• Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Congo Free State: The History and Legacy of the Colony Established by King Leopold II of Belgium

The Congo Free State: The History and Legacy of the Colony Established by King Leopold II of Belgium

Paperback

African HistoryGeneral European History

ISBN10: 1548484970
ISBN13: 9781548484972
Publisher: Createspace
Published: Jul 6 2017
Pages: 86
Weight: 0.49
Height: 0.18 Width: 8.50 Depth: 11.00
Language: English
*Includes pictures
*Includes contemporary accounts of the Congo Free State
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
I do not want to risk...losing a fine chance to secure for ourselves a slice of this magnificent African cake. - King Leopold II of Belgium
King Leopold II of Belgium emerges from the pages of history as a curious character. He was a member of a privileged clique of European monarchs, bereft of power but rich, indulgent, and indolent. Leopold certainly availed himself of all the pleasures of court life, but he was also shrewd, astonishingly competent, and avaricious to an almost unimaginable degree. His initial interest in foreign real estate was imperial, insofar as he desired on behalf of Belgium the main accoutrements of a first-rate power, which were, of course, foreign estates and colonies. He was, however, unable to move the Belgian parliament to act in accordance, the conservative belief perhaps being that Belgium could not afford to compete on that level. Belgium was a small European nation, existing between major and, at times, belligerent powers, and as such, it quietly went about its business with a determination not to rock the European boat.

1 different editions

Also available

Also from

Charles River

Also in

General European History