The Power of One Man Part 2

How King Leopold II Destroyed An Entire Nation

T. G. George

THE POWER OF ONE MAN CAN BE SO EXTENSIVE, THAT EVEN DEATH DOES NOT HINDER THEIR EFFECTS. This is part two of the article about King Leopold’s colonisation of the Congo. In last week’s article I explored the atrocities committed under Leopold’s reign from 1885 to 1908, and how he prolonged his rule through his intricate press bureau, which consequently enabled these atrocities to ingrain violence and repression into Congolese life. 

In this article I will be looking at the relinquishment of the state to the Belgian Government, and how Leopold indirectly enabled the continued implementation of dysfunction, making him the most prominent reason for the troubles in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Poverty in the DRC

Leopold’s colonial coverup of the Congo Free State, as well as the economic prosperity he brought to Belgium, heavily influenced the destructive continuation of Belgium’s rule from 1908 to 1960. Leopold had a vision of making Belgium, particularly Brussels, a “mini-Paris” through the construction of famous structures such as the Cinquantenaire, as well as developing Belgium as a strong economic world power. At the cost of the Congo, Leopold achieved this, and therefore Belgium honoured Leopold as a hero, and avoided the bleak truth, as Martin Ewans states “Belgium went into a state of denial about Leopold’s record in the Congo.”

Cinquantenaire

This is evident in the historiography of the Belgian textbooks. Up until a new standardisation of textbooks in 2019, King Leopold had been promoted as “brilliant, wise and generous”, while Indigenous peoples were presented as primitive and uncivilised. Therefore, it is clear that there was a nationwide sentiment towards Leopold’s colonisation. They hence replicated his involvement in the Congo, subsequently making Leopold the cause of troubles to follow. They adopted Leopold’s use of propaganda, as Matthew Stanard states, it created a “tradition of pro-empire propaganda that set much of the tone for information produced during subsequent decades”.

This is reflected in the creation of the Colonial Charter laws, a close resemblance of laws Leopold represented, such as the General Act and the Brussels Conference Act, stating “Nobody can be forced to work on behalf of individuals or for the profit of companies.” However, following in the footsteps of Leopold, they continued forced labour, and the assumption that white European culture was preferable, even superior, to African cultures.

Belgium was also able to continue the Force Publique because Leopold II justified its violence as a humanitarian enforcer. For example, he suggested that pushing out Muslim slave traders in the Congo Arab war was a “Christian anti slavery crusade”. Although his real intentions were to ensure all slave labourers belonged to him, it enabled Belgium to continue the legacy of the Force Publique as a civilising measure, further inflicting violence and terror into Congo society, stemming from Leopold. This is evident, as Congolese people consistently commit organised crime in gangs, similar to the Force Publique, to seek a gain. For example, criminal gangs kidnapped over 170 people for ransom between 2017 and 2020. The DRC also has the highest crime rate out of any country in the world.

Force Publique

The Belgians also engaged in indirect rule to affirm the separation of cultures and mimic the detachment Leopold created between himself and the Congo, as he never set foot in Africa. This was a cheap alternative to controlling a colony, involving allocating restricted power to traditional rulers. This excluded educated elites from colonial administrations, while also preventing Africans from having a role in legislation. This created divide and tension within these areas, facilitating corruption, forced labour and violent protest. It is evident that these problems persist today, as the DRC ranks 166 out of 180 on the Corruption Perception Index. Therefore, the policies, exploitation and coverup practised during Leopold’s rule of the Congo transferred into Belgium’s rule and have systemically embedded dysfunction across the DRC’s political and cultural climate, making Leopold the most prominent destructor.

DRC in 2023

King Leopold II’s colonial rule over the Congo Free State is the primary reason for the Congo’s dysfunction and societal crisis. The atrocities committed in the Congo Free State have ingrained structured violence into Congolese society. Leopold’s intricate press bureau was able to cover up these atrocities, prolonging his rule and amplifying the short-term impacts. This also constructed a facade that Belgium adopted, along with crippling exploitative methods of colonisation, following the relinquishment of the state in 1908. These compounding influences have left the Congo deprived, crime ridden and politically backwards. This reality exposes the true ramifications of granting people with too much power.