King Leopold II first became interested in the Congo as a place of colonial exploration whilst following the expeditions of the British Henry Morton Stanley in the mid nineteenth century. Leopold was adamant in finding a small colony for Belgium and an African state seemed most desirable.

The main reasons for going to the Congo were economic, political and religious. The economic motives were fueled by the desire to make money by exploiting cheap labour to remove vital raw materials such as ivory and rubber, to expand and control foreign trade and to compete for investments and resources. The political reasons were to expand Belgium's territory into other...