THE DARK HEART OF KING LEOPOLD II OF

THE DARK HEART OF KING LEOPOLD II OF BELGIUM

Kevin P. Dincher LEOPOLD II Africa 2

3 Africa and the Congo Sherlock Holmes Joseph Conrad European Colonialism Cold War Leopold II Charles Darwin Mark Twain US Imperialism Slavery Stanley and Livingston

4 Leopold II (1835 – 1909) • King of the Belgians: 1865 – 1909 • Family Connections • Mother: Louise d’Orleans, Princess of France • Wife: Marie Henriette Hapsburg, Archduchess of Austria • Sister: Carlota of Mexico, Empress of Mexico Leopold, 1844 • 1 st cousin: Queen Victoria

Kevin P. Dincher Belgium • October 4, 1830: Belgian Revolution • Southern provinces declared independence from the Netherlands • Catholic, officially French-speaking and neutral • Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy • 1831: Leopold I • Elected “King of the Belgians” • House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha 5

Kevin P. Dincher 6 Leopold II 1855: Became member of senate • Immediately began urging establishing Belgian colonies • Overseas colonies were the key to a country's greatness 1865: Became king • 1866: first of three unsuccessful attempts to acquire the Philippines from Spain

Kevin P. Dincher 7 Leopold II 1876: Convened the Brussels Geographic Conference • Proposed an international benevolent committee • • “Propagation civilization among the peoples of Central Africa” (Congo) Multi-national Scientific Humanitarian Leopold II and Marie Henriette

Kevin P. Dincher 8 Leopold II 1876 -1878: International African Association (AIA) • Association Internationale Africaine • Private holding company disguised as an international scientific and philanthropic association • Leopold served as chairman twice • Primary Achievement • Convincing Belgian people and European countries that his interests in Africa were altruistic and humanitarian

Kevin P. Dincher Leopold II 1878: Study Committee of the Upper Congo • Comité d'Études du Haut-Congo • Exploration • Scientifc • Humanitarian • Commercial 9

Kevin P. Dincher 10 Leopold II • 1879: International Association of the Congo (IAC) • Association Internationale du Congo • International Congo Society • Humanitarian/philanthropic • Scientific • Commercial/economic • Official Stockholders • British/Dutch businessmen • Belgian Banker

Kevin P. Dincher Leopold II • 1879: International Association of the Congo (IAC) • Henry Morton Stanley • Five-year contract • Establish bases in the Congo • Secure trade route for ivory market • Rubber and minerals Dr. Livingston, I presume? 11

Kevin P. Dincher 12 Henry Stanley … …a fearless newspaper reporter ready to do whatever it takes to get a story, regardless of any danger to his life!

Kevin P. Dincher 13 Leopold II 1881 – 1914: • Scramble for Africa • Race for Africa • Partition of Africa • 1870 • Europeans occupied about 10% of the continent • 1914: • only Ethiopia and Liberia were independent

Kevin P. Dincher 14 Leopold II • 1884 -1885: Berlin Conference • Portuguese initiative • British support • Bismark’s work • • • • Austria-Hungary Belgium Denmark France United Kingdom Italy Netherlands Portugal Russia Spain Sweden-Norway Ottoman Empire United States

15 Kevin P. Dincher Leopold II • 1884 -1885: Berlin Conference Belgium* Britain France Germany Italy Portugal Spain Independent *Recognized the International Association of the Congo (IAC) as sovereign government

Kevin P. Dincher 16 Leopold II • 1884 -1885: Berlin Conference • “Spheres of Influence” • Region over which a state or organization has a level of cultural, economic, military, or political exclusivity • An international prohibition of the slave trade throughout their respected spheres • "International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs" (Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness)

Kevin P. Dincher 17 Leopold II 1885 • Resolution passed in Belgian Parliament • Transferred the IAC charter to “Congo Free State” • État indépendant du Congo • Leopold: Roi-Souverain • Person property - private colony • Established Force Publique (FP) "I do not want to miss a good chance of getting us a slice of this magnificent African cake. " King Leopold II

Kevin P. Dincher 18 Leopold II 1885: Congo Free State • Leopold pledge to uphold Berlin Conference • Suppress East African slave trade • Promote humanitarian policies • Guarantee free trade within the colony • Impose no import duties for 20 yrs. • Encourage philanthropic and scientific enterprises "I do not want to miss a good chance of getting us a slice of this magnificent African cake. " King Leopold II

Kevin P. Dincher 19 Leopold II • Exploitation of resources • Ivory, Rubber, Minerals • One of the greatest international scandals of the early 20 th century • • Forced/slave labor Starvation Disease Torture/mutilation • Directly and indirectly eliminated 20% of the population • 10 to 13 million people A 1906 Punch cartoon depicting Leopold II as a rubber vine entangling a Congolese man

Kevin P. Dincher Leopold II 20

Kevin P. Dincher 21 "I have just returned from a journey inland to the village of Insongo Mboyo. The abject misery and utter abandon is positively indescribable. I was so moved, Your Excellency, by the people's stories that I took the liberty of promising them that in future you will only kill them for crimes they commit. “ John Harris (Missionary)

Kevin P. Dincher 22 Hochschild: Great Forgetting Royal Museum for Central Africa • Large collection of colonial artifacts Blankenberge, Belgium • Monument shows a colonialist bringing "civilization" to the black child at his feet Oostend, Belgium • Monument to Leopold II with grateful Oostend fishermen and Congolese. • The gratitude of the Congolese to Leopold II for having liberated them from slavery under the Arabs.

Kevin P. Dincher 23 I have undertaken the work in Congo in the interest of civilization and for the good of Belgium. “ Monument, Arlon, Belgium

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Kevin P. Dincher 25 1. Everything’s related! 2. When we learn about other people, times and places, we learn about ourselves.

Kevin P. Dincher The Dark Heart of King Leopold II Adam Hochschild King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa • Lecturer, Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley • Other Works: • To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914 -1918 • Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves • The Mirror at Midnight: A South African Journey • The Unquiet Ghost: Russians Remember Stalin 26