Essays on King Leopold

Introduction

The Berlin Conference of 1884 to 1885 which is also referred to as the Congo Conference signified a powerful role in the regulation of European colonization as well as free trade in parts of Africa during the period of neo-imperialism. One of the outward goals of the conference was to implement regulations on the rampant colonization of Africa in order to prevent the military conflict between the colonizing states. It is to be noted that colonial powers went into what historians coined as the ‘Scramble for Africa’, where they decided to invade, occupy, divide and colonize the different parts ...

Introduction

In the history of Belgium, Leopold was the second king who is best remembered for his role in exploiting the Free State of Congo. He was born in Brussels and in 1865, he rose to the throne after succeeding his father. He went on to rule for 44 years, longer than any other Belgian monarch. During his time, Leopold was the sole owner and the founder of the Congo Free State. He privately undertook this project. Helped by Henry Morton Stanley (explorer), he successfully laid a claim to Congo. In a Berlin Conference held in 1884, European colonial nations recognized his ...

Q1. - The book, King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild is indeed a great expose of the atrocities committed on the people of Africa's Congo under the greedy rule of King Leopold II of Belgium. Notably, there are quite a number of personalities who played a critical role in exposing Leopold’s Congo activities through various methods that in turn worked out well. The personalities included, among others: First and foremost, George Washington Williams way back in 1890. Being a black American missionary from the United States, he was astounded by the revelations he found out in the process. Noteworthy, the book ...

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country located in Central Africa. It is known to be the second largest country in Africa, with a high population and with valuable resources. Congo has large reserves of gold, gems, cobalt, copper, uranium and timber with the most valuable resource being its large reserve of diamonds (Eichstaedt 115). These natural resources have been the main cause of a variety of wars in the DRC. Due to the high population, Congo has been rated to have the highest prevalence of poverty in the world today. The history of of Congo has been one of ...

Facilitator:

European Imperialism in Africa The process of invasion of African states by European colonizers initiated in the 19th century. The idea of was motivated and promoted by various factors including the quest of expanding territory and material gains. European colonizers identified African as a strategic region with various opportunities, which they could utilize in developing their economy. Various elements including the Africans factor contributed to the successful implementation of the process. Scholars have constantly associated the history of European imperialism in Africa with European choices and authority. However, it is indisputable that the actions and choices adopted by some ...

Imperialism can simply be defined as the domination of a particular country’s economic, social and political life by another more powerful country. It is the act of extending control and authority through direct or indirect territorial conquest to a foreign country with the aim of dominating their economy and political structures. Imperialism was rampant in Africa especially in the late 19th and early 20th century. In an attempt to grow its economy and for reasons of battling for superiority, Europe’s superpowers stretched their efforts into Africa since it was an easy target to control. Africa by then was not ...

- Introduction, General Overview, & Thesis Statement. The Central – African nation of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is richly endowed with minerals and natural resources. Despite the presence of these endowments, this population of this country continues to live in abject poverty. The country has had a gruesome history since the colonial period. King Leopold of Belgium was allowed to colonize the country during the Berlin Conference of 1884 that was intended to partition Africa among various European powers. Despite never setting foot in Africa, King Leopold of Belgium treated Congo as his own property. His colonization process was characterized ...

Question 1

Leopard II was the king of the Belgians who will be remembered in history for founding Congo Free State as well as the inhumane atrocities he committed to the Congolese. He was a brother to Empress Carlota of Mexico. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom together with her husband Prince Albert as well as King Fernando II of Portugal were among his cousins (Hochschild 58). He married Queen Marrie-Henriette and they together had four children; Louise Marie Amélie, Léopold Ferdinand Élie Victor Albert Marie, Stéphanie Clotilde Louise Herminie Marie Charlotte, and Clémentine Albertine Marie Lé ...

Main themes

The Greed of Colonialism Hochschild shows King Leopold’s greed when he sent the explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley to collect signatures from the tribal leaders handing over their land to him, by taking advantage of their ignorance. They did not consider that the people living in Africa had their way of life and already had their own forms of government. The European colonizers did not consider the misery and pain they would be putting Africans through with their plans to take over their land. They considered Africa empty and the inhabitants primitive and uncivilized. This was not ...

In this evaluation, we will be comparing and contrasting the works of King Leopold’s ghost book and movie. We look at the differences and the similarities of the two literacy works and the role they play in the society. Looking at the similarities, both the book and the movie showcase how greed and violence affected the state of affairs in Congo republic and how the international community worked its way to retain sanity in the land. They both give a report of the genocides, harassment and torture that the people of Congo had to go through and how the ...

It is a tragic but all too familiar irony that many modern-day nations might never have existed without colonialism. Such is the case with the central African nation known today as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the second-largest sovereign nation on the African continent. Between the years 1885 and 1908, the Belgian monarchy headed by King Leopold II, first cousin of Great Britain’s Queen Victoria, undertook colonial rule in a region shaped by the river Congo and part of an ancient tribal kingdom. Financial gain provided the impetus for the Belgians, as it had been for the British, Dutch, Portuguese, ...

Africa and the metropole

Africa had always been a land less explored and much talked about during the imperial age and the age of discovery that preceded it. The reason being the vicinity of the African continent to Europe and the number of times the peninsula is circum-navigated during explorations. It was only rumoured that past Egypt and the Sahara desert, great African kingdoms lay inland, rich and full of resources. In this essay, we will see how the allure of Africa has led to one final push in the colonial era, causing a scramble for territory and the exertion of inhumane will in the ...