{"product_id":"9781624666568","title":"King Leopold's Congo and the \"Scramble for Africa\" : A Short History with Documents by Michael A. Rutz","description":"\"King Leopold of Belgium's exploits up the Congo River in the 1880s were central to the European partitioning of the African continent. The Congo Free State, Leopold's private colony, was a unique political construct that opened the door to the savage exploitation of the Congo's natural and human resources by international corporations. The resulting 'red rubber' scandal-which laid bare a fundamental contradiction between the European propagation of free labor and 'civilization' and colonial governments' acceptance of violence and coercion for productivity's sake-haunted all imperial powers in Africa. Featuring a clever introduction and judicious collection of documents, Michael Rutz's book neatly captures the drama of one king's quest to build an empire in Central Africa-a quest that began in the name of anti-slavery and free trade and ended in the brutal exploitation of human lives.?This volume is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in the history of colonial rule in Africa.\" -Jelmer Vos,?University of Glasgow\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56302152712565,"sku":"9781624666568","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781624666568.jpg?v=1762792399","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9781624666568","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}