Part One: King Leopold II: The First Modern Bastard
Behind the Bastards
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Leopold's Conquest of the Congo
Most of the fighting was done by conscripted african soldiers who were themselves basically slaves. As many as three quarters of all volunteers for the force publique died before they could receive training. Many agents wound up buying the men from various chiefs, in effect doing the same thing as the arab slavers they bragged about fighting. State agents also got bonuses for reducing recruiting expenses.
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