The True Nature of King Leopolds Congo Essay -- King Leopolds Ghost

As the ticktack for Africa intensified, it became clear that certain fundamental rules had to be established with this purpose in mind, Bismarck formed the Berlin Conference in November, 1884 (Hochschild, 84). Despite not organism present at the conference, Leopold made out quite well. He gained the oasis Matadi and totally the land required to build his railway from that port all the way near the rapids to Stanley Pool (Hochschild, 86). Leopold was able to gain so a lot because he successfully maintained the notion that this colony would be a free trade zone for Europeans they still did not realize that he alone had a trade monopoly of the region (Hochschild, 86). The conference ended in February, 1885 and in May of that year, the king named his new, privately controlled country the tat ind pendant du Congo, the Congo Free State (Hochschild, 87). In 1890, an African-American named George Washington Williams notice for himself the true nature of Leopolds Congo. Willia ms path to the Congo took a curved passageway he was a former soldier who earned a divinity fudge graduates degree from Howard University, was a newspaper writer and founder, as well as a former politician and historian (Hochschild, 102-105). After being introduced to henry Shelton Sanford during his lobbying campaign in Washington, Williams himself became enthused with the Congo and saw thither an opportunity for African-Americans (Hochschild, 105). He met with Leopold for an interview, where he was as enchanted by the king and his noble committee in Africa as all who had come before (Hochschild, 106). While attempting to erect young, black Americans for work in the Congo, he was faced with questions regarding life there realizing his own ignorance, he perso... ...son author Adam Hochschild claims for writing King Leopolds Ghost was to show how profoundly European colonialism has shaped the world we have a go at it in (Hochschild, 318). He issues a note of caution regarding the causes of the widespread despair in the Congo that colonialism alone is insufficient to explain these terrible results, and in attempting to label it as much(prenominal), ignores the myriad of other causes that create havoc and repression around the world (Hochschild, 318). Some of these other factors that have prevented African nations to become well-situated and peaceful democracies are the oppression of women, the apotheosis of militia leaders such as Mobutu, and the continuation of slave-culture (Hochschild, 318).Works CitedHochschild, Adam. King Leopolds ghost a news report of greed, terror, and heroism in Colonial Africa. Boston Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.