The Belgian Congo Essay

The Belgian Congo, as Zaire and now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were formerly called was the creation of King Leopold of Belgium who desperately wanted a colony. By the late 19th century there was little land left for the taking except in Africa and it had become obvious that taking over independent lands was neither wise nor practical. King Leopold II, King of the Belgians, was a man of enormous appetites both for land and food—he once ate two whole pheasants at a restaurant in Paris, and it was not unusual for him to order several entrees. His colony was 75 times larger than Belgium.

Stanley’s explorations in Africa were becoming well known and sensational, and Leopold carefully wooed him into striking a bargain--Stanley wisely requested his payment in advance – that would have Stanley lead an expedition to build a road into the heart of Africa. He had learned an important lesson during his search for Livingston: there was little military threat from the local inhabitants who were small in population, encompassed more than 200 ethnic groups speaking more than 400 languages making a joint effort against the white man distinctly unlikely.

Leopold was being more than a little disingenuous. In addition to sponsoring Stanley’s expedition, he paid for several others who were attempting to reach the interior from the east. He also used several front organizations in an attempt to hide his financial interest. Stanley himself was unaware that one of the “committees” had expired over a year earlier and was being used by the King in name only.

The cost of maintaining the expeditions and building infrastructure to get the immense natural resource wealth out of the Congo soon depleted most of Leopold’s fortune, so he managed to ob...

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...ge up an existing unpleasant reality from half a world away.

I thought it was a very moving, powerful book that puts light on colonialism. Hochschild writers very well; at no point is the book boring nor does it read like a list. Hochschild is also even headed. He doesn't whitewash - good guys have flaws, and he mentions them. Hochschild does make the reader think about how the West sees Africa not only during the colonial period but even today. It is a book everyone in Europe and the United States should read. What I really enjoyed was the fact that Hochschild doesn't just focus on Leopold but on reactions to Leopold. Hochschild shows us what Europeans, Americans, and Africans did to combat Leopald. I enjoyed the unearthing of previously little known heros like Sheppard. I will not ever be able to look at the Stanley and Livingston story the same way ever again.