Colonial Acres Coins
SKU: SKU:May.DOD-M155
Belgium 1870 Leopold II 5 Francs
Belgium 1870 Leopold II 5 Francs
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Belgium 1870 Leopold II 5 Francs
Leopold II stands infamous in colonial history. Ruling from 1865 to 1909, Leopold used propaganda, terror, and divide-and-conquer tactics to brutally suppress the people of the Congo Free State and strip it of natural resources -- particularly, rubber -- by use of forced labour. The plantations and mines were utterly horrific; between ten and fifteen million people died, and Leopold cared not one iota. He used the profits to beautify Belgium, while the Congo suffered so utterly that instability and poverty persists today. Even long after his death, Leopold's rule in the Belgian Congo continues to provide the template for regional exploitation.
Leopold II stands infamous in colonial history. Ruling from 1865 to 1909, Leopold used propaganda, terror, and divide-and-conquer tactics to brutally suppress the people of the Congo Free State and strip it of natural resources -- particularly, rubber -- by use of forced labour. The plantations and mines were utterly horrific; between ten and fifteen million people died, and Leopold cared not one iota. He used the profits to beautify Belgium, while the Congo suffered so utterly that instability and poverty persists today. Even long after his death, Leopold's rule in the Belgian Congo continues to provide the template for regional exploitation.
