King Leopold's Congo and the "scramble for Africa" : a short history with documents /

King Leopold's Congo and the "scramble for Africa" : a short history with documents /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Rutz, Michael A., 1970- author.
Imprint:	Indianapolis : Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., [2018]
Description:	xvii, 114 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm.
Language:	English
Series:	Passages: key moments in history Passages (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Subject:	Colonial influence. Congo (Democratic Republic) -- History. Congo (Democratic Republic) -- History -- Sources. Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Colonial influence. Congo (Democratic Republic) History. Sources.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11683050

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9781624666568 1624666566 9781624666575 1624666574
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	King Leopold of Belgium's exploits up the Congo River in the 1880s were central to the European partitioning of the African continent. The Congo Free State, Leopold's private colony, was a unique political construct that opened the door to the savage exploitation of the Congo's natural and human resources by international corporations. The resulting 'red rubber' scandal--which laid bare a fundamental contradiction between the European propagation of free labor and 'civilization' and colonial governments' acceptance of violence and coercion for productivity's sake--haunted all imperial powers in Africa. Featuring a clever introduction and judicious collection of documents, Michael Rutz's book neatly captures the drama of one king's quest to build an empire in Central Africa--a quest that began in the name of anti-slavery and free trade and ended in the brutal exploitation of human lives. This volume is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in the history of colonial rule in Africa.--
Standard no.:	40028038345

Table of Contents:

The new imperialism and the partition of Africa
King Leopold and the Congo Free State
In the rubber coils
The Congo Reform Movement
Legacies of the Congo Free State
Historiographical review
Documents.