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The Crime of the Congo
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The Crime of the Congo

work by Conan Doyle
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Arthur Conan Doyle's The Crime of the Congo (1909) exposed the brutal realities of the Congo Free State under King Leopold II of the Belgians. This private holding, established in the 1880s, was ostensibly created to open the region to trade and end slavery. However, Leopold's regime used forced labor to extract rubber, ivory, and other resources. Agents employed extreme violence, including hostage-taking, beatings, and mutilation, to enforce quotas. These atrocities, brought to light by Doyle and others, led to international outcry and the Belgian government's annexation of the territory in 1908, replacing the Congo Free State with the Belgian Congo.1234

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. Congo Free State
  2. Arthur Conan Doyle
  3. history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - The Congo Free State
  4. Democratic Republic of the Congo - The Congo Free State

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