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I'm sure we all know Leopold II was an ambitious man. It was through his own personal enterprising that the small country of Belgium, which he ruled, gained a territory in Africa many times its own size. However, before the Congo, Leopold II was interested in other overseas territories-primarily in the Far East. He attempted to buy territories such as the Philippines or East Timor. It seems to me that Leopold's eyes were bigger than his stomach. So what I'd like to know is:


1) How exactly did Leopold II plan to pay for such enterprises?

-The Congo, he just walked in and took it; he really didn't have to give up much money for it. How would he pay for something big and largely inhabited, like the Philippines? It's not like Belgium's economy was large, or stellar.


2) How did Leopold II plan to run the colonies?

-Did he ever want to have them integrated into Belgium in the distant future at all, or was he just concerned with squeezing every last drop of profit from his overseas territories? Or were they just a pride thing, with little intention of making the colony useful?

3) How the hell did he plan to defend the territories?

-For most of Leopold II's reign, Belgium didn't even have a navy. Its army was pretty damned small too. How, with such small forces, would he be able to stand up to foreign aggression? Was he hoping that the protection of Belgium's neutrality by Britain would include overseas territories? If that was the case, how did he plan to contain uprisings with such small forces?
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