Congo in the Cold War

Background on the
Democratic Republic of Congo during the Cold War

IIn 1960, the Congo became independent from Belgium after 75 years of colonial rule. Patrice Lumumba became its first democratically elected Prime Minister. Lumumba ran on a nationalist platform. He believed the mines and companies of the Congo should belong to the Congolese people. He also didn’t trust authorities from Belgium, or any nation allied with Belgium (such as the United States.)

In the first few weeks of Lumumba’s administration, Lumumba faced a crisis. The richest part of the Congo, the state of Katanga, tried to break away and form their own country. There were many foreign owned companies in Katanga that were worried about Lumumba nationalizing them. 

A mini - civil war broke out, called the Katanga Crisis. Lumumba had to use military force to keep the state of Katanga in the Congo. However, the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo wasn’t strong enough to force Katanga to stay on its own. It had to get military assistance from somewhere else.

The choices Lumumba made in the Congo Crisis ultimately led to United States involvement in the Congo. Make you own predictions about what happened and check your predictions as you start your research.

Cold War Unit Project

Directions: To choose your country for this project, browse the options by clicking on the links to read an overview. 


Click here to learn about Nicaragua in the Cold War.
If you choose this country, you will read this primary source.

Click here to learn about Guatemala in the Cold War.
If you choose this country, you will read this primary source.

Click here to learn about the Dominican Republic in the Cold War.
If you choose this country, you will read this primary source.

Click here to learn about Chile in the Cold War.
If you choose this country, you will read this primary source.

Click here to learn about the Congo in the Cold War.
If you choose this country, you will read this primary source.

Haitian Revolution Overview

If you need an overview/review of the Haitian Revolution, watch the video linked below.

Change the speed to .75 to slow it down because the guy talks really fast.

Click here to see the video.

Taino Artifacts

Artifact 1: Image of Taíno women preparing cassava bread.

Artifact 2: Images of Taíno canoes

Artifact 3: Journal Entry from Columbus's diary

Monday, October 15.  And while I was between these two islands, i.e., Santa María and this large one which I named Fernandina, I met a man alone in a canoe going from the island of Santa María to Fernandina. He had with him a small loaf, the size of his fist, a gourd of water, some red earth ground into powder and made into paste, and some dried leaves, which these people must greatly prize, for they presented me some of it on San Salvador. He had also a basket made in their native fashion in which he had a small string of glass beads and two [Spanish coins]. From these things I knew that he had come from the island of San Salvador, had touched Santa María, and was now going to Fernandina.

Artifact 4: Image and description of an Areítos
Areítos were held for a variety of reasons, including to honor and entertain guests. In the early days of European colonization, Taíno chiefs hosted areítos for Spanish visitors, who recorded information about the ceremonies. According to the historical documentation, areítos often featured assemblies of nobles dancing and singing to music played with rattles and drums. The ceremonies invoked elements of Taíno culture and religious practice, including veneration of ancestors. Areítos were held in designated spaces, specifically the public plaza or dance ground outside the chief's house. Classic Taíno villages often featured an elaborate dance court.


Artifact 5: Painting of the first encounter between Columbus and the Taíno

Did Napoleon Support or Betray the Ideals of the Revolution?

Take notes on your handout- Napoleon: Protector or Betrayer of the Revolution?

Video 1 - use ONLY 3 examples from this video. 

Video 2: Use this video for the last three examples. 

JFK Library: Learn about the Bay of Pigs Invasion

Click on the link below that will take you to the JFK Library's Website. From there, read about the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba and answer the questions on page 2 of your packet.

http://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/the-bay-of-pigs

Station 2A

Canadian reporter Judy Trin came to Canada from Vietnam in 1979 as a 4-year old. She and her family were crammed in a boat for part of the journey like the ones described above. The video describes their journey.  You should stop the video once it hits 4 minutes.

Station 1: Memories from a Divided India

The video you are about to watch is from the New York Times' website. It was published on August 13th, 2013 by Sean Patrick Farrell. You only need to watch the video through to 3:15.

https://www.nytimes.com/video/arts/100000002387575/preserving-partition.html?action=click&gtype=vhs&version=vhs-heading&module=vhs&region=title-area&cview=true&t=7

Station 3- Photographs of Partition

Station 3- Photographs of Partition

Directions: Your job is to describe what you see in each picture, giving at least two details. Some of these images are graphic. I have included them to show the scale of violence and chaos in the months after India's independence. 

Sourcing Information:

Life Magazine

Photographs taken by Margaret Bourke-White in 1947. She called the photograph spread "The Brutal Great Migration"

*You can click on the photos to enlarge them on your screen*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Picture 1: 

In the days after partition was announced, millions left for their promised new homeland as trains departed from both India and Pakistan. This picture shows a train leaving India for Pakistan.

Picture 2: (make sure you're in the box for picture 2) 

Over 10 million people left their homes and traveled on foot and by train to a different country.

Picture 3

In the months after independence was announced, up to one million people were killed on both sides. This picture shows bodies in the streets after a riot.

Picture 4 Above is a picture of a young refugee. As the chaos got worse, refugee camps were created all over India because displaced people had nowhere to live. Picture 5 There were not enough trains to transport all of the people who wanted to move in between countries. People literally had to sat on the roof of the trains to get on them. What's different about this train picture in comparison to the first one you looked at? Picture 6 The situation was often worse for people that had to walk (often hundreds of miles) to the new place they would be living. Here is a picture of a family who has abandoned their journey because their grandfather is so sick.

Picture 4

Above is a picture of a young refugee. As the chaos got worse, refugee camps were created all over India because displaced people had nowhere to live.

Picture 5

There were not enough trains to transport all of the people who wanted to move in between countries. People literally had to sat on the roof of the trains to get on them.

What's different about this train picture in comparison to the first one you looked at?

Picture 6

The situation was often worse for people that had to walk (often hundreds of miles) to the new place they would be living. Here is a picture of a family who has abandoned their journey because their grandfather is so sick.

Station 4: Kashmir

After reading the information from the station sheet, watch this video to find out more about why India and Pakistan are fighting over Kashmir. You only need to watch the video from the start to 2:06.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlI5yArLvLU

Station 6: Water as a Weapon of War

Watch the short video that will further explain why India and Pakistan are fighting over water, the region's most precious resource. You only need to watch to 3:05.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1S5uidaOug

The Rule of Mobutu

2. Watch BOTH movies below about the reign of Mobutu to help you with your research. If you choose to use these videos, ask Ms. Piacitelli for the sourcing information. 

Station 4: The Caste System

Watch the video in Station 4 to learn about the Caste System in India. Then, respond to the questions in your packet using evidence from the video. This video has closed captions if you want to use them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyCQDIwHlXY

Station 3: How Has Religion Influenced the History of India and Pakistan?

Watch the video in Station 3. As you listen to the historian talk, follow along with the transcript and then respond to the questions in your packet using evidence from the video:

https://www.choices.edu/video/religion-influenced-history-india-pakistan/

Impact of Imperialism in the Congo

Navigate to each of the three sources to learn about the impact of imperialism in the Congo during the reign of King Leopold. Complete the questions for each source AND the table at the top of your classwork packet. 

Source 1: Excerpt of BBC documentary about the Congo Free State

Source 2: Excerpt from an English report about the conditions in the Congo under the reign of Leopold II

Click here to see the four quotes.

Source 3: Images related to the Congo Free State and rubber extraction. 

Click here to see the images. 

Lucky Geography! How Europe's Luck Helped it Become the Leader in Modern Imperialism

Choose a source below to learn more about the geographic luck of Europe! You can choose the video (headphones, please!) or one or more of the readings. 

• The Geographic Luck of Europe: Farming (reading)
• The Geographic Luck of Europe in Conquest (reading)
• The Geographic Luck of Europe in Germs (reading)

Station 5: The Storming of the Bastille

Watch the film clips about the Storming of the Bastille. When you have finished with BOTH clips, then answer the questions on your station answer sheet.

First watch clip 1. (It will stop right in the middle of the action!)

Now watch clip 2 for the exciting conclusion!

Absence and Tardy Reflections

If you need to serve a tardy detention, click here. 

If you are serving a detention because you absent without permission, click here. 
(Students who were not actually skipping class will have the chance to express that in the linked form.)


If this is your third tardy conference (or more), click here for a written reflection.

Human Rights Research Source Packets

Click here to access the source packet for Girls Access to Education. 

Click here to access the source packet for Syrian Refugee Crisis. 

Click here to access the source packet for Human Trafficking.