The history of the Belgian Congo is characterized by terrible sadness and rarely noticed human devastation. From 1885 to 1908 Congo was ruled by one man as his only personal colony; a ruler ironically known at the time for his philanthropy, King Leopold II of Belgium. Seeking a colony of his own, he founded the Congo Free State, a vast territory in the African interior that was larger than seventy-six times the size of his own country (Hochschild, 87). A “sober and respectable businessman” named Edmund Dene Morel took note of something about this colony that blew the cover off one of the largest collections of atrocities in living memory (Hochschild, 1). Working in Antwerp on port business, he noticed that only soldiers headed towards the Congo while goods were imported, a clear sign that no real legitimate trade was taking place; he rightly deduced that this meant slavery (Hochschild, 2). This story is the culmination of unlikely heroes and villains from all walks of life, coming together in an unexpected way that changed the world forever. One of these people was an illegitimate child born in a Welsh poorhouse named John Rowlins (Hochschild, 22). Once old enough, Rowlins moved to America and became Henry Morton Stanley, a soldier who managed to fight on both sides of the American Civil War and eventually ended up as a reporter for the New York Herald (Hochschild, 23-26). It was at this time and place that Stanley first began to pick up on hints of European interest in the African continent that would later be identified as the scramble for Africa (Hochschild, 26). European interest in this land varied, from wanting to map the continent's yet unknown interior, to hoping to bring “civilization”… middle of paper… colony to the Congo in 1884 (Hochschild, 79-81). To gain French recognition, Leopold agreed to enter into a "right of first refusal" agreement with them, which meant that, in case of financial difficulties, he would have to submit the claim to them before anyone else (i.e., Britain ) (Hochschild, 82). Germany initially proved more difficult to convince. Knowing the reality of the region, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck rightly saw the details of the claim as a greedy land grab (Hochschild, 83). Undeterred, Leopold once again worked through an intermediary, Gerson Bleichröder, Bismarck's friend and banker, to convince the Iron Chancellor to accept his demands in exchange for guaranteeing free trade in the country (Hochschild, 83-84).Works CitedHochschild , Adam. King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.