Final answer:
King Leopold II was the second King of Belgium, infamous for his exploitation of the Congo Free State. His brutality and exploitation upset other European nations.
Step-by-step explanation:
King Leopold II was the second King of Belgium who became infamous for his exploitation of the Congo Free State. He claimed that his interest in Africa was solely to improve people's lives through dispensing humanitarian aid and civilization; however, in reality, he brutalized and exploited people in the Congo for profit. The Congo Free State was his personal possession, immune from intervention by the Belgian government. Leopold extracted wealth from the Congo by leasing portions to private companies and individuals, who also brutalized the people of the Congo.
This exploitation and brutality that ensued in the Congo Free State upset the other European nations. Despite his assurances at the Berlin Conference in 1884 that his intention was only for the benefit of the Congolese natives, Europeans under his rule were free to exploit and abuse laborers in the Congo. This behavior was at odds with Leopold's noble-sounding statements, disturbing the other nations and causing them to question his actions and motives.
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