Mucho antes de la conquista de América, China poseía una flota marítima dos veces más poderosa que la de la mayor potencia europea de la época, España, pero no se molestó en ir más allá de África, porque alcanzar un continente tan pobre como Europa no representaba ningún incentivo para el país asiático, ensimismado y reticente a los negocios privados de los piratas. De hecho, el gobierno chino solía destruir las flotas no gubernamentales, hasta que la inundación de plata procedente de Potosí le demostró las ventajas de la piratería privada.
Durante los siglos posteriores a la colonización de América (realizada por el meritorio espíritu de emprendedores privados y con la ayuda de algunos Estados) y antes de la colonización europea de África, las diferencias económicas entre África y Europa era, por lejos, mucho menor a la actual.
El siglo XIX representó la máxima expansión del colonialismo europeo en el mundo, el que cedería luego a Estados Unidos con otros nombres y otras prácticas. En ambos casos, los Estados y las empresas privadas lograron una colaboración perfecta.
En Bélgica, el rey Leopoldo II, quien reinó durante más de cuarentena de años, desde 1865 hasta su muerte en 1909, tuvo su propio proyecto privado, el que llamó “Estado Libre del Congo”. Entre sus logros se cuentan los millonarios beneficios para el Estado belga debido a toneladas de marfil, caucho y la “mejoría de la vida de los nativos” a través de la mutilación de millones de africanos y elasesinato de aproximadamente diez millones de otros tantos, aunque las malas lenguas hablan de quince millones.
Para recordarlo, se levantó un monumento en Bélgica con una de sus máximas: “Lo que he llevado a cabo en el Congo ha sido porel bien de Bélgica y de la civilización”. La historia lo menciona pero las narrativas sociales no lo recuerdan, injusticia probablemente debida a que sus millones de colaboradores sacrificados en tan noble propósito eran todos negros, tan negros como los que ahora invaden las blancas costas de Europa buscando una mejor vida.
Una breve lista de sus condecoraciones recibidas de todas partes del mundo incluye:
Condecoraciones nacionales
- Grand master of the Order of Leopold,
- Grand master of the the Order of the Crown
- Grand master – founder of the the Order of Leopold II
- Grand master – founderof the the Royal Order of the Lion
- Grand master – founderof the and the Order of the African Star.
Condecoraciones extranjeras
- Knight of the Garter.
- Knight grand Cross in the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen.
- Knight of the Golden Fleece,by Emperor Frans Jozef in 1835
- Knight Grand Cross of the House Order of Albert the Bear
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Zähringer Lion.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Two-Sicilies
- Knight Order of Saint Hubert.
- Knight grand Cross in the National Order of the Southern Cross.
- Knight grand Cross in The Imperial Order of Dom Pedro I
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Double Dragon.
- Knight of the Order of the Elephant.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Seal of Solomon
- Knight grand Cross in the Legion of Honour.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Redeemer.
- Knight of the Order of St. George.
- Knight grand Cross in the Royal Order of Kamehameha I
- Knight grand Cross in the Ludwig Order.
- Knight grand Commander in the House Order of Hohenzollern.
- Knight grand Cross in the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
- Knight grand Collar in the Order of the Chrysanthemum.
- Knight grand Cross in the Humane Order of African Redemption.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of Malta
- Knight grand Cross in the House Order of the Wendish Crown.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Eagle.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of Saint-Charles.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of Saint Olav.
- Knight grand Cross in the House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis
- Knight of the Golden Fleece.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of Leopold.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of Saint Stephen.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Iron Crown.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Lion and the Sun.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Tower and Sword
- Knight grand Cross in the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword
- Knight grand Cross in the Military Order of Aviz
- Knight grand Cross in the Military Order of Christ.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Black Eagle.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Red Eagle.
- Knight grand Cross with Chain in the
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of Carol I.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of Saint Anna.
- Knight grand Cross in the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of San Marino.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Rue Crown.
- Knight grand Cross in the Saxe-Ernestine House Order.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the White Falcon.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the White Elephant
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of Charles III.
- Ordine del merito civile e militare (Toscana)
- Hanedan-i-Ali-Osman Nishani.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Liberator.
- Knight grand Cross in the Order of the Crown.
- Knight of the Order of the Seraphim
Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.es/jorge-majfud/por-el-bien-de-la-civiliz_b_12862154.html
jorge majfud, Noviembre 2016
For the Sake of Civilization
Long before the conquest of the Americas, China possessed a naval fleet twice as powerful as that of the greatest European power of the time, Spain, but it did not bother to venture beyond Africa, because reaching a continent as poor as Europe held no appeal for the Asian nation, which was self-absorbed and averse to the private ventures of pirates. In fact, the Chinese government used to destroy non-governmental fleets, until the flood of silver from Potosí demonstrated to it the advantages of private piracy.
During the centuries following the colonization of the Americas—achieved through the commendable spirit of private entrepreneurs and with the help of some states—and before the European colonization of Africa, the economic disparities between Africa and Europe were, by far, much smaller than they are today.
The nineteenth century marked the peak of European colonial expansion worldwide, a role that would later be taken over by the United States under different names and with different practices. In both cases, governments and private companies achieved seamless collaboration.
In Belgium, King Leopold II, who reigned for more than forty years, from 1865 until his death in 1909, had his own private project, which he called the “Congo Free State.” Among his “achievements” were the millions in profits for the Belgian state derived from tons of ivory and rubber, as well as the “improvement of the natives’ lives”—achieved through the mutilation of millions of Africans and the murder of approximately ten million others, though some critics put the figure at fifteen million.
To commemorate him, a monument was erected in Belgium bearing one of his maxims: “What I have accomplished in the Congo has been for the good of Belgium and of civilization.” History mentions him, but social narratives do not remember him—an injustice likely due to the fact that his millions of collaborators, sacrificed for such a noble cause, were all Black, just as Black as those who now flood the white shores of Europe in search of a better life.
A brief list of the decorations he received from around the world includes:
National Decorations
- Grand Master of the Order of Leopold,
- Grand Master of the Order of the Crown
- Grand Master—Founder of the Order of Leopold II
- Grand Master—Founder of the Royal Order of the Lion
- Grand Master—Founder of the Order of the African Star.
Foreign Decorations
- Knight of the Garter.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen.
- Knight of the Golden Fleece, conferred by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1835
- Knight Grand Cross of the House Order of Albert the Bear
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Zähringer Lion.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Two Sicilies
- Knight of the Order of Saint Hubert.
- Knight Grand Cross of the National Order of the Southern Cross.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Dom Pedro I
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Double Dragon.
- Knight of the Order of the Elephant.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Seal of Solomon
- Knight Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer.
- Knight of the Order of St. George.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Ludwig.
- Knight Grand Commander of the House Order of Hohenzollern.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
- Knight Grand Collar of the Order of the Chrysanthemum.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Humane Order of African Redemption.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Malta
- Knight Grand Cross of the House Order of the Wendish Crown.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Eagle.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Charles.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav.
- Knight Grand Cross of the House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis
- Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Iron Crown.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion and the Sun.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Tower and Sword
- Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword
- Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Aviz
- Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Black Eagle.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle.
- Knight Grand Cross with Chain of the
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Carol I.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, the First-Called.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Anne.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of San Marino.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Rue Crown.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Falcon.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Elephant
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III.
- Order of Civil and Military Merit (Tuscany)
- Hanedan-i-Ali-Osman Nishani.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator.
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown.
- Knight of the Order of the Seraphim
