ABSTRACT
This work is a contribution to the social and cultural history of the Lower Congo. The area was colonized in the end of the 19th century and divided between three colonial powers, France, the Congo Independent State and Portugal. The pre-colonial system with its factory trade and relatively high prosperity came to an end. The area was invaded and occupied by foreign conquerors and a new order was established. From the African perspective, there is no continuity between the pre-colonial and the colonial systems. The dramatic changes that took place in the Congo region towards the end of the 19th century were rather the outcome of economic and political processes in Europe and the world system.
