The Congo Free State: A Legacy of Apathy, Exploitation and Brutality

By providing an in-depth analysis of what really occurred with Leopold and his exploitative proprietorship of the Congo “Free” State, Hochschild cogently convinces readers that beneath all of Europe’s coaxing and flattery about their imperialism, there is an underlying nature of terror and an almost inescapable and pervasive essence of death and slavery. Hochschild perfectly depicts the drama arising from the deceitful manipulations, courageous resistances, and uncut greed into an enthralling piece of literature. Not only does Hochschild use the perspectives of Europeans, but he tells the untold truths of the natives in their abysmal states, having to face inevitable horrors and atrocities. The reader experiences the magnitude of effects that resulted in this imperialism, which may still last in modern-day Africa. Hochschild’s persuasion perfectly captures what it is that he wants the readers to take in the most: that Leopold’s imperialism of the Congo did not only affect Europe and himself. Separating from the common curriculum of history class, Hochschild doesn’t want to tell the readers that imperialism led to European nations gaining more markets, population, and raw materials: he wants the reader to understand that this all came at a cost. This imperialism led to the deaths of ten million natives in the Congo alone. This imperialism led to brutal torture of the

The Belgians imperialized Congo to exploit their natural resources to make a profit. King Leopold II of Belgium imperialized Congo with his army, known as the “The Forced Publique” in 1885, despite Leopold having never gone to the Congo himself. Belgian’s imperialism was set with the goal in mind of exploiting Congo’s enormous supply of ivory. By the 1890’s King Leopold controlled the vast majority of Belgium. Over time, “the world did not lose its desire for ivory, but by the late 1890’s wild rubber had far surpassed it as the main source of revenue from the Congo.”(159). Leopold did not care about the Congolese or their land, and in fact was so aggressive with using Congo’s rubber plants, and free labor that Alexandre Delcommune, a Congolese business man, predicted that in ten years if Leopold was still in power, “[people]

While King Leopold had successfully convinced nearly the entire world for some time that he was a philanthropist, helping to improve the conditions of the Congo and the lives of its people, he was orchestrating an intricate slave trade system and ultimately the murder of an estimated 10-13 million people, approximately 50% of the population . Majority of the people who perished in the Congo were slaughtered, victims of disease or avoidable malnutrition, or were worked to the point of death. These figures are far from perfect. There has been quite a lot of debate about the true number of people who died under Leopold’s authority, though most agree somewhere near 8-10 million. The fact alone that the total is unclear is testament to the lengths Leopold, his soldiers and workers took to conceal the truly hellish conditions inflicted upon the Congolese

What trade was conducted between Europeans and African traders occurred on the coast? (Class notes). When King Leopold decided that he wanted the Congo he knew nothing of the land or the people there, and he did not wish to know. King Leopold relentlessly tried to gain control of this region for his own economic gain. In his Open letter in 1898 Leopold states that, ?I am pleased to think that our agents, nearly all of whom are volunteers drawn from the ranks of the Belgian army, have always present in their minds a strong sense of the career of honor in which they are engaged, and are animated with a pure feeling of patriotism, not sparing their own blood, they will the more spare the blood of the natives, who will see in them the all-powerful protectors of their lives and their property, benevolent teachers of whom they have so great a need? (article #1) This sentence directly states the idea of imperialist thinking. The idea that the people of the Congo are uncivilized and savage is the mindset of King Leopold during the time of Congo colonization. Leopold wishes to take the Congo solely for his own advancement. Allow he says that he wishes to civilize the people there, he does very little of that. The part in the letter where he says that it is better to spare their blood then your own is the way most of the people who went over to the Congo were thinking. A true imperialist idea, that the people there were no better then

The year is 1960, at first the Congo was a colony, but on June 30th, 1960 Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba gave independence to the Congo freeing its citizens. Only to be kicked out of office just a few weeks after their independence. Six months later Lumumba to be assassinated. When Lumumba came into office, it was a time where the Anti-colonial movement reached its peak. “It is a staggering example of what the Western ruling classes are capable of when their vital interests are threatened. Assassination then becomes a useful measure, a possible solution.” (Kanza XXV)

King Leopold was no exception to this trend, he wanted to expand his kingdom and gain vast riches. Leopold tried to obtain various areas around the world to be placed under Belgium rule. During the mid 1880 's, Leopold was able to convince the international community to give control of the Congo to an organization he owned, Camouflaged as a Philanthropic and scientific group. "Leopold pledged to suppress the East African slave trade; promote humanitarian policies; guarantee free trade within the colony; impose no import duties for twenty years; and encourage philanthropic and scientific enterprises."(Pavlakis, 2010).

Although Belgium’s methods in the Congo may be wrong we would do well to avoid their affairs considering how the Congo would almost certainly fall into control of France should Belgium withdraw from Africa. We lack a plan of action aside from force, and our less than bloodless past in colonization would draw disdain from honourable countries who would paint us hypocrites. Even now as more evidence of Leopold's atrocities filter into Britain there is always the fear that he should begin making deals with our enemy, France, to secure his place and his dictatorship in the Congo. It was stated by the British Foreign Office in the year 1900 that Britain knew Belgium was not upholding their obligations outlined in the Berlin Act; however, there is

The Berlin Conference in 1884-1885 granted King Leopold II of Belgium the state of Congo. During the time of colonialism Belgium colonized Congo, he exploited the natives for rubber and ivory. The Congo Free State was a corporate state privately controlled by Leopold II, through the Association Internationale Africaine, a non-governmental organization. Leopold was the sole shareholder and chairman. The state included the entire area of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo. Under Leopold II’s administration, the Congo Free State became the site of one of the most infamous international scandals of the turn of the twentieth century. The report of the British ConsulRoger Casement led to the arrest and punishment of white officials who

Essentially, “ivory was at this time the main source of wealth in the region, and Leopold’s preoccupation.” However, as the demand for rubber increased, Leopold shifted his focus, and cashed in on the high demand for rubber. Congolese workers were sent out into the jungle to slash down vines and layer their bodies with rubber latex. Later they would scrape it off their skin – often taking flesh and hair with it. The work was labor-intensive and injurious to health; the only economical way to collect it was via the forced mobilization of Congolese society. The Congo Free State evolved from a vanity possession into a slave plantation. Villages were set quotas of rubber, “the normal quota assigned to each village was three to four kilos of dried

King Leopold II was a cruel and greedy man who wanted to expand Belgium’s power by taking over the Congo. He would kill to better his country. He convinced the Congolese people that he wanted to colonize Africa. Little did they know, it was the start of Leopold taking over the Congo, stealing their riches, and enslaving the Congolese people. Adam Hochschild's King Leopold’s Ghost illustrates the five themes of AP World History in the following ways:

In 1904, Roger Casement exposed the atrocities occurring in the Congo to the entirety of the world. King Leopold II, who had gained control of the territory at the Brussels Conference, which was a meeting of the European powers in 1876 when he proposed a protectorate over the Congo, was at fault. Leopold had promised that he would abolish slavery in the Congo, bring prosperity and economy to its natives, and made it clear that he would not personally benefit from any of the successes. Casement revealed that his is claims turned out to be a lie. But Leopold had a convincing scheme to prove that he was only in the Congo to help the ‘uncivilized.’ When Leopold was first pursuing the idea of taking over the Congo, he said to British ambassador

Both super powers were using the Congo for their own selfish reasoning. For example, Soviet leader, Khrushchev claimed the “Congo as a battleground, pitting African nationalism and self- determination against Western (neo) colonialist intervention” (Dunn, 99). After Lumumba’s death the communist and the United States became more intent on shaping the Congo into their own political frame work or at the very lease pro-soviet or anti-communist. The Congo could get aid from the United States to help stop the spread of communism, however once the Soviet Union and the United States make nice the money stops flowing in. To the Western nations the Congo was a pawn in their political and economic power

If it wasn’t for Belgian colonization, the Congolese economy would be one of the most prosperous today. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, King Leopold II of the precocious Belgian Empire colonised the Congo. As a result, the economic development of the Congo was left severely devastated. This was due to Belgian exploitation of the Congo’s natural resources, disturbance of the Congo’s agricultural system, and new legislations that stripped the Congolese of their economic rights. This callous manipulation by the Belgian nation was the relentless onslaught that caused the downfall of the Congolese financial system.

To begin, imperialism had always been a long-term system of governing. Empires were built, colonies were created, and growth occurred to make today’s world. It was always seen that the king of an empire knew what was best for his nation. He was given the power to make impacting decisions and lead his empire to success. However, many kings were found corrupted and abused their powers for their own benefit. King Leopold used his skills to try to persuade his people and neighboring nations into believing that the Congo State was the best

King Leopold had heard of the Congo’s lucrative resources such as rubber and ivory, and he knew how much economic privileges that would bring Belgium thus developing his strong desire to colonize. Firstly, approximately nine years into the scramble for Africa (1890), King Leopold began to export rubber from the Congo and during the mid 1890s, it became the colony's most profitable industry. In the year of 1892, Belgians made around 3,730,000 Belgian francs from rubber exploitation due to J.B. Dunlop inventing the inflatable rubber bicycle tube. This increase in demand for rubber meant greater profits for Belgium which was the goal of the colonization in the first place. Additionally, the profit received from the exploitation of rubber resulted in Belgium receiving a more than £2,400,000 in property worth. This gave Belgium amazing opportunities that Leopold had known that could be accomplished through colonizing the Congo such as funding a grandiose policy of public works, urban improvement etcetera, etcetera. Not to mention a sly £1.8 million dollars put into Leopold’s personal profit (Congo Free State, 1885-1908). Finally, rubber