King Leopold 2 American Imperialism

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“Who will ever forget the shootings which killed so many of our brothers, or the cells into which were mercilessly thrown those who no longer wished to submit to the regime of injustice, oppression and exploitation used by the colonialists as a tool of their domination?” Patrice Lumumba, 1960.

Amidst Europe’s intentions and actions to extend their economic and technological advancements into the less-advanced nations of Africa, King Leopold II’s motivations claimed to have mirrored theirs; yet, the realities of his rule of the Congo Free State unveiled the hidden brutalities and the genocide occurring within his regime. While some of Leopold II’s motivations to colonize may have stemmed from the “civilizing mission” ideology, his true motivations were rooted in racism and social Darwinism, providing the basis for his exploitation of the native population for labor to profit his own nation. King Leopold II and his white-led
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King Leopold II’s regime includes all aspects of this definition, certifying his regime as genocidal. Although part of King Leopold II’s motivations to colonize the Congo may have been a part of the “civilizing mission” to industrialize, his true intentions were to exploit and destroy the native Congolese people for labor to create profit for his own nation. The former Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba, gave a speech at the Ceremony of the Proclamation of the Congo's Independence in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on June 30, 1960. In this speech, Lumumba expressed that the Congolese people “have experienced the atrocious sufferings, being persecuted for political convictions and religious beliefs,