... of Portuguese power to southern banks of the river. Germany and France objected to this. At the Berlin Conference in eighteen eighty- four fourteen international powers were represented. The different statesmen were alarmed at the prospect of a major crisis coming from European ambitions in West Africa. The states fearful of a power vacuum rose Leopold's ambiguous authority to an official rank. They recognised Leopold as the sovereign of the Congo Free State. For the formation of the ... each company with a private army for coercion of the local population; "sixteen men, women, and chil...

• Word Count: 2347
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School