The king's most eloquent campaigner. Emile de Laveleye, Leopold II and the creation of the Congo Free State. ; L'éloquent propagandiste du Roi. Emile de Laveleye, Léopold II et la fondation de l'Etat indépendant du Congo ; De welsprekende campagnevoerder van de koning. Emile de Laveleye, Leopold II en de stichting van de Onafhankelijke Congostaat

peer reviewed ; The “Belle Epoque” saw the revival of the colonial idea in new forms. A second European colonization wave washed over Africa. King Leopold II unfolded his activities in Congo from 1876 onwards. There, his efforts to develop a so-called “philanthropic” enterprise soon evolved in a process of state formation, overshadowed by intrigues and tensions that were a consequence of colonial competition between the Western powers. Only a decade later, at the Berlin Conference of 1885, a definite arrangement was adopted. Everywhere in Europe, a disputed transition was made from liberal to... Mehr ...