Leopold and The Congo
• “To open to civilization the only part of our globe which it has not yet penetrated, to pierce the darkness which hangs over entire peoples, is, I dare say, a crusade worthy of this century of progress.”
• “I was in no way motivated by selfish designs.”
• Agree or disagree?
Leopold and The Congo
• Takes over as personal property
• Congo “Free” State
• Takes over all vacant lands
• Takes over trade – put down rebellions
• On the bright side – works to end slavery
• But...Charge Rubber Tax: paid in labor
• Abuse
• Population falls by 50% according to some estimates; more devastating than slave trade
Rubber
• 1845: RW Thomson invents the pneumatic tire.
• It does not catch on.
• John Dunlop starts the Dunlop Tire
Company in 1888.
• Now, rubber is cheap and plentiful in Africa.
George Washington Williams
E.D. Morel
• These men began a
Humanitarian Campaign to
change the behavior of
Europeans in the Congo.
• Belgian government takes
control
• Ends worst abuses, but still
exploit
• No Africans have a role in
governing
• Took all wealth from the
resources
Leopold and The Congo
• He has been called the leader of “A secret society
of murders.”
• He has been accused of establishing “official
slavery” in the Congo.
• Leopold II has been compared to Hitler.
• Do you agree?