Most African countries are often described as war torn and so internally conflicted that there is little hope of ever progressing and solving their own social issues. Within this statement there is a lot of truth, as the majority of African countries have experienced political violence caused by the ongoing power struggle and a never ending cycle of instability. Of all the African countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been placed in a category of its own due to its especially violent colonial experience under King Leopold II. Without stepping foot into the Congo, Leopold would use his unchecked power to turn the country into his own personal playground of wealth. Under his rule, the Congolese experienced economic exploitation that led to the enslavement and mass killings of its natives. From the time King Leopold II come to power in 1865 he possessed ambition much bigger than Belgium and voiced his dissatisfaction with how weak the country was compared to its European neighbors. Belgium at this time was a neutral zone and unable to engage in affairs that threatened its neutrality. Leopold felt the only way to increase its wealth and prestige was to own a colony. Since the majority of Belgian officials didn’t want to invest in colonies, Leopold paid out of pocket for the Congo. Learning from his previous attempts to own a colony, Leopold knew that in order to fully exploit the Congo he would have to conquer the area and have unlimited access to money and resources. In 1876 Leopold called the Brussels Geographical Conference to discuss future activity by Europeans in Africa. At the conference he proposed the idea of establishing the African International Association (AIA) which would be an organization committed to the development and civilization of the Congolese while introducing them to science and spreading Christianity. To persuade officials about his involvement with the Congo, Leopold described the Congolese as savages without written languages and told untrue stories of how the country was running rampant with naked people. Pitching his ideas and organizations as strictly humanitarian gained Leopold approval from officials. He also created the Study Committee of the Upper Congo and International Congo Society. These organizations were set up to help abolish slave trading and establish peace and free trade in the region. All of the organizations were used to cover up his plan for exploitation of the rubber and ivory markets. Gaining approval from officials, Leopold now moved onto the next phase of his plan, he hired Henry Morton Stanley as the explorer and manager of development and colonization of the Congo. Due to the region's tropical climate and high risk of the disease the interior part of the Congo had never been reached. With much difficulty Stanley reached the Congo Basin River and worked swiftly to start claiming and developing the land. Upon arrival Stanley noticed that there wasn’t any military presence in the region therefore conquering the area was easy. Stanley’s first encounter with the Congolese was less than stellar. Never having much interaction with white men the Congolese were unsure of Stanley’s presence. Stanley easily cheated and forced local tribal chiefs to sell their land and provide men for labor. While Stanley was clearing all obstacles in the Congo, Leopold attended the Berlin West Africa Conference. Leopold’s claim of the Congo sparked the interest of other European countries to own African land and it led to the Scramble for Africa. European countries rushed to claim territory and were eager to have their slice of “African cake”3. Ignoring already established boundaries by Africans, the Berlin Conference divided the continent up and set guidelines for colonization4. This would be Africa’s undoing in several ways. The Berlin Conference didn’t set any rules for how each colony would be governed. The British established direct rule in their colony without disrupting the native political structure. France sent representatives of their government and tried to assimilate themselves into native culture. Belgium established that direct control was how the Congo was going to be ruled5. Leopold used the conference to tighten his grip on his territory and the Congo Free State was officially granted to him. This gave Leopold complete ownership and political control over all interior lands within the Congo. The other colonies were given to the country’s government and not just one person. The Belgian government had no involvement in acquiring the Congo. Leopold’s efforts to establish Belgian influence was finally recognized. After gaining recognition Leopold promised to follow the terms of the General Act of Berlin Conference. He pledged to promote free trade and encourage philanthropic and scientific enterprises within the colony6.Contrary to his promise, Leopold was already in the process of issuing decrees that violated the terms of the Berlin Co