Casementin Kongon raportti, ulkopolitiikka ja julkinen moralismi Englannin alahuoneessa (1903–1904)
Halmesvirta, A. (2015). Casementin Kongon raportti, ulkopolitiikka ja julkinen moralismi Englannin alahuoneessa (1903–1904). Historiallinen aikakauskirja, 113(1), 20-30. https://doi.org/10.54331/haik.140187
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In this article, the parliamentary report of Consul Roger Casement on the administration of the Congo (1903) and the heated debate it aroused in the British Parliament are analysed. The report disclosed the harsh methods of accruing profits (forced labour) used by the king of Belgium, Leopold II. Applying Stefan Collini’s concept of ”public moralism”, the moral outrage and arguments of the members of the Parliament are disentangled. As Leopold had breached the 1885 international agreement to protect and ”civilize” the Congolese, the MPs, mainly from the Liberal party, demanded action from the government, which seemed to hesitate and sway in this critical matter. Finally, when the pressure mounted to the point of threatening to bring the Government down, a note demanding an explanation was sent to Belgium. What was remarkable in the parliamentary debate was that it made the Government, usually the sole agent in foreign policy, listen to MPs and acquiesce in their demands, so unanimous was the moral indictment against Leopold’s administration. The political rhetoric was imbued with moralistic lessons, referring to British honour, responsibility towards the Congo, humane and just treatment of the native population, and freedom of trade and movement.
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Belgian kuningas Leopold II (1865–1909) rikastui 1800-luvun lopulla Kongossa pakkotyöllä kootun kautsun myynnillä. Englannin parlamentin alahuoneessa Leopoldin liiketoimien paljastuminen aiheutti moraalisen suuttumuksen aallon, sillä tämä oli kansainvälisellä sopimuksella (1885) luvannut sivistää ja pitää hyvää huolta kongolaisista, lopettaa orjuuden ja orjakaupan sekä pitää Kongon auki vapaakaupalle. Anssi Halmesvirran aatehistoriallisen analyysin kohteena on tässä artikkelissa Englannin konsuli Roger Casementin Kongon raportti siitä, mitä hän näki ja koki paikan päällä Kongossa syksyllä 1903. Lisäksi Halmesvirta tarkastelee Belgian reaktiota siihen ja sitä ”julkista moralismia”, jonka se herätti Englannin parlamentin alahuoneessa vuonna 1904.


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