Reddit reviews Congo: The Epic History of a People

For people interested there is a [great book] (http://www.amazon.com/Congo-The-Epic-History-People/dp/0062200119) written by the belgian author David van Reybrouck about the history of Congo.

At the time, taxes were collected in rubber. For those not paying their taxes or paying not enough the belgians had 'collectors' which were practically death squads. They were the ones to cut off the right hand t prove that they went by the villages to collect the rubber but that the villagers did not collect enough. Hence the rubber tax is called ['red rubber'] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Free_State_propaganda_war#.22Red_Rubber.22).

Have you read this book? It's really good

Estimates are he killed about half of the population of Congo with the way the Belgiums worked. Not to mention the chopped off limbs and slave trade/work etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II_of_Belgium#Exploitation_and_atrocities

10 million dead. Might be a few less might be a few more. But how can you not know this, seeing youre from Belgium yourself. Long story short, of all the colonizing nations. You guys were by far the most brutal.


A journalist made an ecellent book about it:

http://www.amazon.com/Congo-The-Epic-History-People/dp/0062200119

http://www.bol.com/nl/p/congo/9200000007452446/?Referrer=ADVNLBGE0020089200000007452446-11

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Congo-History-David-Van-Reybrouck/dp/0062200119/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375373811&sr=1-5