RIHC: Colonialism, Genocide, and King Leopold’s Ghost

What was the most common cause of death under King Leopold of Belgium’s nightmarish regime in the Congo Free State? Were the majority of victims murdered, or did they die from exposure, sickness, and exhaustion? Should all those deaths be attributed to the regime irregardless? Are the tales of the violence and brutality that occurred overstated? How accurate are the figures we have for the horrific death toll and abuses that occurred in the Congo? Why do the numbers matter? Why is ‘King Leopold’s Ghost’; the book that has most influenced people’s perspectives on the Congo Free State under King Leopold, subject to controversy in some historical quarters? Who were Adam Hochschild’s - the book’s author - sources? Was the cruelty and barbarism of the colonial authorities driven principally by the desire to compel hard labour and therefore greed, or were their motivations purely, rather than incidentally, genocidal? And, was everything that occurred in the Congo the logical consequence of European colonialism more broadly, or was it exceptionally horrifying? Join Tom and Dominic for this week’s bonus episode, as they delve deeper into the terrible story of King Leopold of Belgium’s horrific reign of terror in the Congo, and Adam Hochschild’s seminal book 'King Leopold’s Ghost'; the canonical, yet enduringly controversial, account of the subject. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor