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( Belgian colonial empire)
The Belgian colonial empire consisted of three colonies possessed by Belgium between 1901 to 1962. This empire was unlike those of the major European imperial powers since roughly 98% of it was just one colony (about 76 times larger than Belgium) — the Belgian Congo — and that had originated as the private property of the country's king, King Leopold II, rather than being gained through the political action of the Belgian state. There was a tendency within Belgium to refer to its overseas possessions as 'the colonies' rather than 'the empire' - unlike Britain, France, Germany or Austria, Belgium never had a monarch called an "Emperor".[1] The phrase "Belgian empire" is sometimes used in a derogatory sense in Britain and France to refer to the European Community, head-quartered in Brussels[2] Belgium itself had only been independent since 1830, prior to that it was part of the Netherlands (and had a role in that country's colonies) or of France, or was governed by Spain or Austria. By the time independent Belgium might have been in a position to consider an overseas empire, major imperial powers such as the United Kingdom and France already had the most economically promising territories for colonisation within their spheres of influence. Leopold II tried to interest his government in establishing colonies but it lacked the resources to develop the candidate territories and turned down his plans. Leopold II exploited the Congo for its natural rubber which was starting to became a valuable commodity. His regime in the Congo operated as a forced labour colony, with murder and mutilation as punishment for villagers who did not collect and supply the rubber quota they were given. It is estimated that millions of Congolese died during this time.[3] Although the Congo Free State was not officially a Belgian colony, Belgium was its chief beneficiary, in terms of its trade, the employment of its citizens, and the wealth which Leopold extracted which was used for the construction of numerous fine public buildings in Brussels, Ostend and Antwerp. This led to him being remembered in Belgium today as the 'Builder-King'. Through the Royal Trust he left most of his property to the nation.
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