King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa, by Adam Hoschild (1998), with a 2005 update
Belgium was a relatively new monarchy when Leopold II became King. He had an inferior complex as his country was so young and small. He made the decision to conquer and colonize as much of Africa as possible. In the mid-1800s, Africa had become one of the last land masses ripe for European colonization, and Leopold was ready. He had his agents plunder a huge swath of territory surrounding the Congo River. When rubber became an important product for the nascent automobile tire industry, Leopold had African slaves tap rubber plants. His agents were brutal and would often kill or chop off the hands of slaves who didn't work quickly enough.
This was a fascinating story of a piece of history that I was unfamiliar with.
Read: June 20, 2022
5 Stars
