Running Head: KING LEOPOLD’S GHOST 1

King Leopold’s Ghost

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
KING LEOPOLD’S GHOST 2

King Leopold’s Ghost.

Introduction

Congo Free State was the world’s only colony that was colonized by one person,

Belgium leader named King Leopold II. The King was a monarchical philanthropist who

donated talent, money and time to help create a better Congo. He was praised for his

humanitarian actions until when a shipping company employee called, Edmund Dene Morel

unravelled his secrets. Morel examined different cargos on different ships that belonged to

King Leopold, where the King’s less laudable acts came to light. Morel realized that most of

the ships that docked in the Belgium harbor from Congo were full of rubber and ivory. On the

contrary, the vessel that left for Congo only carried ammunition and arms. Morel presumed

that the King used the slave workforce to collect rubber and ivory.

Chapter One

A Welsh journalist, Henry Morton Stanley, was a person who was ambitious and

restless in seeking adventure in Africa. During the middle of the 19th century, nations in the

European region were colonizing vast sections of Africa to exploit the raw materials. The

countries used the policies of extending power and influence in a country through

colonization. This was to crush the slave trade of Afro Arab. Stanley gets a contract to locate

a British explorer, David Livingstone who had gone missing in the African continent. He was

determined to explore Africa (Hochschild, 1998). As such, he organizes a party that takes

months before finding Livingstone. This earns him the acclaim of the universe.

Chapter Two

King Leopold focused on the satisfaction of his greed. The king felt that he was

constricted in a tiny colony and where he went, he looked for opportunities. If he went to

regions dominated by Africans, he would buy and claim it as his colony. By the middle of the
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19th century, most parts of Africa were still uncolonized. This made Leopold lust for the land

to build up. In the year 1876, Leopold attended a geographical conference that was in

Brussels and used flattery to convince explorers and leaders of Europe of his kind intentions

to Africa. The International Africa Association's achievement to the king was the discovery

of River Congo. 

Chapter Four.

When Leopold and Stanley first met, they planned on how they would venture into

Congo. Besides, the study committee for Upper Congo secretly finances the Stanley’s

journey. It also pays for the construction of the road around the rapids of the Congo River.

After Stanley's departure, Leopold goes forward to create the International Association of

Congo. In Stanley's work, he used punishment to force the Congolese to build roads. Stanley

had to convince the chiefs of African villages to sign treaties of their land to Leopold.

Chapter Five.

Sanford, one of President Chester Arthur's followers, carries a letter Leopold gave to

take to the president to recognize Leopold's ownership of Congo. Sanford then seeks the

influence of the congress for passage of the bill. The bill of recognition is passed. In Paris, a

lobbyist who was well connected convinced the French to recognize Leopold Colony. In

Germany, Leopold's representative had a hard time to persuade Bismarck. As such, bribes

and the guarantee of free trade to Bismarck changed Bismarck's mind. In 1884, Bismarck

called for the Berlin conference for the European Colonial powers. At the end of the meeting,

Leopold had secured the recognition by the Europeans. Other nations were willing to give

much to Leopold as he had guaranteed the European traders an open trade.

Chapter Seven

George Williams Washington, a journalist, who was an African American was sent by

a newspaper to cover the Berlin Conference, where he met king Leopold. Leopold informed
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him of the humanitarian goals in Congo. William travelled to Congo to gather information.

William wrote an open letter to the king which was condemning the act of inhumanity that he

had witnessed. His open letter did not bear fruits because the Belgium parliament defended

Leopold and proved wrong Williams's accusation about the barbarity in Congo. 

Chapter Eight

Leopold appropriated resources from the food of the villagers to the ivory tusks.

Agents to Leopold used Chicotte: a whip made from hippopotamus hide. The use of the strap

was to punish people who failed to bring enough produce. To enhance the harvesting of

resources, the king declared a necessary method which would make the natives realize the

sacredness of work. Agents were promised a percentage of the profit as their reward for

forcing the natives to bring tusks of elephants. Besides, soldiers invaded villages and dragged

away members of the family as slaves.

Chapter Ten

The rainforests of Congo were rich in rubber, and since Leopold had gone to

significant debts, he exploited the raw material. This made Congo become the most profitable

of all colonies in Africa. Troops could raid homes and hold hostage all children and women

until their men could return with the required rubber quota. William Sheppard, who was an

African American priest, discovered the brutality subjected to the rubber harvesters.

Chapter Eleven

Missionaries that were in Congo were agitated with what they had witnessed in the

rubber harvesting. One apostle who was a Swedish reporter wrote about how soldiers

received payments per the number of hands severed. This spread throughout Europe, which

in turn rekindled the way the Congolese were being treated. Charles Strokes’ death is

different in that he was captured by Captain Lothaire and was executed for supplying guns to

African natives. To deal with the reports of atrocities in Congo, King Leopold creates the
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unfunded and quickly defunct commission to protect the natives. By then, Edmund Morel

was the representative of the Elder Dempster company. Morel discovered that the arms that

were sent to Congo were official secrets. Ships from Congo carried rubber and ivory, but the

ships from Brussels were empty. He concludes that the arms were used in controlling the

slave labor in Congo.

Chapter Twelve

Morel was unique from others as he objected inhumanity in Congo. He quits his job to

dedicate his time to exposing and ending tyranny in the country. Morel wanted to know if

forced labor in Congo was part of the system that the colonialists used to run in their

colonies. In the year 1903, the Parliament of Britain resolved that Congolese natives should

be treated and led with humanity. Morel did not achieve his quest for traveling to Congo as

Leopold banned him. Otherwise, his publication of articles on slave laborers of Budia

reached the British in which the Parliament passed a resolution.

Chapter Thirteen

An Irish man who worked on various jobs in Congo, Roger Casement, was too

generous to the natives. In his investigative trip, Casement was shocked when he witnesses

the inhumanity done to the natives, such as chopping off hands. Casement returns to Europe

to publish a report which was delayed because it described the acts of refined cruelty.

Casement’s newspaper interviews force the British government to publish his story. He is

convinced by Morel to create the Congo Reform Association, which was an organization that

campaigned for justice.

Chapter Fourteen

Morel had a belief in the civilization reports of European morality and free trade. This

belief makes him gain support from the British government. Hezekiah Andrew Shanu, a

businessman in Congo, kills himself after being unmasked by the Congolese police for being
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a perpetrator of justice. King Leopold began to lose popularity as local groups collected

money, which was used to publish Magazines demanding the intervention of the British

government.

Chapter Fifteen

Belgium government estimated that almost half of the Congolese population had

died under King Leopold. This was a result of murder caused by the Publique imposers,

furthermore due to the exhaustion suffered as forced laborers. The continued irrational killing

in Congo was due to the punishment imposed on even the slightest mistake. Moreover, the

execution of the Congolese was seen as a sporting event.

Chapter Sixteen

To fight back the accusations, Leopold manipulated the press for his favor. Leopold

as well sends aid to the British colonies to unearth the atrocities against him. His efforts to get

support from the United States backfires as the Congo Reforms Association expands to the

United States. The British are joined by the United States to condemn Leopold’s rule.

Leopold forms the Commission of Inquiry, whose report confirms the shreds of evidence of

the Congo Reform Association. The published summary whitewashes the findings of the

commission, which restores the King’s reputation.

 Chapter Seventeen

Belgium came up with the solution in that they take the ‘private-owned colony’ to the

Belgium government. The King takes this situation as an advantage and considers to sell the

colony to the Belgium government. Soon after the Belgium government takes over, the

situation remains the same. In June 1913, the Congo Reform Association held the last

meeting. Luminaries and activists attend the meeting to celebrate the accomplishments of the

group.
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Chapter Eighteen 

The Congo Reform Association did not achieve all objectives, because the tax burden

imposed by the Belgium government forced the natives to work longer at the rubber

plantations. Leopold’s rule is unique in its brutality as salve workers were subjected to severe

punishment, including the chicotte and severing of hands. The focus was much on Congo due

to the way both Leopold and Belgium’s administration handled the natives.

Chapter Nineteen

Leopold had to burn the state archives to destroy the evidence of his atrocities. After

the election of their new leader, Mobutu Sese Seko, the greediness and corruption were still

in him, a mindset he shared with King Leopold. Mobutu gives the U.S. free rein for them to

exploit the resources in Congo. Jules Marchal was a Belgium diplomat who discovered the

way Congolese died in their millions under the rule of Leopold. The first democratically

elected leader, Patrice Lumumba, is assassinated. Reformists form the Anti-Slavery

International, which kept alive the capacity of the outrage of humans inflicting pain on

others. 

After King Leopold’s Ghost is published in the museum for Central Africa, the

museum gets filled with explorers and relics of colonial soldiers. Also, Belgium nationals

who cared about the right of human beings demanded changes be made by Belgium to bring

civilization to Congo. 

Currently, Congo is facing a crisis as a result of post-elections (Jewish World Watch,

2020). Rebels, and cooperate allies in Congo don’t want to be balkanized as they believe that

they live peacefully in their small capacities. 

The reason for Hochschild writing the book was to explore the way Leopold exploited the

Congo Free State. The book made it a success by increasing public awareness of the crimes
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by Belgium colonies. Some factors still prevent Africa from becoming prosperous in

democracy, as most countries still have corrupt leaders.

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References

Hochschild, A. (1998). King Leopold’s Ghost: Mariner Books. Retrieved from:

http://ieas.unideb.hu/admin/file_6617.pdf

Jewish World Watch. (2020). Current Situation in the DRC. Retrieved from:

https://www.jww.org/conflict-areas/drc/current-situation/