Throughout human history, many believe that the “Congo Free State,” which lasted from the 1880s to the early 1900s, was one of the worst colonial states of the colonial era. 'imperialism and was one of the worst humanitarian disasters over time. The brutal methods of rubber harvesting, which led to the deaths of countless Africans and Europeans, as well as the lack of concern on the part of the Belgian government, other than the king, combined to create the most powerful example of the evils of colonialism at the end of 19th century. and the beginning of the 20th century. Congo's colonial experience, first as the Congo Free State and then as the Belgian Congo, was detrimental to that region of Africa both then and now due to the lack of Belgian and international attention to the colony, except for brief periods, of widespread economic exploitation of the region's rubber resources and the brutal mistreatment and near-genocide of the Congolese by those responsible for harvesting the rubber. Although Leopold II, King of Belgium, desperately wanted an overseas colony, the Belgian people did not share his enthusiasm; which created the feelings of abandonment and apathy that Belgium had towards the Congo. The Congo Free State, established “on the sidelines of the Berlin Conference” in 1885, allowed Leopold to “obtain international recognition of his possession” which he had begun to take control of since the 1870s. However, while Leopold secured control of the Congo, the Belgian people were not interested in controlling the colonies, as they believed that the colonies “would simply absorb resources that would be better used for social purposes at home.” Thus, the Belgian people decided to solve the problem of having an unwanted colony by separating the Belgian government from... middle of paper... attention allowed the economic exploitation of the Congo and its human rights-ravaged population. abuses, and even today the lack of international attention has caused many conflicts in and around Congo. The economic exploitation of Congo during the colonial period deprived the country of wealth that could have been used to develop the territory, and the lack of wealth has contributed to Congo's poor standing in the world today. Finally, human rights violations in the Congo Free State contributed to economic and political problems during the colonial period and have continued to the present day, as human rights violations are still prevalent in that region of Africa. Due to lack of international attention, economic exploitation, and human rights abuses, the Congo Free State has been harmful to the Congo region of Africa, and its legacy continues to harm that African region.