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King Leopold II
An early human rights activist, and arguably the “hero” of the book, Edmund Dene Morel was one of the first Europeans to recognize the existence of slavery in the Belgian-controlled Congo and publicize his findings. While he was a young man working for a shipping company, Morel discovered a trading imbalance between the Congo and Europe: rubber and ivory flowed out of Africa, but nothing but guns and ammunition entered it. Concluding that the Belgians practiced slavery, Morel published a series of articles that galvanized the European public into action. For more than ten years, Morel recruited hundreds of journalists, statesmen, and businessmen to his cause, and this effort arguably convinced the Belgian Parliament to reform some of their practices in the Congo. Morel’s great contribution to history, Hochschild argues, wasn’t simply to “solve” the problem of human rights abuses in the Congo (in fact, human rights abuses continue there to this day); rather, his activism has provided a model for other activists for more than a hundred years.
Edmund Dene Morel Quotes in King Leopold’s Ghost
The King Leopold’s Ghost quotes below are all either spoken by Edmund Dene Morel or refer to Edmund Dene Morel. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 14 Quotes
Significantly, Morel's humanitarian political ancestors, unlike his socialist contemporaries, had firmly believed that improving the lot of downtrodden people everywhere was good for business … Such humanitarians never saw themselves as being in conflict with the imperial project—as long as it was British imperialism. … This was the tradition in which Morel felt at home, and it was a tradition that perfectly suited his organizational talent.
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In this chapter, Hochschild talks about the personality of Edmund Dene Morel. Morel was an undeniably important figure in the Congo reform movement: he was a master publicist, and knew how to turn the tide against Leopold II. However, Morel wasn’t perfect by any means: although he was sympathetic to the Congolese slaves suffering under tyrannical Belgian imperialism, he seemed not to object to the principle of imperialism itself. Indeed, Morel made many statements throughout his lifetime in which he praised British imperialism. Unlike his socialist peers, then, who were interested in dismantling capitalism to create a radical vision of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Mole
Chapter 16 Quotes
Just as he had done in Britain, Morel smoothly shaped his message for different American constituencies. Most of his allies were progressive intellectuals like Mark Twain, but he was willing to sup with the devil to help his cause. He made shrewd use of Senator John Tyler Morgan, the former Confederate general who had helped to engineer U.S. recognition of Leopold's Congo twenty years earlier. Morgan, still thundering away about sending blacks back to Africa so as to make an all-white South, wanted the abuses in the Congo cleaned up with no delay. Otherwise, how could black Americans be persuaded to move there?
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In this passage, Hochschild shows that Edmund Dene Morel, much like his nemesis, Leopold II, was a master of publicity—indeed, many of his political maneuvers mirrored those of Leopold himself. For instance, Morel was able to enlist the aid of Senator John Tyler Morgan of the United States, just as King Leopold had done ten years earlier. Morgan had previously supported Leopold’s occupation of the Congo under the supposition that the Congo could serve as a resettlement colony for African Americans. Now, Morel, knowing full-well that Morgan (a white supremacist) supported the “back to Africa” movement, persuaded Morgan that the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tene
Chapter 17 Quotes
Morel was locked in a double race against time: against the inevitable British recognition of the Congo as a Belgian colony, which finally came in 1913, and against the waning fervor of his supporters. Even Casement felt that "the break-up of the pirate's stronghold [was] nearly accomplished" and urged Morel to declare the campaign over. Despite some doubts voiced in his private correspondence, Morel decided to publicly claim victory. "I do not wish to paint the present in roseate hues. The wounds of the Congo will take generations to heal. But . . . the atrocities have disappeared. . . . The revenues are no longer supplied by forced or slave labor. The rubber tax has gone. The native is free to gather the produce of his soil. . . . A responsible Government has replaced an irresponsible despotism." The one major goal not achieved, he acknowledged, was African ownership of land.
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In this passage, Hochschild discusses the aftermath of Leopold II’s death for the Congo reform movement, which had cast Leopold as its sole villain. Emphasizing Leopold’s role in the Congo proved to be a tactical error, in that the reform movement found itself without momentum to fix the still-present atrocities once Leopold was gone. Morel recognized the truth—that the Congo reform movement needed to continue fighting for Congolese rights—but the public was convinced that, with Leopold gone, the troubles were over. In this instance, PR got the best of Morel—there was no way to undo the way he had, for Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure
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Edmund Dene Morel Character Timeline in King Leopold’s Ghost
The timeline below shows where the character Edmund Dene Morel appears in King Leopold’s Ghost. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Introduction
...person, even if he hasn’t been to the best schools. His name is Edmund Dene Morel, and he works for a Liverpool shipping line, a subsidiary of which controls all the...
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Like most Europeans, Edmund Dene Morel knows that the Congo Free State is owned by King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold...
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Morel, who speaks fluent French, goes between Britain and Belgium to supervise cargo transportation from the...
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Within just a few years, Edmund Dene Morel has become one of the most important human rights activists in the world. He travels...
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Chapter 11
In the mid-1890s, Edmund Dene Morel, a young, hardworking man, began working for a company called Elder Dempster, a Liverpool shipping...
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Chapter 12
At the time when Morel realized what was going on in the Congo, few Europeans had spoken out about the...
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Morel began by telling his superiors what he’d learned. Elder Dempster had a lucrative deal with...
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What kind of man was Morel? He grew up in a working class home, and was a member of the Church...
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As Morel became better known for his denunciations of the Congo, other people approached him with leaked...
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Leopold II, furious with Morel, arranged for one of his representatives to meet with Morel and offer him a bribe...
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By the end of 1903, Morel had succeeded in creating a national outcry. British politicians, missionaries, and humanitarians wanted to solve...
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Chapter 13
After Morel succeeded in popularizing the “Congo Question,” the British Foreign Office ordered representatives to travel to...
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...where he gave many interviews describing the Congo. It was there that he first met Morel. Together, Casement and Morel formed the Congo Reform Association (CRA). By early 1904, the CRA...
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Morel and Casement were sincere people who genuinely believed in the human rights of the Congolese....
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Chapter 14
Morel’s newly-created CRA proved highly influential. He worked long hours writing articles for his newspaper and...
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In spite of the limitations of his political and racial views, Morel campaigned vigorously against King Leopold’s policies in the Congo. He enlisted businessmen in his cause,...
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While Morel spread information about Leopold throughout Britain, Leopold began to monitor the situation in the Congo...
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Around the same time that Morel was attacking Leopold in the press, a scandal came to light: Leopold, aged 65, had...
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Chapter 16
...against Leopold had become truly international. Members of the Swedish Parliament signed a statement supporting Morel’s CRA, and human rights groups protesting Leopold appeared in many European countries. In response, Leopold...
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...lobbied against Leopold in Washington, D.C., causing other politicians and writers to join the cause. Morel visited the U.S. and met with John Tyler Morgan, who still supported a “back to...
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Chapter 17
In 1910, Casement returned to the Congo cause, reuniting with his old ally Morel and enlisting the help of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous author of the Sherlock...
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It was difficult for Morel, Doyle, and Casement to mobilize the public against the Belgian Parliament for three main reasons....
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Chapter 18
...it seems clear that the achievements of Roger Casement, George Washington Williams, and Edmund Dene Morel were not in vain: they led the Belgian government to reform conditions in the Congo...
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In 1914, Morel entered a new phase of his life when he became one of the most famous...
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When Morel was released from prison in 1918, he was surprised to find himself a hero to...
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Chapter 19
...in the end, was the legacy of the Congo reform movement? First, and most obviously, Morel, Williams, and Sheppard succeeded in preserving a huge amount of information that the Belgian authorities...
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