King Leopold's Ghost Summary

The objective of colonialism and imperialism was for colonies to gain political power and wealth. “For Leopold, colonies existed for one purpose: to make him and his country rich.” Adam Hochschild’s original book, King Leopold’s Ghost explains land grabbing in Africa during the nineteenth century. Leopold wanted Congo as his own territory to benefit from the resources such as minerals. The king ruled the Africans using terror and tortured them when they disobeyed his orders. Heroic efforts by Mark Twain and Archbishop of Canterbury to expose the inhumane crimes committed by Leopold resulted to the first human activists of the twentieth century. The book narrates the story of King Leopold II of Belgium and his tyrannical rule in Congo. It was

The vivid description of themes, characters, and plot help the audience understand the Belgium rule in the territory. Hochschild addresses the deceitful commanding character of Belgium ruler and violent character of Stanley. The writing style of the author is equivalent to the production of a film or play. He says, “It is just the opening Leopold has been waiting for. Stage and star have appeared, and the play can begin.” He connects well with the audience from chapter to chapter introducing the preceding topic in conjunction with the previous. This format of writing increases the fluency and readability of the

The story of the Congolese is not equivalent to those of European irrespective of whether they are villains or heroes. The author remembered the death of African voices in the archives of African history during the nineteenth century. He strives to include a few African voices from the period of Belgium rule. For instance, the African King Affonso I and his emotional letter to the Portuguese monarchy on behalf of his community. In addition, the individuals such as missionaries and diplomats who resisted the Force Publique. Moreover, he included individuals such as William Sheppard and George Washington Williams, who spent most of their time stopping and disrespecting the way of life of native people. It appears that this weakness in Hochschild’s work is unavoidable given the historical situation of the period he studied. In this scenario, it is a weakness shared by all persons who read from places of Western privilege and power and a tragic loss that should be