Theme Of Imperialism In Tools Of Empire And King Leopold's Ghost

The ability and power of Africa was unknown. No country knew of this “dark” continent, the people who occupied it, and the resources that could be obtained. Thus, the commencement of exploration into Africa. The novels Tools of Empire by Daniel R. Headrick and King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild, exhibit the effects of explorations in Africa. These two novels portray the ground work in which Africa was established and maintained. Some common themes among these novels are African colonization, technology and imperialism. Also, the stimulating effects of technology and imperialism. Technology brought power which instilled fear and terror in the inhabitants of Africa. Western superiority allowed for technology and imperialism to be the leading causes of exploitation and domination in Africa. Headrick wrote in an analytical style in order to perceive his argument. Headrick wrote about two events that changed the world: the progress and power of industrial technology and the domination and exploitation of Africa. These two events led Headrick to his argument that the highest achievement of European civilization was due to technology. Also, there was a constant feedback between technology and imperialism; technology and imperialism were closely …show more content…
Hochschild argued that King Leopold was guilty of crimes against humanity due to his plan to obtain territory illegally in Africa for exploitation. Also, Leopold, may have been the “main” person behind these crimes, but there were many other people who acted in criminal behavior. For instance, Henry Morton Stanley used “the latest rifles and an elephant gun with exploding bullets” when exploring the continent.” For Stanley, combat was always apart of exploration in order to show his power and to instill fear in the inhabitants of Africa. As one can see, Hochschild supports his argument through his characters’