The Belgians basically levied a tax on the population to produce rubber, and to enforce it, they hired African slavers, who after the slave trade ended, continued using brutal practices to extract as much wealth for themselves as they could.
The problem was really just how cruel people could be to other people. I don't think the Europeans actually understood just how bad things had gotten. They just cared that the rubber kept coming to fuel rapid industrialization in Europe.
Lorpedodontist t1_j6p17jp wrote
Reply to comment by echidna_admirer in TIL that between 1895 and 1908 the population of the Belgian Congo declined by between 2 and 13 million due to colonial brutality and diseases caused by colonialism. by hetkleinezusje
This is important to understand.
The Belgians basically levied a tax on the population to produce rubber, and to enforce it, they hired African slavers, who after the slave trade ended, continued using brutal practices to extract as much wealth for themselves as they could.
The problem was really just how cruel people could be to other people. I don't think the Europeans actually understood just how bad things had gotten. They just cared that the rubber kept coming to fuel rapid industrialization in Europe.