The_Open_Door_deel1

i Chapter 1 briefly describes the population of the. region where
.•?3 in 1822 the first settlers landed and explains the reasons why
iii the black colonists in 1847 decided to create the independent
|| Republic of Liberia.
M
m In Chapter 2 the background and origin of Liberia's Open Door
p Policy is established for the first time. As early as the
|l| 1820's - the creation of the colonies of Liberia, Mississippi
W, in Africa, and Maryland in Africa which later merged into the
••:::] Republic of Liberia- the colonists lacked sufficient political
;i protection to enable them to focus their attention on the econ-
4 omic development of the region which they claimed as the repub-
.,'! lie's territory. Both internal and external threats to the
| country's sovereignty, political independence and territorial
i integrity resulted in 1864 in the Ports of Entry Act which
; limited the number of coastal towns where foreigners were alj
lowed to trade or undertake other economic activities to six.
j External economic conditions, internal political strifes and
I lack of sufficient qualified manpower were the reasons why,
j after a favourable start by the first settlers - who engaged
i with zeal in a limited number of economic activities - the
! economic trend was a downward one. In general, the following
j generation lacked the capability and the enthousiasm which
j characterised the pioneers.
1 On various occasions the country was nearly bankrupt whereas
j the territory which the leaders of the republic claimed was
j considerably reduced by imperialistic European colonial powers.
; Several times they attempted to establish a Protectorate over
I the country. As this book shows for the first time, it was the
! U.S. policy around the turn of the century with respect to
• China, resulting in the Open Door Policy of President William
j McKinley and his Secretary of State, John Hay, which lies at
; the basis of the Liberian Open Door Policy,
j i Chapter 3 is entirely devoted to the Firestone Plantations Comj
pany. In 1926 the famous Planting Agreement with Firestone was
• signed. The U.S. rubber company soon controlled the Republic
i both politically and economically. The latter *even became dur-
! ing the 194-O's and 1950's known as the "Firestone Colony" or
"Firestone Protectorate".
After providing a historical background of Liberia's production
\ and export of rubber, it is explained why Harvey Firestone de-
I cided to come and invest in Liberia, it clearly establishes the
1 fact that Liberia did not need a % 5 million loan from this
•J company, which loan affected its financial as well as its fis-
I cal freedom, and hence its political sovereignty, and further-
) more it shows that not all Liberians were equally happy with
.! the arrival of the rubber giant. Already at the time of its esj
tablishment in Liberia this company was financially stronger,
! economically more important, and politically more powerful than
the Government of Africa's only independent republic.
After a discussion of the most important features of the 1926
Concession Agreement, the conflicts with the Liberian Government
and the subsequent modifications of the Agreement,
XV