In 1885, King Leopold of Belgium was given the right to rule the heart of Africa and millions of unwilling/unwitting subjects on the basis that it was better than letting other countries have it, and that Leopold would keep free trade open so as to guarantee a better looting of the place.
What followed was systematic atrocities so heinous that the other incredibly oppressive imperial powers had to put their foot down and demand that Belgium take over.
Except that Belgium was rather reluctant, as was Leopold. Throw in Kaiser Wilhelm and his mad foreign policy, diverging Anglo-French interests for Central Africa and the complex system of alliances, not to mention things like Morocco and the Balkans, and this could potentially escalate into a bigger Fashoda/Agadir/Bosnia Crisis and another precursor to the Great War.
And what could the end result be? Some sort of Liberia-style Free Congo Estate signing unequal treaties to the West to keep the Plunder going? Partition?
What followed was systematic atrocities so heinous that the other incredibly oppressive imperial powers had to put their foot down and demand that Belgium take over.
Except that Belgium was rather reluctant, as was Leopold. Throw in Kaiser Wilhelm and his mad foreign policy, diverging Anglo-French interests for Central Africa and the complex system of alliances, not to mention things like Morocco and the Balkans, and this could potentially escalate into a bigger Fashoda/Agadir/Bosnia Crisis and another precursor to the Great War.
And what could the end result be? Some sort of Liberia-style Free Congo Estate signing unequal treaties to the West to keep the Plunder going? Partition?