AH Discussion: Belgium at war with neighbours due to the Congo Free State

We all know that Leopold II of Belgium did many atrocities in the Congo Free State. Is it possible for a limited war to break out between Belgium and i) the United Kingdom; ii) France; iii) the Netherlands; or iv) Germany, between 1903 and 1913? What would be the consequences of such a war, and is it possible for Belgium to end up partitioned or annexed by its neighbours?
 

NoMommsen

Donor
Due to the colonial atrocities ??
... rather no.

"Who's free of guilt might throw the first stone."

What a/the publicity might be upset about and what politicians do care about ... esp. in times of florishing secret diplomacy ... veeery different affairs.
 
No. Anyone is not going declare war for some Africans. They might be horrified but they are not going to war for them. And there wasn't any very friendly colonial power. It would be hypocrise go against Belgium over what they were doing. There wasn't any saint in colonial camp.
 
Why go to war against Belgium, who didn’t have any say in what was going on in Congo at the time ?

This. Remember, the Free State was basically a corporation with Leopold at it's head: even less a government organ than the BEC had been to London. Assuming the rest of the world forgets this and threaten war for some reason, expect Belgium to throw the King out faster than week old fish
 
What if some Force Publique soldiers get overly rowdy at a bar in one of the colonial entrepots and end up killing some British/German/French/Portuguese citizens? Like, a bunch of them?
 
What if some Force Publique soldiers get overly rowdy at a bar in one of the colonial entrepots and end up killing some British/German/French/Portuguese citizens? Like, a bunch of them?

Hardly there would be war. Belgians would arrest the soldiers, trial them and then execution.
 
Even as an excuse to seize Congo from Belgium to add to one's colonial empire, it's still not cause enough for war. The fact is no one cared enough to send soldiers to die for indentured Africans just to put one man to trial. Sure, they did care, but the problem itself is effectively resolved by pressuring Belgium on the world stage into taking the Congo off their king's hands. And if Leopold refuses, the likely answers are still going to be 'owell, at least we tried' or 'ok, King of Congo, we'll get a president instead'. Also, there are other, less flimsy casus belli to go to war for Belgium, like the language divide between the French-speaking Walloons and Dutch-speaking Flemish. Atrocities against dark-skinned colonials that had long been considered 'three-fifth human' or worse aren't going to be factored in.
 
We all know that Leopold II of Belgium did many atrocities in the Congo Free State. Is it possible for a limited war to break out between Belgium and i) the United Kingdom; ii) France; iii) the Netherlands; or iv) Germany, between 1903 and 1913?
i. No
ii. No
iii. No
It's only Africans being enslaved, worked to death, flogged, mutilated, castrated, raped and murdered. No European power is going to war over that in 1910.
 
Besides, many of the colonial powers were themselves involved in atrocities during the same period. The Dutch were putting down the Aceh rebellion and the Germans were slaughtering the Herero at that time.
 
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