This is the true story of the exploitation of the Congo by King Leopold of Belgium.   He looked around him in the late 1800's and decided that he wanted a colony like the other European powers.  After considering several parts of the World he settled on the part of western central Africa that had recently been 'opened up' by Stanley.  Basically he claimed all the land within the curve of the Congo River, and then began to get out as much wealth as he could.  This began with ivory and moved on to wild, and then farmed, rubber.  

He convinced the World that he was doing great things for the region while secretly perpetrating some of the most horrendous acts of brutality Africa has seen.  Estimates suggest that he was responsible for the depopulation of the the Congo basin from 20 to 10 million people over 40 years.

The exploits of the agents responsible for the extraction of the natural resources were the inspiration for Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness '

It was only thanks to campaigners like E.D. Morel over many years that public opinion slowly turned against Leopold.  The crafty old devil then SOLD the Congo to the Belgian government.

This book by Adam Hochschild uses previously documented facts to bring to life the characters of one part of the 'scramble for Africa'.  Well worth a read.

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