Summary
Highlights
King Leopold II inherited the Belgian throne in 1865, and despite Belgium being a young, neutral, and constitutional monarchy, he sought to gain personal power and wealth through colonial expansion. He believed a colony was essential for national significance and economic opportunity, but his government disagreed with his colonial ambitions.
To circumvent governmental opposition, Leopold II devised a plan to acquire the largely unexplored Congo. In 1876, he organized a geographical conference in Brussels, forming the Association Internationale Africaine (AIA) as a philanthropic front for his colonial activities. He hired explorer Henry Morton Stanley to survey the Congo River area, establish posts, and make treaties with local chiefs, misleading them about the agreements' true nature.
During the 'Scramble for Africa,' Leopold II skillfully navigated the Berlin Conference (1884-1885), playing major powers against each other to gain personal control over the Congo River Basin, which he named the Congo Free State. This territory, eight times the size of Belgium, became his absolute domain, allowing him to disregard agreements about protecting local rights and eradicating the slave trade.
To make the Congo commercially profitable, Leopold exploited its rich rubber resources to meet global demand. Local populations were subjected to inhumane quotas for rubber collection, with severe consequences for failure, including beatings, mutilation, and death. The 'Force Publique,' Leopold's private army, enforced these quotas and suppressed uprisings, often using severed hands as proof of villagers killed.
Reports of atrocities, including an open letter from George Washington Williams in 1890 and later European press revelations, sparked international outrage. Prominent writers like Mark Twain and Arthur Conan Doyle condemned Leopold's actions. The widespread protest eventually led to the Belgian government forcing Leopold to relinquish his personal rule in November 1908, with the Congo becoming a Belgian colony. It is estimated that as many as 10 million people died during the Congo Free State's existence under Leopold II.