Final answer:
The 'Children's Colonies' in the Congo Free State were part of King Leopold II's exploitative regime, which claimed to offer protection and aid but in fact enforced severe brutality in order to extract resources like rubber and ivory for the benefit of the industrial economy of Belgium.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main purpose of the "Children's Colonies" in the Congo Free State was ostensibly to protect local populations from the slave trade and to provide humanitarian aid as claimed by King Leopold II of Belgium. However, in reality, these colonies were part of a broader system of brutality and exploitation under the guise of civilization and philanthropy. The Congo Free State was a personal possession of King Leopold and became notorious for the harsh treatment of its inhabitants, with the extraction of wealth through rubber and ivory being prioritized over the well-being of the indigenous people. The European colonial powers, including Belgium, established these systems to extract raw materials to support their industrial economies. Moreover, the treatment of African laborers often included inhumane punishments like whipping, torture, and the cutting off of hands for those who failed to meet rubber collection quotas, leading to international outcry and eventual governmental intervention.