The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History
FexingoBelgium: a patchwork of Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia, a cobbled-together buffer state that punched far above its weight. In its short 1830s independence, it carved out a brutal African empire under King Leopold II—a personal colony that became a byword for atrocity in the Congo Free State (1885-1908). The show traces the arc from the Burgundian and Spanish Habsburg rule, th... more
| Publishes | Daily | Episodes | 190 | Founded | 3 months ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Society & CultureHistory | |||
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Latest Episodes
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into the 1921 Nkoloso mine collapse in the Belgian Congo — a disaster that killed at least 180 African miners and remains largely absent from colonial records. They trace the mine's origins in the Katanga copper bo... more
In this episode of The History of Belgium, hosts Lucas and Luna explore the brutal construction of the Matadi-Kinshasa railway, a 400-kilometer lifeline that enabled the Congo Free State's rubber and ivory exploitation. Built between 1890 and 1898 un... more
In 1957, the Belgian Congo held its first municipal elections, allowing a select group of évolués to vote for local councils. This episode explores how this limited reform created a new class of African politicians, including Joseph Kasa-Vubu, who be... more
In 1914, King Albert I's Belgian army was pinned down in Flanders, but thousands of kilometers away, another Belgian force surged into German East Africa. This episode tells the story of the 1916 Battle of Tabora, where the Force Publique — a colonia... more
This episode takes you to the 1897 Brussels-Tervuren Exhibition, where Leopold II showcased his Congo 'Free State' to the world. We explore the so-called 'human zoo' — 267 Congolese people brought to Belgium and displayed in mock villages, their dail... more
In the early 1920s, as the Belgian Congo was being exploited for rubber and minerals, a Baptist preacher named Simon Kimbangu began healing the sick and preaching a message of hope and defiance in the village of Nkamba. His rapidly growing following ... more
In June 1956, a group of Congolese intellectuals published a manifesto called Conscience Africaine, demanding gradual emancipation within the Belgian colonial system. This episode explores the manifesto's authors—Joseph-Isidore Nene, Antoine-Roger Bo... more
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the often-overlooked role of the Belgian Congo's Force Publique in World War II. While Belgium itself was occupied by Nazi Germany, the colony remained a crucial ally. Focusing on the 1941 East African Campaign... more
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Apple Podcasts | #123 |  Belgium/History |
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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast
What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?
The show leans into Belgium's colonial past, using a focused lens on the Congo Free State and the long shadows it casts on modern memory, politics, and identity. Episodes typically thread together imperial policy, violent coercion, economic systems like rubber and cotton, and cultural representations—from human zoos and exhibitions to museum displays—while anchoring discussion in notable figures, places, and pivotal events. Think deep dives into archival material, combined with critical takes on how history is taught, remembered, and contested in Belgian society. A standout trait is the show's willingness to connect high-level politics and macro history to everyday cultural memory, including debates around repatriation, memorials, and natio... more
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this podcast launched 3 months ago and published 190 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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