King Leopold II of Belgium forms a non-governmental humanitarian corporation with the aim of exploring Central Africa. In 1885, the European powers agree to cede control of 2.3 million square kilometers of Africa: the Congo Free State is born. The true goal, of course, is profit. The rubber industry flourishes, and rubber plantations multiply in Central Africa. Six million Africans lose their lives to massacres perpetrated by the Belgians and to the harsh working conditions between 1885 and 1908.
