Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elect

HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO Colonial rule: AD 1891-1958 The pioneering efforts of Pierre de Savorgnan de Brazza in 1879-80 give the French a secure foothold north of the Congo river. It ena