King Leopold 2 Research Paper
King Leopold II of Belgium was a manipulative ruler who created injustices in the Congo Free State. Many missionaries and young idealists traveled to Africa for adventure but unexpectedly found themselves amidst a holocaust. Despite the many African rebel leaders’ attempts to stop King Leopold, over ten million Congolese people were killed.
Henry Morton Stanley was able to acquire the land so easily because there was no established military in place, and because he would deceive the indigenous chiefs. The chiefs would unknowingly give up rights to land and waterways to Stanley. Leopold created a complete monopoly, even though he insisted that his venture had no commercial interest. During the peak of the Industrial Revolution, Europeans …show more content…
This is due to the fact that he covered up many of is wrongdoings. First off, he falsely publicized trade statistics about the Congo’s imports and exports. Edmund Morel, a journalist who wanted to expose this vast destruction of human life, saw what the Elder Dempster ships were carrying. The Etat Indépenant du Congo’s trade statistics did not match what was on the boats. Moral noticed that about 80% of the imports going to the Congo did not have anything to do with trade purposes (such as weapons and military goods). Meanwhile, the Congo was exporting ivory, rubber, and other raw materials. Morel was one of the first people to catch onto the king’s scheme. Another reason why it took so long for the regime to be exposed is because Leopold destroyed the evidence of his actions. He went to extraordinary lengths to try to erase potentially incriminating evidence from the historical record. Researchers were not allowed to review anything that was bad for Belgium, but as Hochschild points out, everything was bad! Therefore, these atrocities went unknown for years because of the king’s active attempts to hide the evidence to preserve his own
Henry Morton Stanley was able to acquire the land so easily because there was no established military in place, and because he would deceive the indigenous chiefs. The chiefs would unknowingly give up rights to land and waterways to Stanley. Leopold created a complete monopoly, even though he insisted that his venture had no commercial interest. During the peak of the Industrial Revolution, Europeans …show more content…
This is due to the fact that he covered up many of is wrongdoings. First off, he falsely publicized trade statistics about the Congo’s imports and exports. Edmund Morel, a journalist who wanted to expose this vast destruction of human life, saw what the Elder Dempster ships were carrying. The Etat Indépenant du Congo’s trade statistics did not match what was on the boats. Moral noticed that about 80% of the imports going to the Congo did not have anything to do with trade purposes (such as weapons and military goods). Meanwhile, the Congo was exporting ivory, rubber, and other raw materials. Morel was one of the first people to catch onto the king’s scheme. Another reason why it took so long for the regime to be exposed is because Leopold destroyed the evidence of his actions. He went to extraordinary lengths to try to erase potentially incriminating evidence from the historical record. Researchers were not allowed to review anything that was bad for Belgium, but as Hochschild points out, everything was bad! Therefore, these atrocities went unknown for years because of the king’s active attempts to hide the evidence to preserve his own