For your reference, we provided these king leopold s ghost quotes with page numbers using the following version of the book. The first englishman to travel far up the congo river was john rowlands. The main characters of this history, non fiction story are leopold ii of belgium. In his recent study of the congo, king leopold s ghost, the historian adam hochschild estimates that during the period of leopold s pillage of the congo, the population dropped by ten million people. At that point belgium was a small country not much older than the king itself.
Top 8 quotes from king leopolds ghost free book notes. Monkeynotes online study guide book notes summary for. King leopolds ghost is the haunting account of a megalomaniac of monstrous proportions, a man as cunning, charming, and cruel as any of the great shakespearean villains. My students cant get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof. Adam hochschild is the bestselling author of seven books. A story of greed, terror and heroism in colonial africa 1998 is a bestselling popular history book by adam hochschild that explores the. King leopolds ghost by adam hochschild plot summary. Adam hochschilds brilliant book was inspired by a footnote to a quotation by mark twain.
Also in 2005, the american and british publishers of king leopold s ghost reissued the book with a new afterword by hochschild in which he talks about the reactions to the book, the death toll, and events in the congo since its publication. Get all the key plot points of adam hochschild s king leopolds ghost on one page. Leopold used his personal control to strip the county of vast amounts of wealth, largely in the form of ivory and rubber. King leopold s ghost was also awarded the 1998 california book awards gold medal for nonfiction. The first edition of the novel was published in 1998, and was written by adam hochschild. Disease, starvation, a low birth rate, and outright murder all combined to turn the congo into what heart of darkness later portrayed as a.
Top 9 quotes from king leopolds ghost a story of greed. In 1908, the area was annexed by belgium as a colony known as the belgian congo. He married archduchess mariehenriette, but it was a loveless and unhappy marriage. This, for the conquerors, served a further purpose. King leopolds ghost by adam hochschild plot summary litcharts. Monkeynotes study guides download storedownloadable study guidesbook summary,book notes, notes,chapter summary synopsis. Adam hochschild, king leopolds ghost dont need a diagram. Adam hochschild s king leopolds ghost is a lost historical account starting in the late 19th century continuing into the 20th century of the enslavement of an entire country. Evening standard hochschild s outstanding study, unmatched by any other work on the congo, reveals how all europeand the usacontributed to the making of king leopold s holocaust of the congolese people. Complete summary of adam hochschild s king leopold s ghost. Complete summary of adam hochschilds king leopolds ghost.
A story of greed, terror, and heroism in colonial africa. King leopolds ghost, adam hochschild when henry morton stanleymore or less as a stunt to sell newspaperswent looking for david livingstone in central africa, he got a taste for the adventure of the explorers march in the tropics. Need help with chapter 1 in adam hochschilds king leopolds ghost. Like this is our monkeynotes downloadable and printable literature summary study guide booknotes analysis for king leopolds ghost by adam hochschild in rich text format. Adam hochschild s king leopolds ghost 1998 was published by mariner books. King leopold s ghost by adam hochschild in the 1880s, as the european powers were carving up africa, king leopold ii of belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the congo river. Jul 25, 2010 if conrads heart of darkness is about one man sinking into savagery, king leopolds ghost is a nonfiction version of one man selling savagery to a whole continent and, for awhile, the world. The congo was a perfect colony for leopold ii for several reasons. Hochschild, a respected historian, chronicles the horrifying and forgotten crimes of the 1800s in belgium.
Readers guide for king leopolds ghost published by houghton. Hochschild summarizes his characters and themes in the introduction. Hochschild has been praised by scholars and critics for his narrative. Stanleys feat of crossing africa was of great interest to king leopold. King leopold s ghost overview the bestselling novel king leopold s ghost by adam hochschild details the effects of king leopold ii s reign on the congo free state. It is instructive that he begins with morels moral recognition of the congo atrocity and his human rights movement, rather than totally focusing on the sensational statistics of the congolese mass murder and leopolds greed. This study guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character. While stanley worked at developing land in the congo on behalf of leopold, leopold continued to offer awards and host benefits for philanthropic causes, ensuring that european elites thought of him favorably. A tale of greed, terror, and heroism in colonial africa, exposed the colonial genocide in the belgian congo. Based on adam hochschild s 1998 historical novel of the same name, the film traces the brutal legacy of king leopold ii of belgium. Jan 10, 2005 hochschilds previous book, king leopolds ghost. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in king leopolds ghost, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Adam hochschild s king leopolds ghost offers a substantial overview of the period from 1895 until 1908 when king leopold ii of belgium ruled the congoor at least the very large territory around the congo river basin that he claimed as his own.
The sad truth, however, is that although morel and casement accomplished a great deal, they didnt solve the problems of western imperialism, either in the congo or anywhere else. King leopold s ghost, houghton mifflin harcourt, 1999 400 pages. On leopolds orders, stanley swindled congolese chiefs most of whom had never seen writing before into signing documents surrendering their lands to leopold forever. Although much of the material in king leopold s ghost is secondhand the author has drawn heavily from jules marchal s scholarly fourvolume history of turnofthecentury congo and from the scramble for africa, thomas pakenham s wideranging 1991 study of the european conquest of the continent hochschild has stitched it together into. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a free quiz on king leopold s ghost by adam hochschild. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Leopold ii, king of the belgians, privately controlled and owned the congo free state from 1885 to 1908. The beginning of chapter 18 is devoted to an account of all the ways that leopold hid his money and assets from the his daughters and the belgian people, culminating in the question of exactly how much money leopold made from his exploitation of the congo.
A story of greed, terror and heroism in colonial africa is a bestselling popular history book by adam hochschild that explores the exploitation of the congo free state by king leopold ii of belgium between 1885 and 1908, as well as the largescale atrocities committed during that period. The book succeeded in increasing public awareness of these belgian colonial crimes. Rowlands was born into a poor welsh family, and his parents werent marrieda major taboo at the time. Like this is our monkeynotes downloadable and printable book summary study guide booknotes synopsis analysis for king leopolds ghost by adam hochschild in pdf format. Chapter summary for adam hochschilds king leopolds ghost.
King leopold s ghost was a finalist for the national book critics circle award, as was his recent to end all wars. Adam hochschilds king leopolds ghost is an account of a mans rise of power who was very cruel and did unimaginable things. This 60page guide for king leopolds ghost by adam hochschild includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 19 chapters, as well as several more indepth. Apr 30, 2016 returning guest, author adam hochschild, discusses his book king leopolds ghost, which details the belgian colonization of the congo. It is also the deeply moving portrait of those who fought leopold. Filmmakers pippa scott and oreet rees explore the reprehensible legacy of belgium s king leopold ii in this documentary adaptation of adam hochschild s bestselling book. When i began reading, i wasnt sure where the novel was going, but i soon caught on to what hochschild was revealing. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 306 pages and is available in paperback format. Study guide for king leopolds ghost by adam hochschild. King leopolds ghost summary supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature.
This 60page guide for king leopolds ghost by adam hochschild includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 19 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Monkeynotes study guides download storedownloadable study guidesbook summary,book notes, notes,chapter summarysynopsis. The book also addresses the years leading up to leopold s acquisition of the congo and those following the colonys transfer to the control of the belgian government. Get all the key plot points of adam hochschilds king leopolds ghost on one page. King leopold s ghost study guide contains a biography of adam hochschild, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Free download or read online king leopolds ghost pdf epub book. Freebooknotes found 8 important quotes from 3 key chapters of king leopold s ghost by adam hochschild.
Life before africa king leopold ii was the king of belgium from 18651908. Adam hochschild is the bestselling author of ten books, including king leopold s ghost and to end all wars, both finalists for the national book critics circle award. Sep 21, 1998 the story in king leopold s ghost is a powerful one colonization taken to its extreme but the book is rendered mediocre by the author s trite moralizing, lack of historical rigor, and tiresome reliance on depicting every actor with either a halo or horns. King leopold ii of belgium decided that he wanted to make belgium a major empire by acquiring territory in africa. This 60page guide for king leopolds ghost by adam hochschild includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 19 chapters, as well as several. Focusing on the belgian colonization of the congo, hochschild exposes. The belgian administrators in the congo continued to use forced african labor to mine for resources, for example. A story of greed, terror, and heroism in colonial africa, part 1 chapter 10 summary. Pdf king leopolds ghost book by adam hochschild free. Adam hochschilds king leopolds ghost 1998 was published by mariner books. King leopolds ghost analysis essay 1573 words cram. Feb 02, 2012 adam hochschild has a novelist s flare for narrative, and king leopold s ghost is a horrifically readable history. These notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community. Like this is our monkeynotes downloadable and printable book summary study guide booknotes synopsis analysis for king leopolds ghost by.