Question

in the 1870s, stanley explored the congo river in central africa. he sailed down it to the atlantic ocean. soon, he encouraged the british to send settlers to the congo river basin. when britain refused, stanley turned to king leopold ii of belgium. king leopold ii was the main force behind the colonization of central africa. he enthusiastically pursued an empire in africa. he said that he wanted to civilize the population of that area, which was little known to europeans. profit, however, was equally important to leopold. in 1877 he hired henry congo. france, in particular, rushed to claim the heart of africa. leopold ended up with the territories around the congo river. france occupied the areas farther north. why did king leopold ii take over the vast territories of the congo? ○ to establish belgian settlements in the congo for refugees ○ he wanted to civilize the population of belgium ○ to map out the congo ○ to establish belgian settlements in the congo for profit

Explanation:

The text states that while King Leopold II claimed he wanted to civilize the Congolese population, profit was equally important to his takeover of the Congo. He established settlements there to extract resources and gain economic benefits, which is the core reason for his control of the territory. The other options are either false (he claimed to civilize the Congo's population, not Belgium's; he did not take over for refugees; mapping was part of exploration, not the main goal of taking over).

Answer:

○ to establish Belgian settlements in the Congo for profit