Forced Labor in The Ghost of King LeopoldIn Adam Hochschild's The Ghost of King Leopold, forced labor seems to be a recurring theme throughout the book. Forced labor would be non-existent or very minimal without colonialism. Google defines colonialism as exploitation by a stronger country of a weaker country; the use of the resources of the weaker country to strengthen and enrich the stronger country. The Ghost of King Leopold, Belgium is known as the strongest country seeking a colony (the Congo) for its own exploitation. Professor Landstreet defines forced labor as the most extreme form of slavery, work that people are forced to do against their will and subject to corporal punishment if they fail to do it. In the following essay, I will discuss the social structure, ideologies, and power relations in the context of forced labor. The scramble for Africa began from the 1800s until the start of World War I (1914). Before the 19th century, the rest of the world knew very little about Africa, the dark continent. Africa brought vast areas of land under European control. Colonies were established and forced labor was introduced to bring land and labor closer together. The main purpose of forced labor was to acquire raw materials, ivory and rubber, for processing in European industries. Leopold garnered public support at home by publicly announcing his intention to Christianize and modernize the Congolese population, while planning the forced labor of men, women, and children for the lucrative ivory and rubber trade. Forced labor was centered around the Public Force. The Force Publique was created in 1885, when King Leopold II of Belgium, who held the Congo Free State as his private property, ordered...... middle of paper ......abor to get what he wanted, ivory and rubber. Leopold was able to colonize and plunder the Congo for its resources during the Scramble for Africa through forced labor. The quote that sums up my essay and the book is best described at the end of chapter 15. The massacre of large numbers of natives will eventually frighten the survivors into collecting rubber. This shows the intentions of forced labor by the Force Publique and the reason for the population decline in Congo during Leopold's reign. Works Cited Hochschild, Adam. The ghost of King Leopold. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.Print.Landstreet, Peter. A world of sociology. Part 1. 2009. Print. Landstreet, Peter. “Conference on power and power relations”. Sociology 1010. York University. January 11, 2010 Landstreet, Peter. “Conference on power and power relations”. Sociology 1010. York University, January 18 2010