King Leopalds Ghost
King Leopold of Belgium, writes historian Adam Hochschild in this grim history, did not much care for his native land or his subjects, all of which he dismissed as "small country, small people." Even so, he searched the globe to find a colony for Belgium, frantic that the scramble of other European powers for overseas dominions in Africa and Asia would leave nothing for himself or his people. When he eventually found a suitable location in what would become the Belgian Congo, later known as Zaire and now simply as Congo, Leopold set about establishing a rule of terror that would culminate in the deaths of 4 to 8 million indigenous people, "a death toll," Hochschild writes, "of Holocaust dimensions." Those who survived went to work mining ore or harvesting rubber, yielding a fortune for the Belgian king, who salted away billions of dollars in hidden bank accounts throughout the world. Hochschild's fine book of historical inquiry, which draws heavily on eyewitness accounts of the colonialists' savagery, brings this little-studied episode in European and African history into new light.The Berlin Conference of 1884 established the ground rules amongst the Europeans for partitioning the resources of Africa. At this conference, King L
Morel noticed something very peculiar. Morel was hired by King Leopold II to oversee the shipments to and from the Congo. If a whole village didn't work, the Europeans would let cannibals into the village. The Belgian Congo's death toll was 5-10 million people in 19 years. His nephew, Albert I, succeeded him. His good deeds of the past acted as a perfect cover for his undisclosed intentions. Millions died and he did not think twice about their death if it meant a profit for him. Just as Hitler went to his grave believing he did the right thing for Germany, Leopold left this earth believing he brought civilization to the Congolese. Adam does warn that the more distant we are from the scene of these abuses, the more likely we are to ignore or excuse this behavior. Both of these people were sick and poor excuses for human beings. In 1876 King Leopold II organized the International Association for the Exploration and Civilization of the Congo. One amazing man did this; he gave up about a decade of his life to save millions of people.
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Acceptance Essays
