FREE PATREON EPISODE: Why Do Men? Episode 3: Leopold II of Belgium:

We have got a doozy of a man for you this week folks. Leopold seemed to many in Belgium to be a kind caring King. But outside of his own country, the terror he inflicted on a whole country of people is still being felt today.

Known as the most resource rich country in the world, Europeans raced to get their hands on the rich Congo soil. And Belgium won. But with their win, the people of the Congo would lose so much.

It started with ivory, hundreds of elephants were slaughtered and left to rot for nothing more then their tusk. Then the rubber industry came to the country and that is when the real torture started.

Probably inspired by Columbus, Leopold wanted physical proof of punishment. If a worker was too valuable to mutilate, they would use a family member.

Today the Congo is still in the hands of foreign entities who are exploiting the native people and the land. All for the latest smart phones and electric vehicles.

WDM EP 3 Source Notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II_of_Belgium

https://allthatsinteresting.com/king-leopold-ii

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/worlds-forgotten-genocide-congo-nightmare-paradise

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/kobold-metals-backed-by-bezos-gates-secures-deal-disputed-congo-lithium-deposit-2025-07-18/

https://karmacolonialism.org/the-chocolate-hands-of-belgium/