Inventing the Congo: Henry Morton Stanley, Leopold II, and the “Red Rubber” Scandal

Abstract

In 1876, King Leopold II of Belgium organized the International Geographic Conference to position himself within Europe’s colonization of the African continent. As the above quote from his opening speech illustrates, Leopold II sought to portray himself as a benevolent, selfless leader interested in opening up Africa for civilization, trade, salvation, and exploration. From an early age, the king had shown an interest in the general European trend of colonization. In an attempt to include Belgium in this field of activity, he hosted the International Geographical Conference in Brussels. The outcome of this conference was the founding of the International African Association (IAA), with Leopold II as its chairman. Unbeknownst to most of the attendees at the conference, Leopold II had also established the Commité d’Etudes du Haut-Congo (CEHC) and hired Henry Morton Stanley, a young American newspaper reporter turned explorer, to explore the Congo River basin. In 1879, Leopold II deftly collapsed the IAA into his new creation, the International Association of the Congo (IAC). Leopold II also directed Henry Morton Stanley to establish treaties with local leaders that effectively ceded their land to the Belgian crown (not the Belgian state) and to build a railroad and establish the groundwork for a colonial state, controlled by Leopold II. The result was the creation of the Congo.