Part 4/10:
The Belgian King Leopold II presided over the DRC, establishing the Congo Free State, a misnomer that became synonymous with brutal oppression. The production of rubber spurred horrific abuses. Indigenous people were subjected to rigorous quotas; those who failed faced severe punishment, including mutilation and death. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million Congolese lost their lives under Leopold's regime due to violence and disease, making it one of the darkest chapters in colonial history.