MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 02819cam a22003374a 4500
001 2011023628
003 DLC
005 20120522082331.0
008 110610s2012 nbua b s001 0 eng
010 $a 2011023628
020 $a9780803237773 (hardback : alk. paper)
040 $aDLC$cDLC$dDLC
042 $apcc
050 00 $aJV2818$b.S73 2012
082 00 $a325/.3493096751$223
084 $aPOL045000$aHIS001010$aHIS010020$2bisacsh
100 1 $aStanard, Matthew G.
245 10 $aSelling the Congo :$ba history of European pro-empire propaganda and the making of Belgian imperialism /$cMatthew G. Stanard.
260 $aLincoln :$bUniversity of Nebraska Press,$cc2012.
300 $a387 p. :$bill. ;$c23 cm.
520 $a"Belgium was a small, neutral country without a colonial tradition when King Leopold II ceded the Congo, his personal property, to the state in 1908. For the next half-century Belgium not only ruled an African empire but also, through widespread, enduring, and eagerly embraced propaganda, produced an imperialist-minded citizenry. Selling the Congo is a study of European pro-empire propaganda in Belgium, with particular emphasis on the period 1908-60. Matthew G. Stanard questions the nature of Belgian imperialism in the Congo and considers the Belgian case in light of literature on the French, British, and other European overseas empires. Comparing Belgium to other imperial powers, the book finds that pro-empire propaganda was a basic part of European overseas expansion and administration during the modern period. Arguing against the long-held belief that Belgians were merely "reluctant imperialists," Stanard demonstrates that in fact many Belgians readily embraced imperialistic propaganda. Selling the Congo contributes to our understanding of the effectiveness of twentieth-century propaganda by revealing its successes and failures in the Belgian case. Many readers familiar with more-popular histories of Belgian imperialism will find in this book a deeper examination of European involvement in central Africa during the colonial era"--$cProvided by publisher.
520 $a"Examination of pro-empire propaganda advanced by Belgium during its colonial rule of the Congo"--$cProvided by publisher.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [333]-378) and index.
651 0 $aBelgium$xColonies$zAfrica$xPublic opinion$xHistory$y20th century.
650 0 $aPublic opinion$zBelgium$xHistory$y20th century.
650 0 $aPropaganda, Belgian$xHistory$y20th century.
651 0 $aCongo (Democratic Republic)$xColonization.
651 0 $aCongo (Democratic Republic)$xHistory$y1908-1960.
650 7 $aPOLITICAL SCIENCE / Colonialism & Post-Colonialism.$2bisacsh
650 7 $aHISTORY / Africa / Central.$2bisacsh
650 7 $aHISTORY / Europe / Western.$2bisacsh