Jeanie Peterson
Prof. McKnight
Hum. 414
5 December 2011
Reign of Terror: 1885-1908
The conquest of the earth, which more often than not means the taking it away from those who have a assorted complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. King Leopold II is known to the Belgians as the builder king. He is known to the congoulese as a tormenter, rapist, and murderer. At the start of his reign, Leopold II proclaimed, My neediness is to introduce Belgium greater, stronger and more beautiful. Elevation of Belgium was a way for him to abstract himself. Leopold, like his father, believed that having a colony was the key to achieve sizeableness for King and country. His father, King Leopold I, made over 50 attempts to colonize, entirely unsuccessful. Before the crown was securely placed on his head, Leopold II was determined to buy a colony. He tried Formosa, Sarawak, and the Fiji Islands until thither was practically nowhere else to look. The Congo was Leopolds last chance. Since the Congo was relatively unknown to most Europeans, Leopold II turned to heat content Morton Stanley, the man responsible for opening up Africa for colonization when he successfully crossed Africa from east to west.
With Stanleys help, it was possible for Belgium to colonize the central African country. Leopold II believed that a colony had to make money for the mother country. Unlike the other colonizing countries, he did not believe in investing in colonies to maintain them. For Leopold II, the turn back always justified the means, and the end was always money. Creating a secrete of paternalistic virtues, Leopold II was free to enforce the necessary means to reach his desired end result without the disapproval or interference from the other European powers, particularly from his Aunt, Queen capital of Seychelles of England, until after the devastation had already occurred. The terror that Leopold II instilled in the heart of Africa will forever affect and haunt the Congolese....If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay
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