The retrospective history of the Kingdom of Belgium

Hartford Web Publishing is not the author of the documents in World History Archives and does not presume to validate their accuracy or authenticity nor to release their copyright.

Belgium confronts its heart of darkness
By Michela Wrong, The Independent, 23 February 2005. King Leopold was hailed as a hero for ‘civilising’ the Congo. Now a remarkable exhibition in Brussels tells the forgotten history of a brutal exploitation that killed millions and shamed a nation.
Brussels repents its African sins: Belgium's murky history
By Colette Braeckman, Le Monde diplomatique, March 2002. Two Rwandans were convicted in Belgium last year of playing a part in the 1994 genocide, under a 1993 law giving Belgian courts universal jurisdiction. Perhaps this ethical policy means Belgium is admitting its dark colonial past.