Leopold II of Belgium

his letter, stating that the Congo would inevitably bring an abundant amount of wealth to Belgium. Leopold promises wealth and he states that he would cooperate with the natives. He convinces the Belgian government by comparing Congo with Belgium, he said that both states was once small and how Brussels rose to prominence. By comparing Belgium and Congo, he states how Belgium was once like Congo. Thus, Leopold gains the trust of his government with his letter and reassures that Congo would…

were some of the most horrendous that the world has ever seen, yet many of us have never even heard of King Leopold II. Leopold was the king of Belgium from 1865-1909. In Belgium, his reign was seen as one that brought great riches to his country, and one filled with good deeds to the Congolese people. However the exact opposite is true. King Leopold II did bring mass amounts of money to Belgium, but at one of the greatest human costs the world has ever seen. According to Adam Hochschild’s book,…

countries across Europe started scrambling to claim land in Africa. Europe had long been claiming territories in parts of the Americas, Asia, and Africa, but intense national competition between Spain, Italy, Great Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, and Belgium led them to snatch up ninety percent of Africa by 1902, creating "new imperialism." This movement was inspired by many motives. Nations wanted ports for commerce and navy ships, but also to block other potential claimants. Patriotism and…

Some might say imperialism is a great thing to use when one country needs resources, but all it does is destroy culture, homes, and families in the country with the resources. A country will go to any extent to get what they want, whether that is burning down a tree or destroying people’s lives. The age of Imperialism was roughly 1870-1914, and countries used extreme force to get what they want without thinking about how their actions will affect the other country. Imperialism is shown in the…

set foot in Congo, King Leopold II of Belgium.…

King Leopold II, the king of Belgium, and his desire to create a colonial to help expand, and make Belgium an even high power. Along with his success and what he did after creating the colonial in the Congo. Using the help of Henry Morton Stanley, along with many political and businessmen from Belgium and many…

frantic chase of colonization was King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold hired Henry Stanley, an explorer, to travel “up and down the immense waterways of the Congo River basin” to set up trading posts, to build roads and to persuade illiterate African chiefs into signing treaties (Hochschild). Leopold II did all of this under the pretext of bringing the benefits of Christianity, western civilization, and commerce to the natives of Africa. In reality, however, all Leopold wanted to do was exploit…

a small nation, Belgium lacked behind there superpowers. It was only…

The act of imperialism was first introduced in 1870. Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military action. This became very popular throughout the European countries but, also very competitive between the countries. This caused many conflicts. Eventually, this lead to the start of World War I. The proceeding affair stretched throughout the late 19th century and ending around the start of the 20th century. European countries were the biggest…

leaders like Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler are analyzed extensively for their vile, inhumane acts committed across Europe, rulers like King Leopold II of Belgium are rarely mentioned to their full extent. From 1885 to 1908, the Belgians killed, starved, and worked an estimated 10 million Congolese to death in order to propel Belgium into the national elite. Leopold, like Stalin or Hitler, was a cold, unforgiving man, who prayed on the suffering of others in order to succeed, but he nor any of…