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How Did King Leopold II Use Direct Rule

343 Words2 Pages
In the Belgian Congo, King Leopold II practiced the most brutal style of direct rule. Almost 10 million Congolese were killed when King Leopold II was in power. When King Leopold II was in power he used cutting off of hands as a punishment to the Congolese. We still see hands as a symbol in the Congo today. King Leopold II strictly used the Congo for slaves and resources. He used direct rule to enhance his greed, carelessness, and brutality towards the Congo. With an estimated loss of about 10 million Congolese, the Congo could surely be classified as the most murderous part of the European Scramble for Africa. Leopold ordered his soldiers to cut off hands, whip Congolese, starve them, break their families apart, kill if they disobeyed, and
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