The Congo Free State and the New Imperialism
The Congo Free State and the New Imperialism

Author: Kevin Grant

Publisher: Macmillan Higher Education

Published: 2016-09-02

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1319054153

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This book introduces students to the history of the Congolese peoples and the Congo Free State, ruled by King Leopold II of Belgium between 1885 and 1908. It illuminates central issues in the study of the era of the "new imperialism" and challenges students to analyze a variety of different kinds of sources in building their own historical arguments about the period. The introduction provides an overview of the Congolese peoples, the environment in which they lived, and the process through which the Congo Free State was established and developed. The documents invite students to explore the history of the Congo Free State through speeches, international treaties, oral histories, investigative depositions on atrocities, visual texts, official and private correspondence, parliamentary debates, and published exposés. Document headnotes, a chronology, and analytical questions help students to place the Congo Free State in the context of not only the new imperialism but also its larger global context.

Selling the Congo
Selling the Congo

Author: Matthew G. Stanard

Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

Published: 2012-01-01

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 0803239882

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Belgium was a small, neutral country without a colonial tradition when King Leopold II ceded the Congo, his personal property, to the state in 1908. For the next half century Belgium not only ruled an African empire but also, through widespread, enduring, and eagerly embraced propaganda, produced an imperialist-minded citizenry. Selling the Congo is a study of European pro-empire propaganda in Belgium, with particular emphasis on the period 1908–60. Matthew G. Stanard questions the nature of Belgian imperialism in the Congo and considers the Belgian case in light of literature on the French, British, and other European overseas empires. Comparing Belgium to other imperial powers, the book finds that pro-empire propaganda was a basic part of European overseas expansion and administration during the modern period. Arguing against the long-held belief that Belgians were merely “reluctant imperialists,” Stanard demonstrates that in fact many Belgians readily embraced imperialistic propaganda. Selling the Congo contributes to our understanding of the effectiveness of twentieth-century propaganda by revealing its successes and failures in the Belgian case. Many readers familiar with more-popular histories of Belgian imperialism will find in this book a deeper examination of European involvement in central Africa during the colonial era.

King Leopold's Ghost
King Leopold's Ghost

Author: Adam Hochschild

Publisher: Picador

Published: 2019-05-14

Total Pages: 474

ISBN-13: 1760785202

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With an introduction by award-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver In the late nineteenth century, when the great powers in Europe were tearing Africa apart and seizing ownership of land for themselves, King Leopold of Belgium took hold of the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. In his devastatingly barbarous colonization of this area, Leopold stole its rubber and ivory, pummelled its people and set up a ruthless regime that would reduce the population by half. . While he did all this, he carefully constructed an image of himself as a deeply feeling humanitarian. Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize in 1999, King Leopold’s Ghost is the true and haunting account of this man’s brutal regime and its lasting effect on a ruined nation. It is also the inspiring and deeply moving account of a handful of missionaries and other idealists who travelled to Africa and unwittingly found themselves in the middle of a gruesome holocaust. Instead of turning away, these brave few chose to stand up against Leopold. Adam Hochschild brings life to this largely untold story and, crucially, casts blame on those responsible for this atrocity.

Slavery, Freedom, and the Law in the Atlantic World
Slavery, Freedom, and the Law in the Atlantic World

Author: Sue Peabody

Publisher: Macmillan Higher Education

Published: 2018-10-26

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1319242073

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During the era of revolution, independence, and emancipation in the north Atlantic, slavery and freedom were fluid and contested concepts. Individuals and groups turned to courts of law to define and enforce the status of indigenous Americans, forcibly imported Africans, and colonizing Europeans -- and their progeny. Legal institutions of the state manufactured and mediated a new, dynamic concept of freedom, inventing categories of race and codifying white privilege. In this collection of documents from the French, British, Spanish, and Portuguese empires, Peabody and Grinberg introduce the voices of slaves, slave-holders, jurists, legislators, and others who struggled to critique, overturn, justify, or simply describe the social order in which they found themselves. Discussion questions, illustrations, a glossary, and a bibliography allow students to analyze these rich documents and discern their lasting influences.

King Leopold's Congo and the "Scramble for Africa"
King Leopold's Congo and the

Author: Michael A. Rutz

Publisher: Hackett Publishing

Published: 2018-03-01

Total Pages: 134

ISBN-13: 1624666582

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"King Leopold of Belgium's exploits up the Congo River in the 1880s were central to the European partitioning of the African continent. The Congo Free State, Leopold's private colony, was a unique political construct that opened the door to the savage exploitation of the Congo's natural and human resources by international corporations. The resulting 'red rubber' scandal—which laid bare a fundamental contradiction between the European propagation of free labor and 'civilization' and colonial governments' acceptance of violence and coercion for productivity's sake—haunted all imperial powers in Africa. Featuring a clever introduction and judicious collection of documents, Michael Rutz's book neatly captures the drama of one king's quest to build an empire in Central Africa—a quest that began in the name of anti-slavery and free trade and ended in the brutal exploitation of human lives. This volume is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in the history of colonial rule in Africa." —Jelmer Vos, University of Glasgow

Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980
Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980

Author: Guy Vanthemsche

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2012-04-30

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 0521194210

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This book explains how and why Belgium, a small but influential European country, was changed through its colonial activities in the Congo, from the first expeditions in 1880 to the Mobutu regime in the 1980s. Belgian politics, diplomacy, economic activity and culture were influenced by the imperial experience. Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980 yields a better understanding of the Congo's past and present.

The Casement Report
The Casement Report

Author: Roger Casement

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2018-09-21

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 3734043476

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Reproduction of the original: The Casement Report by Roger Casement

The Crime of the Congo
The Crime of the Congo

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan

Published: 2024-10-11

Total Pages: 141

ISBN-13:

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Uncover the stark realities of colonial exploitation in "The Crime of the Congo" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This powerful exposé delves into the atrocities committed in the Congo Free State, revealing the dark side of imperialism through compelling narratives and firsthand accounts. As Conan Doyle sheds light on this harrowing subject, you’ll face a provocative question: What is the price of progress when it is built on the suffering of millions? But here’s the unsettling truth: Can silence and complicity be considered just as guilty as the actions that perpetrate injustice? Engage with Conan Doyle's poignant writing that captures the voices of the oppressed and the urgency for reform. Each chapter serves as a call to conscience, urging readers to reflect on their own roles in the fight against injustice. Are you prepared to confront the grim truths of colonialism and its lasting impact on humanity? Experience the urgency of this critical work through short, impactful paragraphs that provoke thought and inspire action. This book is not just a historical account; it’s a rallying cry for justice and awareness. This is your chance to stand against injustice. Will you let "The Crime of the Congo" awaken your sense of responsibility and compassion? Don’t miss the opportunity to own this essential piece of literature. Purchase "The Crime of the Congo" now and join the movement for awareness and change!

Voices of Decolonization
Voices of Decolonization

Author: Todd Shepard

Publisher: Macmillan Higher Education

Published: 2019-08-23

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1319328253

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Exploring decolonization as both a historical era and an aspirational movement, Voices of Decolonization shows how and why mid-twentieth-century decolonization transformed societies and cultures and continues to shape the world today.

A Civilised Savagery
A Civilised Savagery

Author: Kevin Grant

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-02-04

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 1135408718

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In the two decades before World War One, Great Britain witnessed the largest revival of anti-slavery protest since the legendary age of emancipation in the mid-nineteenth century. Rather than campaigning against the trans-Atlantic slave trade, these latter-day abolitionists focused on the so-called 'new slaveries' of European imperialism in Africa, condemning coercive systems of labor taxation and indentured servitude, as well as evidence of atrocities. A Civilized Savagery illuminates the multifaceted nature of British humanitarianism by juxtaposing campaigns against different forms of imperial labor exploitation in three separate areas: the Congo Free State, South Africa, and Portuguese West Africa. In doing so, Kevin Grant points out how this new type of humanitarianism influenced the transition from Empire to international government and the advent of universal human rights in subsequent decades.