From 1880-1920 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was under the rule of King Leopold II of Belgium. Within that time period, the atrocities committed under his rule led to the loss of 10 million Congolese lives, half of the country's population. In this episode, we explore the lead-up and subsequent rule of King Leopold II and the impact this had on the DRC.

Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg

Warm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/...

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Sources for further reading:

BOOK: King Leopold's Ghost: a story of greed, terror, and heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild

JOURNAL ARTICLE: On the origin of fear in the world trade system: excavating the roots of the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 by Marjorie Florestal

THESIS: King Leopold II's exploitation of the Congo from 1885 to 1908 and its consequences by Steven P. Johnson

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices