Question

What does the author mean when he says the Congo Free State had a “command economy”?

a. According to Leopold II, the Congolese people were idle and needed to be commanded.
b. The Congo Free State commanded the most economic resources in all of Africa.
c.The wants and needs of the Congolese people commanded the economy’s direction.
d.The Congolese people had to do and produce whatever Leopold II commanded.

Answer 1

D:The Congolese people had to do and produce whatever Leopold ll wanted.

Answer 2

The correct answer is D.

The main economic decisions were determined by Leopold II and therefore the economy of the Congo Free State was centrally planned. In a centrally planned or command economy, the economy is governed through a predesigned schedule instead of by the forces of supply and demand and the free interactions of economic agents in the markets (which is the manner in which economic decisions are reached in market economies).