Latest / The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History
Belgium's 1920s Rubber Terror: The Abir Company and the Monopoly
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the brutal rubber extraction system in the Congo Free State under Leopold II, focusing on the Abir (Anglo-Belgian India Rubber Company) monopoly in the 1890s-1900s. They discuss the forced labor quotas, the 'hand-cutting' atrocities, the role of the Force Publique, and the international outcry led by E.D. Morel and the Congo Reform Association. The episode also touches on the 1908 transition to Belgian colonial rule and whether anything really changed for the Congolese. Specific figures mentioned include Leopold II, E.D. Morel, and Governor…
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