the Congo rank on the Human Development Index?

Explain what this index is and why you think the Congo might have its ranking.

c) How many people are killed each month in the Congo because of conflict minerals?

d) How has rape been used as a weapon in the Congo?5. Is there any legislation in place to protect the Congo and its people?

(Hint: Look into the Dodd-Frank law on conflict minerals)6. Look up the term “sustainable prosperity.” Do you think the Congo’s

conflict minerals are an example of sustainable prosperity? Why or why not?

Quiz ReviewTerms to know:

Phases of Globalization (Age of Discovery) Scramble for Africa Berlin Conference Annexation King Leopold Rubber War Propaganda Humanitarianism Dictator/Dictatorship United Nations Conflict minerals