King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild My rating: 4 of 5 stars Most of the Western civilization as we know today is built on the money brought on from exploiting other people. There is no greater reminder of that than Adam Hochschild's book about Congo, showing that even the less obvious nations (not so famous for their colonial history) like Belgium have such a gruesome history behind them. The book shows clearly how, in a true marketing exercise, King Leopold built an image for himself of a saviour of "poor African souls" while at the same time exploiting them to the maximum without any consideration for their rights as human beings. Descriptions of torture, beatings and regular disregard for human life show how different Europeans looked down on Africans while at the same time fighting for their own rights and democracy in their own native countries. The saddest part of all to me is the ending which shows