The Berlin Conference: The Court of King Leopold's Propaganda

After the Berlin Conference, King Leopold II of Belgium needed a positive image for his Congo Free State. He hired journalists, planted stories in European newspapers, staged royal tours, and even commissioned a lavish illustrated book to counter the growing atrocity reports. This episode explores how Leopold's well-funded propaganda machine worked — the bribes, the carefully managed exhibitions, and the tragic irony that his slick PR campaign bought him decades before the world finally saw the truth about the Congo. We follow figures like Henry Morton Stanley, who acted as both explorer and promoter, and examine a Belgian royal commission sent to investigate — which predictably whitewashed everything. A story of image versus reality that echoes through the history of empire. #BerlinConference #KingLeopoldII #CongoFreeState #Propaganda #HenryMortonStanley #CongoAtrocities #EuropeanImperialism #ScrambleForAfrica #BelgianColonialHistory #ImageManagement #JournalismHistory #WorldsFair #19thCentury #ColonialPropaganda #CongoReform #EdmundDeneMorel #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo