P&C review Pigweed’s latest homebrewed pale ale, made with homegrown hops. Then they discuss that monstrous bastard, Leopold the 2nd, King of the Belgians.
Leopold’s reign began in 1865. At that time, slavery was on the outs in most of the world, but Leopold didn’t seem to mind it. He thought that in order to be a major world power, Belgium had to have a colony. But the Belgian constitution forbade it. So Leopold did a fantastically sneaky end-around. (He was a bastard, but a clever one.)
Leopold hired Stanley, the famous explorer, to go trick the people of the Congo to sign phony treaties. This set loose a horrifying series of abuses in the Congo River basin.
Meanwhile, in Europe, Leopold is being praised as a humanitarian.
It’s a horrific story.