King Leopold's Regime

756 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Leopold 2 and imperialism

King Leopold's Regime

From the beginning of time genocide has taken place and likely is not to end anytime soon. The atrocity from King Leopold's regime is one of the most unheard of cases of genocide but also one of the most gruesome. The killing and atrocities going on in Congo were full-blown genocide. The King was greedy, did not have any care or respect for his people, and also allowed and had the practice of slavery.

The main motivating factor for King Leopold to commit this mass genocide was greed. All that the King cared about was money and power. To fully understand the extent of genocide that was committed by the King you need to know the exact meaning of genocide. According to Webster Dictionary genocide means the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. An example of the King's greed was a decree he made that by which all the land, all the rubber, and all the ivory was to be the property of the State ---- which was himself. This made it illegal for natives to sell ivory are rubber to Europeans, and for the Europeans to buy it from the natives. The King than sent a letter to all of his officials telling them of a bonus they would receive for collecting rubber and ivory from natives at bargain prices. The officials would buy ivory and rubber that was worth a dollar for thirty cents from the natives and receive a fifteen-cent bonus. The act of doing this is illegal under article 23 section 2 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This article says " Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work." This article means that the natives should receive fair payment of one dollar for selling their ivory and rubber not the thirty cents that ...

... middle of paper ...

...he slaves would cross narrow bridges if one feel all the slaves would fall and die. This is an inexcusable way to die and treat a human being.

The King's actions were inexcusable. King Leopold had no respect for his people or cared for their well being. His actions in every way were genocide. He broke almost every article in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. All that King Leopold cared about was money and power. In order to obtain this he enslaved his fellow people. He also killed millions of people with no conscious at all. In order to get people to do what he wanted he threatened them with cruel and unusual punishment. The best way to sum up the atrocities going on in Congo under the reign of King Leopold is a quote from Joseph Conrad " The violence, scramble for loot that ever disfigured the history of human conscience."

Show More
Related

  • King Leopold's Ghost Summary

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book mainly chronicles the efforts of King Leopold II of Belgium which is to make the Congo into a colonial empire. During the period that the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River.

    Read More

  • Analysis of "King Leopold's Ghost"

    414 Words  | 1 Pages

    Adam Hochschild's "King Leopold's Ghost" is a lost historical account starting in the late 19th century continuing into the 20th century of the enslavement of an entire country. The book tells the story of King Leopold and his selfish attempt to essentially make Belgium bigger starting with the Congo. This was all done under an elaborate "philanthropic" public relations curtain deceiving many countries along with the United States (the first to sign on in Leopold's claim of the Congo). There were many characters in the book ones that aided in the enslavement of the Congo and others that help bring light to the situation but the most important ones I thought were: King Leopold, a cold calculating, selfish leader, as a child he was crazy about geography and as an adult wasn't satisfied with his small kingdom of Belgium setting his sites on the Congo to expand. Hochschild compares Leopold to a director in a play he even says how brilliant he is in orchestrating the capture of the Congo. Another important character is King Leopold's, as Hochschild puts it, "Stagehand" Henry Morton Stanley. He was a surprisingly cruel person killing many natives of the Congo in his sophomore voyage through the interior of Africa (The first was to find Livingston). Leopold used Stanley to discuss treaties with African leaders granting Leopold control over the Congo. Some of the natives he talked to weren't even in the position to sign the treaties or they didn't know what they were signing.

    Read More

  • Forced Labor in "King Leopold’s Ghost"

    1342 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...abor to get what he wanted, ivory and rubber. Leopold was able to colonize and pillage Congo for its resources during the Scramble for Africa through forced labor. The quote that sums up my essay and the book is best described at the end of chapter 15. Massacring huge numbers of natives will eventually frighten the survivors into gathering rubber. This shows the intentions of forced labor by the Force Publique and the reason for the population drop in Congo during Leopold’s rule.

    Read More

  • King Leopold's Ghost Analysis

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hochschild concludes that the world must never forget the events of Leopold’s Congo. This event is evidence that it is the result of human greed that led to so much suffering, injustice, and corruption.

    Read More

  • King Leopold II and Belgian Imperialism

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    King Leopold II and Belgian Imperialism In 1865, King Leopold II succeeded his father to the throne of Belgium and thus began one of the most brutal and insensitive periods of imperialism ever to exist. From manipulative treaties to straight forward intimidation, Leopold dominated his empire like no other. He was cruel, deceptive, and downright evil, yet it took the world over twenty years to recognize this. The record of King Leopold’s atrocity is an interesting account of how a jealous man could inflict some of the most disgusting forms of oppression upon his fellow members of the human race.

    Read More

  • Dbq Essay On Rwanda Genocide

    516 Words  | 2 Pages

    Can genocide ever be stopped? For decades the UN (United Nations) has tried to abolish all kinds of genocide; unfortunately, we do not believe in equality as a species, and this perfect utopia seems impossible in our day and age. In 1994, during the genocide in Rwanda (one of the bloodiest genocides of all time) the United Nations tried to make a stand and stop this massacre once and for all. Grievously, the UN’s mission terminated due to the lack of resources; the UN military was forced to watch while the genocide continued(Document A). Genocide has been occurring for decades, anything from clans like the KKK to the extermination of Jews during WW2. Genocides happened to a multitude of minorities, ironically, no one has made a considerable stand to stop them. Generally speaking, the abolishing of genocide seems unattainable in our modern day due to 3 reasons: Lack of media attention, Human innate stubbornness, and abominable people.

    Read More

  • Leopold II Research Paper

    653 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ermore established imperial rule in the Congo. The Force Publique was Leopold’s governing army. They were to oversee the work of the now colonized people of the Congo. Another of Leopold’s objectives was to gain wealth from his acquired colony. With the Force Publique, he would force the Congolese to gather ivory from the land. Those who refused had their elders, women and children held hostage until they complied. Leopold’s International African Association was to be a humanitarian project that would help to end slavery, however, by forcing the people to work for him, he was enslaving those he supposedly sought to help. When the popularity of the bicycle rose in the late 19th, manufactures were in need of rubber for their tires. Leopold saw this as an opportunity to gain more wealth and quickly had the Force Publique force the people into harvesting rubber.

    Read More

  • Rwandan Genocide

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    Africa has been an interesting location of conflicts. From the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea to the revolutionary conflict in Libya and Egypt, one of the greatest conflicts is the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide included two tribes in Rwanda: Tutsis and Hutus. Upon revenge, the Hutus massacred many Tutsis and other Hutus that supported the Tutsis. This gruesome war lasted for a 100 days. Up to this date, there have been many devastating effects on Rwanda and the global community. In addition, many people have not had many acknowledgements for the genocide but from this genocide many lessons have been learned around the world.

    Read More

  • King Leopold's Ghost Summary

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Rwandan Genocide: Factors that Contribute to Genocide

    2659 Words  | 6 Pages

    When the Belgian colonizers entered Rwanda in 1924, they created an ethnic classification between the Hutu and the Tutsi, two tribes who used to live together as one. After independence in 1962, there was a constant power struggle between the two tribes. Former Canadian Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Chrétien described the situation as “tribalism without tribes.” (Destexhe, 1995) There were many signs leading towards genocide, yet the nations in power chose to ignore them. From April 6, 1994 until mid-July, a time spanning approximately of 100 days, 800,000 people were murdered when the Hutu attacked the Tutsi. No foreign aid came to the rescue until it was too late. Ten years after the genocide the United Nations was still involved in Rwanda, cleaning up the mess that was left behind because of man’s sinful nature. Could the Rwandan Genocide have been prevented, or is it simply a fact of life? Even though the international community is monitoring every country and race, such an event as the Rwandan Genocide could occur again because the European colonizers introduced ethnic classification where it did not exist and the nations in power chose to ignore the blatant signs of genocide.

    Read More

  • The Horrors of Genocide: Night, by Elie Wiesel

    1706 Words  | 4 Pages

    To start off with, what is genocide? Genocide is the killing of a massive number of people of in a group. Genocide has not only been practices in the present day, but it has been practiced for m...

    Read More

  • The Congo Free State

    1971 Words  | 4 Pages

    While Leopold II, the King of Belgium, desperately wanted an overseas colony, The Belgian people did not share his enthusiasm; which created the feelings of neglect and apathy Belgium had towards Congo. The Congo Free State, established “in the margins of the Berlin Conference” in 1885, allowed Leopold to “gain international recognition of his possession” which he had begun to take control of since the 1870s. However, while Leopold was securing control of the Congo, the Belgian people were not interested in controlling colonies, as they believed that colonies “would merely soak up resources that would be better used for social purposes at home.” Thus, the Belgian people decided to solve the problem of having an unwanted colony by separating the Belgian government from...

    Read More

  • King Leopold The Early 1880's Analysis

    278 Words  | 1 Pages

    Source two represents King Leopold the Second during his time of rule for Belgium. Historical globalization relates to a great example, having King Leopold the second rule Belgium in the early 1880’s. He forced the indigenous people out of Congo, while the rest had to work in brutal conditions in the rubber industry. Some people had courage to resist in the harsh conditions they had to work for, but instantly regretted it. Conditions were very horrid such as an arm cut off. Rubber in areas mainly of Congo spread globally around the world to make many great inventions which we all know and love; such as: Car wheels, rubber bands, boots etc. Homogenization plays a key role here. Since Leopold’s reign in the early 1880’s, he erased citizen identities,

    Read More

  • Essay On King Leopold's Ghost

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    King Leopold II of Belgium is known in history for his quest for African colonies and all of the atrocities he caused. Leopold II came to power in when he became King in 1865. When he became King, he was focused on mainly money and territory. King Leopold viewed the Congo as his own personal property, he first claimed the Congo in 1884 during the Berlin Conference, with the Congo Free State being declared in the following year. This became widely known as the European Scramble for Africa. The atrocities that Leopold caused were first exposed by American and British writers amd campaigners. With this publicity spreading, it eventually caused Leopold to hand over the country. In Adam Hochschild’s book, “King Leopold’s Ghost” reveals Leopold’s

    Read More

  • The Congo Crisis

    2492 Words  | 5 Pages

    Over a period from 1960-1965, the first Republic of the Congo experienced a period of serious crisis. There was a terrible war for power that displayed senseless violence and the desperation to rule. There were many internal conflicts among the people. The country eventually gained independence from Belgium. For many countries this would be a time for celebration. Unfortunately for the people of the Congo this became a time to forget. Almost immediately after independence and the general elections, the country went into civil war. Major developed cities like Katanga and Kasai wanted to be independent from the Lumumba government. Different factions started to fight the government and Katanga and Kasai tried to secede from the rest of the country out of fear of the mutinous army that was out of control looting and killing.

    Read More

More about King Leopold's Regime

Open Document