The King Incorporated

Flaptekst

‘The term “failed state” is often abused. It applies to the Congo, however. The causes of this failure go back beyond the short-sighted nature of Belgian colonialism. They lie, ultimately, in the trauma inflicted on the peoples of the Congo basin by Leopold II, King of the Belgians, and his so-called “Congo Free State”. The brutalities and disruption brought about by the regime, in effect a private and personal colony whose single purpose was the extraction of wealth without regard to the human cost, were never overcome.’ - Neal Ascherson, from the Introduction

Wat zegt de pers?

‘Anyone who still believes in the white man’s burden should read this story of the Congo. It is a story of unmitigated evil.’ - A. J. P. Taylor