Chapter VI
The following quarter of a century was a time of reckless expansion in Africa, solidification in Colombia, and festering social unrest at home and everywhere else. Nine events stand out:
The first large anarcho-liberal uprising in Belgium and Colombia took place in 1876 – though it was crushed rapidly, it offered a bitter taste of what was to come in the following decades, as Jacobins, anarcho-liberals, Colombian and Javan nationalists repeatedly rebelled, forcing the armies to be in constant alert, even for dangers from within their own ranks.
The Netherlands were incorporated in Belgium’s sphere of influence in December 1879. Their colonies would no longer be seen as competition in the chocolate trade. Portugal was also heavily influenced, but it ended up being contested by four great powers – Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and Spain, with no one holding influence over it for too long.
Almost a decade later, in 1888, after putting down an insurrection and chasing the rebels into the central mountains of Colombia, the Belgian Colombian armies were authorized to proceed past the free Colombian border, towards Bogota. A brief war ensued, at the end of which the last Colombian territory was annexed by Belgium.
In 1890, in an effort to alleviate the revolutionary clamors within the Belgian Empire, the socialist party (Belgische Werklieden Partij) was instated in the lower house. Its policy of free citizenship was expected to appease at least the Colombian and Javanese rebels, while the party could work on getting more support in the upper house to pass reforms, but rebellions continued to fester.
Though most social reforms, like a pension system or minimum wage were consistently blocked by the upper house, one reform that did materialize quickly was women’s suffrage, in 1892. Seeing as most of the revolutionarily-inclined people in Belgium and the colonies were men, that did little to appease them.
Large scale colonization of west Africa, but also Borneo, was carried out in the 1880s and 1890s. There was no competition from other colonial powers, and the best cocoa land was snatched as fast as it was possible.
In the early 1890s, with most of the more obvious colonization already conducted, young members of the Company had to come up with increasingly daring ways to distinguish themselves. No one was more impressive than a certain Mr. Kurtz, who pushed for the colonization of central Africa, deep in the Congo jungle. Many senior Gentlemen thought the idea foolhardy, but he was convinced that there was cocoa to be found there, and that it would greatly benefit Belgium’s mission to civilize the natives. With the Company’s blessings, he embarked on an expedition in the heart of the continent.
In 1899 the combined cultural, industrial and military status of Belgium reached such heights that it was thereafter seen as second only to the United Kingdom. It had already surpassed France in 1885 and Belgian prestige was sublime. Its military power was second in the world, while only the industry score lagged behind, with Belgium coming fourth after three countries with much larger home regions (but gaining on Russia).
Finally, France started its own large scale colonization of Africa, and a race begun to claim Dakar. It lies south of the 15th parallel and that was the border unilaterally set by the Company for Belgium’s colonial empire in Africa.
At the turn of the century, Belgium has accomplished much of what was proclaimed in 1836, at that policy meeting in the central offices of the Company, then still under construction. Belgian control over Indochina is almost complete, West Africa has largely been colonized south of the 15th parallel, with only Sokoto and some small European coastal colonies getting in the way, and Colombia is consolidated, though not pacified. Still, many challenges await. Ecuador and Venezuela, potential sources of cocoa, are yet to be brought under control, and the same goes for the USCA, which can no longer be influenced but is one casus belli away from invasion. In addition to chocolate, Belgium almost monopolizes the world’s supply of coffee, while its industry has taken a wide lead in the manufacture of telephones. Only a population ready to explode under unacceptable working conditions is a stain on Belgium’s reputation. Oh, and Mr. Kurtz. But we no longer talk about him at the Company.
(Great powers displayed on the map, with countries in their sphere of influence in lighter shades of the same colour)
