King Leopold 2 Summary

into harsh captivity until the male’s practically unattainable quotas were met and satisfied. Decapitation, exhaustion, and starvation became routine among impoverished slaves working under this corrupt regime. To show that they hadn’t wasted their ammunition, the army would cut off and collect native hands as a sort of trophy explained by author Mark Dummett (2004) as, “They needed these to prove to their superiors that they had not been ‘wasting’ their bullets on animals” (Chopping Hands section, para. 3). The pernicious act of severing and compiling hands also signified verification of the army’s efforts to halt any rebellious activity that may disrupt order. The army’s terrorization and brutality of adult and children, coupled with the infestation of European disease, exponentially decreased the Congo Free State’s population by millions. While these horrific events ensued in King Leopold II’s private colony, he aggregated a substantial amount of profit. With his expansive earnings, King Leopold II did not contribute a dime toward the natives that performed the grueling work; rather, he built extravagant buildings in Belgium for his own personal luxury. Author David Kenneth (n.d.) states that, “Leopold enacted laws preventing European traders from paying Africans currency in exchange for rubber” ensuring that the Africans became a poor, sick, and uneducated population (Resource Extraction section, para. 1). Essentially, while King Leopold II was in Belgium indulging in profits and luxuries, the native Africans were

With white employees forbidden to leave the country and limitations imposed on missionaries, the country increasingly became difficult to visit and depart. Despite his best efforts, rumors of the violence and treatment of the Africans in the Congo began to circulate.