Queen wilhelmina of the Netherlands adopts the Congo Free State

The Congo Free State was a government privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians through a dummy non-governmental organization, the Association Internationale Africaine. Leopold was the sole shareholder and chairman, who increasingly used it for rubber, copper and other minerals in the upper Lualaba River basin (though it had been set up on the understanding that its purpose was to uplift the natives and develop the area). The state included the entire area of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo and existed from 1885 to 1905.
The Congo Free State eventually earned infamy due to the increasingly brutal mistreatment of the local peoples and plunder of natural resources.

Under Leopold II's administration, the Congo Free State became the site of one of the worst international scandals of the early twentieth century. The report of the British Consul Roger Casement led to the arrest and punishment of white officials who had been responsible for killings during a rubber-collecting expedition in 1903

European and U.S. reformers exposed the conditions in the Congo Free State to the public in 1900 through the Congo Reform Association. Also active in exposing the activities of the Congo Free State was the author Arthur Conan Doyle, whose book The Crime of the Congo was widely read in the early 1900s.

One of the most remarkable early critics came from the young Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, who wondered why no civilised nation took control of the situation and end the brutalities and crimes.

Leopold offered to reform his regime, but few took him seriously. All nations were now agreed that the King's rule must be ended as soon as possible, but no nation was willing to take on the responsibility. No nation seriously considered returning control of the land to the native population, with its ages-old record of tyranny and slavery (and in some areas, cannibalism).
Belgium was the obvious European candidate to run the Congo, but the Belgians were still unwilling.

After several letters from Wilhelmina, to the Belgian King in person and later to the Belgian gouverment which was responded polite but not without clear anwser.
The effort to bring salvation and civilisation to the people of Congo of this young Queen was not unnoticed by the British press.
Meanwhile Belgium debated the question for years.

In 1904 Wilhelmina, fed up with the lack of action of the civilised nations of Europe, supprised the world and essepcialy the Dutch gouverment, with her offer to buy the Congo Free State of King Leopold.

Her annoncement made stirr in European politics, and esspecially on the Netherlands. She acted completely on private, whitout aprovement of the gouverment.

The oppostion of the Queen agains the human tragidy in Congo was already notiche by the Brittish press, which was possitive toward this young Queen, the same attitude the French and German press took over aswell.
The following months some bussy back chamber diplomacy was held between the Great Powers of Europe. Since neither one of the European Powers wanted to give this teritory to an other and since the Belgium gouverment did not show willingness to have a colony.
It took some diplomatic pressure to convince King Leopold to give up his own piece of Africa.

On November 15 1905 Queen Wilhelmina become the new owner of the Congo Free State, even without aprovement of the Dutch gouverment.

The Queen, in the whole prosses surrounded her self with a small group of experts from a wide variaty of professions and backgrounds, there were even some socialist among them.
One of the first act was the replace the complete administration and gouvernor.
The first action of the new gouvernor were to establish relive centers for the abused parts of the Congo polpulation, among them the people who lost there hands as punishment of not collecting enough rubber.
 
Seeing what a mess the Dutch colonies have been in the same time, I would not assume any different outcome than OTL
 
the Dutch crown possessions were no mess. The Dutch East Indies was Liberal and safe to its inhabitants, they even allowed them to govern themselves mostly. Presentday Indonesia was only a mess in Atjeh (tip of Sumatra).

Yes the Dutch West Indies were poor but those to were not oppressive.
 
Interesting scenario and seeing how Wilhelmina was one of the richest women in the world at the time, not outside the realm of impossibility...

Despite her corporate connections, I'd wager the Congo Free State under Wilhelmina would begin to transition to becoming an independent state in it's own right. In the coming years I'd wager you'd see a heavy emphasis on education with the intent of turning the CFS into a functional independent state.

Even without an educated populace, steps towards this can be taken, perhaps a "tribal council" is formed as an advisory board to the current governor and administration? Though initially solely advisory, in time I could see it transitioning and gaining more power, perhaps eventually becoming an Upper house to augment a lower house.

Economically, I'd wager Wilhelmina would do her best to encourage corporate investment in the CFS and the establishment of a sustainable and less exploitative economy. Perhaps there's more direct interest in the Inga Dam's project (an issue initially raised in the 1920's) leading to earlier construction and the establishment of the Lower Congo region as an industrial powerhouse!

No Congolese participation in WWI though means that the UK's going to have a tougher go at it in German East Africa, having to allocate more forces.

I think the important thing to remember is that the CFS won't be run by the Dutch Government, but rather, by Wilhelmina herself...

Then again, it could all go horribly wrong...
 
Seeing what a mess the Dutch colonies have been in the same time, I would not assume any different outcome than OTL
As others have said, before others started to intervene, there was an Ethical Policy that was aiming to improve the education and general welfare of the peoples in Indonesia, for one, instigated by Wilhelmina. Ofcourse, this also had the effect of 'awakening the Indonesian national spirit', as they like to call it (and it's their full right to), which was given further impetus by that ethical policy being cancelled when it became too expensive in light of the Great Depression.

Wilhelmina has a rather comple history regarding colonies, but at that point in time, she was quite benign. And completely running her own personal state would quite fit her, even. There are some quite interesting rumours about what she wanted the position of the monarch to be in post-WW2 NL.
 
Wilhelmina was the only man in the Dutch parliament according to Churchill. She was also a damned strong woman and had great economic insights, I think it would strengthen her even more that way, but I can see her using it to get more political power and after a while integrate Congo into the Dutch Colonial Empire, perhaps even speed up the idea of, One Kingdom, multiple nations as equals, with of course the Netherlands being the first among equals.

But in the end it would be rather dangerous, and could pull the Netherlands into WW1 IF/when that happens
 
Former Dutch colonies and almost all other European and USA colonies suffered decline in almost all aspects after they gain independence due o a various factors. One of them was that a undemocratic (colonial) goverment was replaces by an other non democratic gouverment, dictature or oliargy with the corruption and lack of interest in the wellfare of the population. One of background of this process after decolonisation was the poor investment in the education of the population in the colonies. When independend most countries were ruled by a very small group of people with some education, people with higher education was in most countries even more scares. It was the one eyed man guided the blind ( and often take advantige of it for self enrich ment)
Now Quen Whilhelmina has the goal to end the suffering of the enslaved population of the Congo and to bring them civilisation, education, wellfare etc. as a priority, and not as a second or third point on the agenda in all other colonies.
Of course since her purse is drained to the bottom, economic development will be encoraged as well (for her onw benefit of course)
Most likly the colony will be runed as Indonesia were local rules or goverments will kept in place but will gradualy given more responsibility over their teritory.
The idea is very utopic and humanistic, and not all of the goals will met, but within 40 years it could turn in one of the more succes full overseas possessions. No doubt that the Dutch gouverment after strong reluctance will assist and get more involved.
The reason of the Belgian goverment and the Dutch goverment not to take over a teritory in Africa is that they did not want to be draged in some power play between the Great Powers which could endagered their neutrality.

As first Governor see will choce former General Van Heutz, the pacificator of Athje. This sound strange, but the man had a very pragmatic view. A example in Indonesia he sugested more goverment involvement of the Indonesians

By the way most colonies in Africa were a drain on the tresury ( see German Cameroon)
 
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