King Leopold's Ghost Summary

In King Leopold’s Ghost the author, Adam Hochschild, discusses several characters and their role in the colonization of the Congo during the 19th and 20th century. Hochschild develops these characters in depth looking at both their persona as well as their impact on history. Because of the more recent understanding of the colonization of the Congo it is understood that the author is looking to show the greed and negativity among those involved. As we look through his writing we see great detail on a handful of characters. Among these I have selected two, Henry Morton Stanley and King Leopold, whom I will discuss and compare. I find that these two have both similarities and connections to each other as well as a deal of differences in both roles

It is believed to have been the first to conquer the Congo river in the 19th century. As far as motive is concerned Hochschild depicts Stanley as someone who seemingly was mainly focused on personal gain and building a name for himself (Hochschild 30, 49). Because of this it seems as though the author looks at Stanley’s motives in negative light, referencing many instances in which Stanley published embellished stories of his own life making himself sound more heroic than he truly was (Hochschild 30). Hochschild also points out that records have revealed some of the information that Stanley wrote of as incorrect. As a result of all of these factors the overall depiction of Henry Morton Stanley holds an outwardly negative connotation

Leopold II, who is described as having an “avid interest” in this type of news is said to have discovered Stanley and his work in through this platform (Hochschild 30). As Stanley becomes more and more famous for his accomplishments during his explorations, Leopold becomes more and more familiar with his discoveries. After his father’s death he was put into the role of the King of the Belgians and this would soon result in his crossing paths with Stanley and Congo exploration. Leopold who gained rule over the land of the Congo with the help of Stanley continually used Stanley’s influence over the area to gain more power on the land and its natives (Hochschild 67,72). Often Leopold would be very deceitful in his dealings and what the public and others believed to be true was in fact not. The same applies to Stanley whom was known to be very brutal and selfish in his actions. Overall, Hochschild defines the men as having a generally greedy and negative motives for their exploration and colonization of the