Transition to the new century.

The Congo

The Congo originally was the name of the area in central Africa on both sides of the Congo River. The territory to the east and south of the river came under Belgian control in 1885 and officially became known as the Belgian Congo in 1908. Independence came in 1960, and the country was renamed Zaire later in the decade.

The territory on the west of the river was called the French Congo. It achieved independence from France in 1960 and is now known as The People's Republic of the Congo. Brazzaville is its capital.

Fabian Society

The Fabian Society was a political society founded in 1884. The membership consisted primarily of middle class intellectuals who lived around London. The Fabian Society advocated gradual social reform. George Bernard Shaw was a leading member.

Wessex

The Wessex in Thomas Hardy's novels and poems is the thinly disguised area around Dorchester, Dorset, and the West Country where Hardy was born and lived. The area was the fictional setting in his novels and poems known as "Wessex."