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The Ambition of Leopold II: How did he gain control of the Congo Free State?
At the end of the 19th century, the African continent was still a blank area full of potential, attracting the attention of many European countries. In this era of urgent need to expand the empire, King Leopold II of Belgium embraced colonial dreams. How did his ambition lead him to successfully gain control of the Congo and thus establish the Congo Free State?
Leopold II came to the throne in 1865, and long before he became king, he had a keen interest in certain parts of Africa. In 1876, he organized the International African Society with the intention of promoting the exploration and colonization of Africa, but the Belgian government always expressed indifference to his ambitions. Against this background, he decided to go it alone and find his own path in Africa.
"Leopold II's dream could not rely solely on the Belgian government. He had to find international allies to realize his plans."
With the arrival of Henry Morton Stanley, he explored the Congo and collected valuable information to support Leopold's views. All this led to the Berlin Conference of 1884, at which Leopold gained international recognition and established the Congo Free State as a "charitable organization" under private control.
However, the operations of the Congo Free State turned into outright exploitation of local society. Leopold relied on the "public servant army" he established to force Aboriginal people to work and exploit their labor to extract resources. This inhumane act has attracted widespread attention from the international community, and with international media reports, criticism of the Congo Free State has continued to increase.
"The Congo Free State turned into a humanitarian disaster at the hands of Leopold, whose intentions and results were far from the truth."
By 1908, diplomatic pressure and public opinion forced the Belgian government to intervene in the Congo Free State. At this time, Congo was officially incorporated into the Belgian colony and the Belgian Congo was established. Under the new government, although some of Congo's atrocities were brought under control, Congo's resources continued to serve Belgium's economic development.
Belgium's colonial policy was filled with the idea of the "colonial trinity", which intertwined the interests of the country, the help of missionaries, and the economic interests of private companies. Under the guidance of this policy, Congo's economic structure was completely transformed, and a large influx of capital promoted the local urbanization process, but also profoundly affected the lives of the indigenous people.
"Belgian colonial rule in the Congo grew along with the plundering of its resources, and the indigenous people became victims of this plundering."
Over time, governance in Congo has changed. During World War II, the economy of the Belgian Congo provided important support to the Belgian government as it fled abroad. However, in the post-war period, Congo's internal political conflicts and Belgian intervention led to political turmoil and instability in the region, which eventually evolved into the Congolese Crisis of 1960.
The crisis in Congo has prompted people to think more deeply about the legacy of the colonial era. Like many other former colonies, Congo still faced many difficulties after gaining independence, with political infighting intertwined with interference from external forces. This kind of historical mirror reminds us, behind colonization, what do we really get?
The history of Congo is a mirror that reflects the colonial expansion ambitions of European powers and their neglect of local human rights. Is such a story enough to make people today have a deeper understanding of the lessons of history and reflect on the systems and policies of modern society?
