Person

Patrice Lumumba

1925–1961 · 20th century

Patrice Lumumba was a Congolese nationalist, leader of the Mouvement National Congolais, who became the first prime minister of the independent Congo in June 1960. Within weeks the army mutinied and Katanga seceded, and his appeal for Soviet aid set him against Belgium, the United States and President Kasavubu. He was deposed in September 1960 and killed in Katanga in January 1961 with Belgian complicity.

Patrice Lumumba
Image: Harry Pot for Anefo ) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Belgian Congo

Great speeches

Lumumba's Independence Day Speech30 June 1960

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Patrice Lumumba. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/patrice-lumumba
MLA
“Patrice Lumumba.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/patrice-lumumba. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Patrice Lumumba.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/patrice-lumumba.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Patrice Lumumba’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/patrice-lumumba (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻