King Leopold II and Belgian Imperialism Essay -- European History Essa

King Leopold II and Belgian Imperialism In 1865, King Leopold II succeeded his father to the thrown of Belgium and thus began one of the about brutal and insensitive periods of imperialism ever to exist. From manipulative treaties to straight forward intimidation, Leopold reign his empire like no other. He was cruel, deceptive, and downright evil, yet it took the being over twenty years to recognize this. The record of King Leopolds atrocity is an interesting account of how a jealous man could cut down some of the most disgusting forms of oppression upon his fellow members of the human race. When Leopold came to major power in 1865, he was incredibly disappointed at Belgiums omit of power in the imperial world. Every other western European nation by had this time had taken on colonies as case of their empire and therefore had been acquiring incredible wealth due to their modern markets and exploitation of the native peoples they encountered. Belgium , itself, was a small country, and unlike their neighboring nations, they had non yet entered into the colonial scene. This all changed when the famous explorer Henry M. Stanley sure Leopolds proposal to return to the congou tea acting as an element of the crown whose mission was to obtain the signatures of all the native chieftains living in the congou. Using despicable and manipulative tactics, Stanley was able to acquire over 450 treaties which coat the way for the declaration of nearly one million square miles of the Congo River Basin as the property of King Leopold II. The land Leopold had obtained was about lxxx times larger than that of Belgium itself. Plus, Leopold was proclaimed the sovereign ruler of all the Congo Free Sta... ...BibliographyAfrica Imperialism History of Imperialism. 1998-2002. 5 Oct. 2002.Constitutional Rights Foundation. 2000. 5 Oct. 2002 http//www.crf-usa.org/bria/bria16_2.html. Leopold II- King of the Belgians ball Histor y King Leopolds heart of Darkness. 2000. 5 Oct. 2002 Other Sourceshttp//members.aol.com/TeacherNet/World.htmlAfricaThis unite brings the leader to a website consisting of many links regarding African Imperialism.http//www.crf-usa.org/bria/bria16_2.htmlThis link brings the proof lecturer to a website focusing on King Leopold II of Belgium.http//ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Tielemans/hp50marc.htmThis link provides the reader with a short biography of King Leopold II.