During the 19th century, every aspect of British life was transformed by industrial, social and cultural development. The French Revolution inspired reformers in Britain as much as it frightened the British Crown and landowning classes. Nonetheless, the British government, who was ru8n by the Tories at the time, seemed impervious to revolutionary change. Anti-government cartoons in the 1790s often included the most scabrous, even treasonable, representations of King George III. All threats of revolution were taken seriously.
Introduction, prologue, Chapters 1, 2, 3 Questions: 1. How was King Leopold viewed in Europe? King Leopold was viewed in Europe as a splendid man because of his “philanthropic” nature and his “kindness.” Because King Leopold had always welcomed European newspapers, they had always praised him because of his public work, which benefited Africans; because his troops fought and defeated local-slave traders and because he brought Christian missionaries to his new colony. But in reality he only exploited the people living in the Congo for his personal gain and while Europe was gaining rubber and ivory almost no goods were being sent to Africa to pay for them. 2.
There was this sort of contest Erurope was going through; countries would rush to get as much African land as they could, usually going after the rich land. Leopold quickly joined in on that, sending the explorer, Stanley. After Leopold hired Henry Morton Stanley to travel across the Congo to conquer most of the land there, he used his clever ways to make major European counties and the United States recognize that this territory was personally owned by him. 2. Hochschild writes of Joseph Conrad that he “was so horrified by the greed and brutality among white men he saw in the Congo that his view of human nature was permanently change.” Judging from Hochschild’s account and from Heart of Darkness, in what way was Conrad’s view changed?
This action was a clear flip-flop from his previous policy of requiring any action to have constitutional authorization. Although strict constructionism was important to Jefferson, he did abandon that principle in the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, believing the ends would justify the means. To him, the Republican dream of a long-term agrarian society was more important and feasible and he continued to do, what he thought, was in the best interest of the nation. All that Thomas Jefferson and the Republicans wanted, in the end was an agrarian society and economy throughout the nation, by whatever means necessary. As Barry J. Balleck rights, “After all, what was the ultimate end of government?
I do understand his point that is gives people a false picture of Africa, but he may be blowing that out of proportion. An amusement park is supposed to be fun, hence the name amusement. Large animal attractions, ride down the river through the African jungle, etc, it is what brings people in. My point is that an amusement park could not feature a ride/attraction themed on the violence occurring in many African countries. These parks focus on suitable for children as well.
WR 122 11 August 2010 King Leopold’s Ghost: Illuminating Congo’s Heart of Darkness King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild is a sweeping and often revolting account of the atrocities of the Belgian colonization of the Congo and its aftermath. Using a variety of writing techniques, Hochschild creates an engrossing narrative which not only unveils a dark chapter in our global history, but also fosters an empathy in the reader to the victims of the barbarity of the time. The story unfolds around the turn of the twentieth century when European powers began to explore and colonize Sub-Saharan Africa. Belgian king Leopold II laid individual claim to the enormous chunk of land surrounding the Congo River and proceeded to strip the land of its resources, including, but not limited to, rubber, ivory, and people using a deadly system of forced labor. Under the ironic and spurious guise of humanitarianism, Leopold built himself an empire in central Africa, lining his pockets and satisfying his egotism, becoming the largest individual landowner in the world, while the brutality of his reign slashed the Congolese population by 10 million people, or approximately in half (Hochschild, 233).
European creditors forced him to raise taxes to repay loans and this caused rebellion by Egyptian Army. Britain sent army and defeated Egypt and placed it under protectorate control. Belgian Congo -King Leopold II gathered explorers, geographers, and antislavery reformers and formed the International African Association. -Henry Stanley explored Congo area and made treaties with local rulers. - At the Berlin Conference in 1885 Leopold's claims were recognized.
The four thousand soldiers commanded by Amr ibn al-As that invaded Africa brought a religion that would dominate North Africa and West Africa for years to come. Unlike Christianity, Islam, as Iliffe stated: “drew its initial impulse from conquest, but the victors seldom compelled the conquered to accept their faith.” Islam was a gradual process that people would adapt to over time. Christians, along with other religions, were offered sanctuary as long as they paid a certain amount of taxes to the Muslims. Furthermore, most non-believers eventually converted when they were prevented from holding office or were trying to escape the heavy taxation. Iliffe best characterizes the conquest by stating: “The Arab conquest of North Africa led to the transmission of Islam across the Sahara to the West African savanna.” This conquest was aided by the large gold and slave trade opportunities in the area and by the introduction of the camel to the Arab traders.
When the opportunity was present, he purchased a lot of territory in Louisiana from France for about 15 million dollars, even though the Constitution did not authorize it. It made the western expansion possible and the country much larger than it was before. He successfully kept everything neutral through the Napoleonic wars. He stepped down after eight years as president because he did not believe in a leader who served more than two terms. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson was asked to write the Declaration of Independence.
How would you account for Ethiopia's successful resistance to European conquest? Being an African state it would seem that throughout the period commonly known as the "Scramble for Africa" Ethiopia played an exceedingly powerful role and not a role where they were to take advantage of. Many states fell under the power of European colonialism, Ethiopia was one state that effectively stopped the colonialists from seizing their land through numerous different ways. The collection of African states was previously successful as "No African state was strong enough economically to have sustained warfare against Europe"[1]. Many foreign powers wished to take Ethiopia for themselves due to its economic nature and its long standing history.