Leopold II: Butcher of the Congo

This biography profiles Leopold II, king of Belgium, who became obsessed with colonizing Africa's Congo region in the late 1800s. Leopold established a brutal colonial rule over an area more than 70 times the size of his homeland, using forced labor to extract rubber and other resources. The book details how his regime led to the deaths and suffering of millions of Congolese people while he maintained the secret of his crimes for nearly two decades.