With the newly formed Free Congo State in his possession, Leopold II was determined to extract all the ivory and rubber he could. But in the process, his colonial agents wreaked havoc on the indigenous people, slaughtering, torturing, and enslaving Africans.

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Ever since he was a child, Leopold II was obsessed with bringing prestige to the nascent Kingdom of Belgium. As king, he spent decades scheming and conning European powers to fulfill his single-minded goal — and carve out his own African kingdom in the Congo. 

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A crash course on Marxist theory and how it evolved over the years from Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, Maoism, and Guevarism.

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Fearing the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, the U.S. began sending more troops to Vietnam in the 1960s. The divided country was already embroiled in political chaos and violence — and now, escalating tensions would grow into all-out conflict, claiming millions of lives.

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Dreaming of an independent Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh led a guerilla army against French imperialists in the late 1940s. By 1954, his dream had come true — but it wouldn’t take long for another massive conflict to engulf the nation. 

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Entering the 1970s, Fidel focused his attention on building the Cuban economy in the wake of Che Guevara’s failed plans and a U.S. embargo. But when the Soviet Union collapsed, all eyes turned to the tiny island, and waited with bated breath for Fidel to fall, too. 

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When Cuba gained independence from Spain in the late 1800s, it ushered in a wave of authoritarian leaders backed by American interests. Violence and suppression were rampant, turning a young lawyer into a fiery revolutionary in the 1950s.

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After seizing power in 1917, Lenin began what would be a brief, but brutal, reign. He would become one of the most influential and controversial figures of the 20th century, setting the stage for how future Soviet leaders and communist dictators alike would rule. 

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