In Adam Hochschild’s book King Leopold's Ghost, he reveals the gruesome bloodshed that went on hidden behind King Leopold's deceit from around 1895-1908. This novelistic narrative, focuses on King Leopold II merciless pillage around the Congo River. While King Leopold II created a holocaust of his own, he kept up his reputation in Belgium as a great humanitarian. While Leopold was killing millions of Congolese around the Congo, most Europeans believed he was funding projects and putting a stop to slavery in East Africa. But, through all the violence and brutal acts, there were some who fought against Leopold, exposing the cruelty that was taking place. Although the “scramble for Africa” brought death and suffering, many strong individuals
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Even throughout this horrendous event, it was the twentieth century’s first great human rights movement. Throughout Hochschild’s book it gives a great amount of insight into this uncharted territory.
Why is it that even though Leopold was responsible for killing millions, he’s not as well of a known figure as people such as Hitler and Stalin? In the book, Hochschild greatly expresses Leopold’s exploitation of the Congo’s resources and the destruction of the mass amount of lives . Officially Leopold’s plan was to end slave trade and bring western civilization to the inhabitants of the Congo, but in all actuality his eyes were set on his personal fortune, using forced labor in order to fulfill his wishes. Even Hochschild himself admits to not knowing about the Congo, even though he takes interest in human rights and history professionally. As late as the 1970s hardly anyone knew about the great atrocities that went on at the Congo; even the Belgians who received the land after Leopold’s death, new little about the mass murder under the responsibility of their own king. One quote …show more content…
An important person in the movement was a man named Edmund Morel, an employee at a Liverpool shipping line. He began to notice his company’s ships filled with goods being unloaded but no pay being sent back. He soon began to realize the actual horror that was going on, was in fact slave labor. Because of this witness, the start of the first great international human rights movement of the twentieth century. Even though what Leopold was doing was illegal, he was still bribed to keep quiet but, Morel had already chosen his path of dedicating his life to expose Leopold through his Congo Reform Association and newspaper. He began writing a weekly news bulletin, and started organizing plans and ideas against Leopold, holding rallies and posting photos and eyewitness interviews. One African-American witnessed first hand what was going on. His name was George Washington Williams, he was was a soldier, a minister, a journalist, a politician, and a historian. He became interested in Africa and its European, colonial rule. He traveled to the congo to write about the history of the black race, but was shocked when he found out that the slave trade was still present and active. He was a big part of the uncovering of Leopold’s forced labor through an open letter to the King that was reprinted all over. Another
Even throughout this horrendous event, it was the twentieth century’s first great human rights movement. Throughout Hochschild’s book it gives a great amount of insight into this uncharted territory.
Why is it that even though Leopold was responsible for killing millions, he’s not as well of a known figure as people such as Hitler and Stalin? In the book, Hochschild greatly expresses Leopold’s exploitation of the Congo’s resources and the destruction of the mass amount of lives . Officially Leopold’s plan was to end slave trade and bring western civilization to the inhabitants of the Congo, but in all actuality his eyes were set on his personal fortune, using forced labor in order to fulfill his wishes. Even Hochschild himself admits to not knowing about the Congo, even though he takes interest in human rights and history professionally. As late as the 1970s hardly anyone knew about the great atrocities that went on at the Congo; even the Belgians who received the land after Leopold’s death, new little about the mass murder under the responsibility of their own king. One quote …show more content…
An important person in the movement was a man named Edmund Morel, an employee at a Liverpool shipping line. He began to notice his company’s ships filled with goods being unloaded but no pay being sent back. He soon began to realize the actual horror that was going on, was in fact slave labor. Because of this witness, the start of the first great international human rights movement of the twentieth century. Even though what Leopold was doing was illegal, he was still bribed to keep quiet but, Morel had already chosen his path of dedicating his life to expose Leopold through his Congo Reform Association and newspaper. He began writing a weekly news bulletin, and started organizing plans and ideas against Leopold, holding rallies and posting photos and eyewitness interviews. One African-American witnessed first hand what was going on. His name was George Washington Williams, he was was a soldier, a minister, a journalist, a politician, and a historian. He became interested in Africa and its European, colonial rule. He traveled to the congo to write about the history of the black race, but was shocked when he found out that the slave trade was still present and active. He was a big part of the uncovering of Leopold’s forced labor through an open letter to the King that was reprinted all over. Another