The Congo King Leopold's Ghost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Congo King Leopold's Ghost - Essay Example Through the Berlin Conference, King Leopold obtained international recognition for the colony. The king established a system of forced labor that kept the people of the Congo basin in a slavery condition (Hochschild 120). There are many reasons why Adam Hochschild chose to entitle his narrative of imperialism in the Congo ‘King Leopolds Ghost’. Firstly, King Leopold II was the central figure during the colonization of the Congo. The king employed every tactic to ensure that the Congo was part of Belgian colonial powers. It is hard to explore the history of the Congo basin without mentioning King Leopold II. He was the main authority that instructed his army to commit most of the atrocities experienced in the country. King Leopold II was the face of colonial power in the Congo. Being the king, King Leopold II gave direct orders that affected the country. To make this book relevant to the real situation in the Congo, the author had to mention the king in the title in order to link him and the Congo. A ghost refers to the spirit of a dead person that may affect the living people. King Leopold died many years ago but the impact of his orders and actions are still in historical books and in the memory of the Congo people. During the Belgian colonial rule of the Congo people, the colonial power committed so many atrocities. Many people died, while others were left homeless. The impact of this tyrannical rule is being felt to date. Many families lost their property and loved words. The colonial power took most of the Congo natural resources to its mother country. This implies that the Congo people lost different resources that could have helped their country in terms of development. The ghost of King Leopold II will hound the people of Congo for a very long time. King Leopold II ruled in a manner that affected the unity of the Congo people. He ruled by divide and rule