Book Review of King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hochschild.
What some have considered to be the first international scandal of.
the modern era took place in the Congo from 1890 until 1910. King Leopold.
II of Belgium was at the head of this so-called scandal. Although Europe.
and the rest of the world seemed to have forgotten the victims of these.
crimes, there is a considerable amount of material to use when attempting to.
recreate the horror that took place in Leopold's Congo. This is exactly.
what Adam Hochschild is attempting to do by writing this book. By using the.
written words of mostly Europeans and Americans, which creates a distorted.
view of history, he wants to show that the Holocaust type event that took.
place in the Congo is something that should never be forgotten in our.
history. Hochschild also wants to show the heroism that took place.
afterwards in what became the first human rights movement of our time. .
Hochschild does an excellent and detailed job of showing how clever.
and cunning (like a fox) Leopold was in obtaining and maintaining his hold.
in the Congo. Early on Leopold became obsessed with the idea of colonies.
and the profit that they could bring to his country. In the beginning he.
did not attempt to cover-up this ambition, but soon realized he needed to in.
order to have the approval of those countries around him. The metaphor.
Hochschild uses to explain Leopold's venture into the Congo is brilliant.
He compares Leopold to a director of a play and explains how he directs his.
actors and stagehands, such as Henry Shelton Sanford and Henry Morton.
Stanley. By acting as the director and guiding his actors and stagehands,.
Book Review of King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hochschild.
What some have considered to be the first international scandal of.
the modern era took place in the Congo from 1890 until 1910. King Leopold.
II of Belgium was at the head of this so-called scandal. Although Europe.
and the rest of the world seemed to have forgotten the victims of these.