Dan Youch

Prof. Ndayni
HIST 205
The Influence of King Leopold on the Congo: Scars do not Fade
Leopold’s Congo was a product of wit, trickery, and deceit, and while a few journalists
were able to expose the atrocities committed and bring the colony to its knees, the impact of
enslavement and forced labor crippled the country for the decades to come, up until the current
day. Both Adam Hochschild’s book King Leopold’s Ghost and Pippa Scott’s film of the same
name discuss the aftermath of the colony. However, the film goes far further into detail and
highlight’s the outside influences that allowed the country to dissolve further. This reflection will
determine where Hochschild’s novel ends, and where Scott’s film picks up where it leaves off, to
make the point that the Congo has still not recovered from Leopold’s reign over a century ago.
The last chapter of Hochschild’s novel goes into detail surrounding the influence of the
United States and how they influenced the death of Patrice Lumumba: “… Eisenhower clearly
told CIA chief Dulles ‘that Lumumba should be eliminated’” (Hochschild 2019). Along with the
rise to power of Joseph Mobutu: “… someone (Mobutu) who would look after their interests….
received cash payments from the local CIA man…. met with President Kennedy” (Hochschild
2019). The book ends with an ominous statement: “At the time of the Congo controversy a
hundred years ago, the idea of full human rights, political, social, and economic, was a profound
threat to the established order of most countries on earth. It still is today” (Hochschild 2019). But
nothing more is made of this, which is where the film comes in to fill in the gaps. With the threat
of communism closing in on the U.S, they adopted strategies like Operation Condor where they
propped up capitalist rulers like Mobutu and to topple ones with relations to communist countries
like Lumumba. The United Nations cooperated to bring Lumumba down and place Mobutu in
power, playing a “heavy roll into this capture of Lumumba” (Scott 2017). The usage of the
Congo by the Allied forces in WWII for the development of the atomic bombs has harmed the
country to this day, and the subsequent collapses of governments following Mobutu has led to
“… Complete militarization of a (Congo) society” (Scott 2017).
The U.S and U.N interferences in the Congo matters directly led to the state that the
country currently is in today. Both Hochschild and Scott’s sources provide detail into the
tragedies that occurred in the Congo under King Leopold, but the film reveals how much
Leopold’s colony catalyzed the intervention of other countries to; 1. Reform the country, and 2.
To exploit the country for their personal gain. Only reading Hochschild’s book won’t paint the
entire picture, Scott’s film is crucial for seeing the lack of development of the Congo following
its freedom from Belgian rule.
Hochschild, Adam. 2019. KING LEOPOLD’S GHOST : A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism
in Colonial Africa. Mariner.
Scott, Pippa, dir. 2017. King Leopold’s Ghost.