Leopold And Congo Analysis

King Leopold and Congo

Question 1

Prince Leopold was an ambitious even as a child. Though he seemed to lament the death of his older brother, he soon realized that it made him the sole heir to the throne. The prince always took pride in his royal blood, and considered himself to be superior even among his family members. Though he lost his mother when he was only 15, he was not very emotional about it. It may have affected him on a psychological level; it seemed to have instilled in him a sense of emotional detachment.

As a young adult, though proud, the prince was reasonably shy and reserved when he married Marie Henriette at the age of 18. On the one hand, he looked after his family with everything he had; and on the other hand, he managed the local administration that was assigned to him. No one who knew him then, could have possibly imagined that he would one day become a ruthless dictator. He generally kept to himself, and did not trust anyone easily. So even if he had hidden motives, they were not known.

At home, he treated servants as they ought to be; he demanded work and liked to control them. In fact, he liked to have control over his children too, though he was overly fond of them (especially his son). It was no surprise then that when his only son passed away, it struck him really hard. Though he and his wife desperately tried to have another son, it did not work out. His marriage suffered, and his wife ultimately left him.

While all this was happening in his personal life, he was gaining power in his political career. It looked as if he wanted to compensate for his personal failures by succeeding as a dictator. It was at least evident that every loss in his personal life made him closer to being a sadist. He couldn’t ...

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...e portrayed by activism and resistance is worth mentioning. Any reform needs a good leader as much as it needs a strong cause. And as a rule, any kind of change always faces resistance and criticism initially. The success of any revolution or reform then depends on perseverance of the people and the strength of the cause itself. The author has managed to highlight all these aspects in the description of the movement against King Leopold.

While the book touches upon many important parts of African history and even World history, it has its shortcomings. Voices and opinions of Africans are not seen much, which somehow weakens the feel. Further, there has been some criticism about the author’s comparison of King Leopold’s regime with contemporary imperialism. However, it is probably these comparisons that help people relate better to the history of African colonialism.