The European Colonization of Africa
The European Colonization of Africa
In the late 20th century Africa was forcefully conquered and colonized by Europe. The accounts of this horrific colonization are revealed in Adam Hochschild 's "King Leopold 's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa," which unveils the brutal nature of Belgium 's conquest and colonization of the central African country Congo. This conquest began with Belgian King Leopold II, who grew up with minimal expressions of love and affection from his family. His emotional void was filled with an obsession for colonies and money. His thirst for expanding his own Belgian empire grew strong. He learned as much as one could about colonization and profit, and when he realized that no colonies were available for purchase, he knew he must use force. His eyes were set on Africa. "Only in Africa could Leopold hope to achieve his dream of seizing a colony, especially one immensely larger than Belgium" (Hochschild 61). As one of the greatest conquests in world history, along with the Jewish holocaust which killed 11 million people, the European conquest of Africa killed over 10 million people cutting the population of the Congo by at least half (Hochschild 233). In thoroughly understanding this tragic event in history, it is important to explore why Europe conquered and colonized Africa, how this conquer was accomplished, and Africa 's response to it. Greed was at the center of King Leopold 's European conquest and colonization of Africa. In his mid-twenties Leopold read the book "Java" about how to manage a colony, and began corresponding with the author J.W.B. Money (Hochschild 37). Leopold thought colonies existed to make him rich, and dreamed of the money, power, and respect they would bring him. Leopold thought the Congo was perfect for colonization because it was still ran by its indigenous people, was rich in resources, and was much larger than the land he already owned. "The Congo River drains more than 1.3
In the late 20th century Africa was forcefully conquered and colonized by Europe. The accounts of this horrific colonization are revealed in Adam Hochschild 's "King Leopold 's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa," which unveils the brutal nature of Belgium 's conquest and colonization of the central African country Congo. This conquest began with Belgian King Leopold II, who grew up with minimal expressions of love and affection from his family. His emotional void was filled with an obsession for colonies and money. His thirst for expanding his own Belgian empire grew strong. He learned as much as one could about colonization and profit, and when he realized that no colonies were available for purchase, he knew he must use force. His eyes were set on Africa. "Only in Africa could Leopold hope to achieve his dream of seizing a colony, especially one immensely larger than Belgium" (Hochschild 61). As one of the greatest conquests in world history, along with the Jewish holocaust which killed 11 million people, the European conquest of Africa killed over 10 million people cutting the population of the Congo by at least half (Hochschild 233). In thoroughly understanding this tragic event in history, it is important to explore why Europe conquered and colonized Africa, how this conquer was accomplished, and Africa 's response to it. Greed was at the center of King Leopold 's European conquest and colonization of Africa. In his mid-twenties Leopold read the book "Java" about how to manage a colony, and began corresponding with the author J.W.B. Money (Hochschild 37). Leopold thought colonies existed to make him rich, and dreamed of the money, power, and respect they would bring him. Leopold thought the Congo was perfect for colonization because it was still ran by its indigenous people, was rich in resources, and was much larger than the land he already owned. "The Congo River drains more than 1.3
Cited: Hochschild, Adam (1998). King Leopold 's Ghost : a story of greed, terror, and heroism in colonial Africa. Pan Macmillan. Leopold II of Belgium. (2008, April 2). New World Encyclopedia, . Retrieved 23:18, April 3, 2012 from http:// www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Leopold_II_of_Belgium