2013/01/01 by Vincent Génin · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics #Decolonization #Context (archaeology) #Pariah group #Political science #Empire #Ethnology #Element (criminal law) #Humanities #Economic history #History #Politics #Law #Archaeology #Art
paper · doi:10.3406/rbph.2013.8477
openalex publication_date 2013/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
France and the Former Belgian Congo (1961-1965) : Interests and Influences in Mutation The history of the decolonization is inseparable of that of Western interests in recently decolonized states. The specific case of the Franco-Belgian relations offers a rich and unexplored research domain. While Belgium, as a consequence of the Congolese crisis, was treated as a pariah in the UN during the summer of 1960, it could however count on the support of France, itself confronted with the Algerian affair. On the basis of new archives, it is worth while studying the evolution of French policy in the ex-Belgian Congo from 1961 till 1965. France considered its overseas influence as a key element in its foreign policy ; did it invest as much energy in the former Belgian Congo as in its own former empire ? Which were the forms and the means (both official and informal) of this influence, and who were its protagonists ? To what extent did France adapt to the postcolonial context ? Did this problem affect the Franco-Belgian relations ?