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Modern World History
Gifft Hill School
Ms. Mary Willen ([email protected])
Phone: 340.776-1730 or 340.776-1733
Honors Assignment - World History
You must read the book over the summer and complete this assignment to be eligible for Honors. The
assignment is due the first day of classes. If you change your mind, then you need to read and
complete the assignment for The Forgotten Fire. NO EXCEPTIONS
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
by Adam Hochschild
ISBN-10: 0618001905
ISBN-13: 978-0618001903
King Leopold's Ghost recounts the rise of Belgium as an imperial power headed by King Leopold at a time when
Africa was being carved by various European nations. Adam Hochschild paints a picture of the long term effects on
the indigenous populations. Divided into two sections, the first part deals with King Leopold's desire for a colony and
how he manages to commandeer the African Congo. The second part deals with the atrocities committed against the
Congolese and what happens when the abuses become public knowledge.
Questions: These questions are to help you process the information as you read the book. There is a
final essay questions. Please respond in complete sentences – typed, TNR font 12pt, double spaced.
This is a long book and there will be some challenging language. Have a dictionary nearby while you
are reading.
“Intro” and “Prologue” (pages 1-18)
1) A 2-paragraph summary – major events, places, people, themes…
2) What were the shipments to and from Antwerp in Belgium and the Congo? Why did this seem
strange to Edmund Morel? What movement did he begin?
3) Why were the atrocities in the Congo not well known for many years? When did the worst of the
bloodshed in the Congo take place?
Chapter 1 (pages 21-32)
Give a description of Henry Morton Stanley, how did he manage to reinvent himself? What historic
events propelled him to become the foremost journalist at the time?
Chapter 2 (pages 33-46)
Explain how the background of King Leopold’s life explains his interest in acquiring a colony in the
Congo.
Chapter 3 (pages 47-60)
Describe Stanley’s crossing of Africa including your opinion of how he interacted with Africans.
Chapter 4 (pages 61-74)
Describe how King Leopold, with Stanley’s help, went about gaining control of much of the Congo,
including how they deceived natives of the region. Describe the size and characteristics of the territory
that Leopold hoped to control.
Chapter 5 (pages 75-87)
Describe the many clever ways that King Leopold manipulated people to gain control of the Congo.
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Modern World History
Gifft Hill School
Ms. Mary Willen ([email protected])
Phone: 340.776-1730 or 340.776-1733
Chapter 6 (pages 88-100)
1) What tools were vital for King Leopold and other imperialists in Africa?
2)Why did King Leopold gain international support for his control of the Congo? How did his real goal
differ from his purported goal?
Chapter 7 (pages 101-114)
1) Describe the differences in their viewpoints about the Congo and explain why these differed:
a) King Leopold:
b) George Washington Williams:
Chapter 8 (pages 115-139)
Write up charges that could have been made against King Leopold and his those who worked for him
in the Congo. These charges should be written from the perspective of natives of the Congo.
Chapter 9 (pages 140-149)
Describe Joseph Conrad’s background. What was his famous novel about Leopold’s Congo? How did
it describe misrule there? Why can we tell that Conrad was also reflecting European racist attitudes?
Chapter 10 (pages 150-166)
1) Who was William Shepherd and why were his travels in Central Africa so significant?
2) Why had rubber supplanted ivory as the most lucrative product in Leopold’s Congo? Why was it so
difficult to gather rubber? How were natives forced to do this?
Chapter 11 pages 167-181
1) Create two columns labeled “Leopold” and “Natives of the Congo”. In the first column list all the
ways Leopold gained from his colony, including how he used his wealth. In the other column list all
the ways natives of the Congo lost out in Leopold’s colony.
2) Explain how Leopold attempted to cover up complaints by missionaries about abuses in the Congo.
3) Describe the background of Edmund Morel. What did he discover about the implications of trade
with Leopold’s Congo.
Chapter 12 pages 185-194 and Chapter 13 pages 195-208
1) How did E.D. Morel go about proving King Leopold’s abuses in the Congo? What was the result of
Morel’s disclosures?
Chapter 14 pages 209-224
1) Explain how Morel made effective use of the media and give some examples of this.
2) Who was Hezekiah Andrew Shanu? How did he contribute to the Congo reform campaign?
3) How did King Leopold’s foibles end up turning public opinion against him?
Chapter 15 pages 225-234
1. List four reasons for deaths in King Leopold’s Congo and a) give examples of the causes for each
and b) how each of the causes was documented.
2) Why has it been difficult to stop mass murders such as occurred in Leopold’s Congo?
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Modern World History
Gifft Hill School
Ms. Mary Willen ([email protected])
Phone: 340.776-1730 or 340.776-1733
Chapter 16 (Pages 235-252)
1) Describe the methods that King Leopold used to mount a counterattack against E.D. Morel’s
crusade? Give examples of how these were misleading.
2) Explain why King Leopold established a Commission of Inquiry? Why did the Commission’s
findings not turn out as he had hoped? How did he try to limit the damage?
Chapter 17 pages 253-274 and Chapter 18 275-291
Why did Belgium wanted to buy it and b) any suspicious parts of the transaction.
What changes, if any, happened in the Congo after King Leopold’s death? Look at: a) treatment of
natives and b) the ability, if any, of natives to reclaim lost lands.
Chapter 19 pages 292-306
1) What does the author mean by the “politics of forgetting”? How did this apply to Belgium and the
Congo?
2) Describe some ways that colonizers, like Belgium, perpetuated fictions of beneficent colonial rule.
“Afterword” (Pages 309-318)
1) Why does the author think that American readers feel more sympathy for the millions of victims of
Stalin and Hitler than for the millions of victims of imperialism? What similarities does he draw?
2) What was the reception to this book in Belgium? In which ways is Belgium still not facing up to the
historical record?
3) Why did a civil war engulf the Congo after 1997? By 2004 how many Congolese had died in the
war?
4) What steps does the author suggest to end the conflict in the Congo?
5) What reason does the author give for writing the book?
6) What reasons does he give for why African nations have had difficulty moving beyond their
colonial heritage?
Essay Question:
What is the MESSAGE of King Leopold’s Ghost? How did it change your perspective of the world?
Man? Civilizations? Leaders? Our future? [-dig deep.]
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