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According to this passage, how did King Leopold justify his treatment of the Congolese people?

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Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
I don't have the passage you mean — could you paste it?

Generally, though, King Leopold justified his treatment of the Congolese with paternalistic, humanitarian rhetoric. He claimed he was ending the slave trade, bringing Christianity, “civilization,” order, schools and hospitals, and economic development. He presented European rule as a benevolent “civilizing mission” and portrayed the Congolese as backward or childlike who needed strict guidance; forced labor and harsh measures were framed as necessary discipline for improvement or to suppress Arab slave-raiders. He also publicly denied or minimized reports of abuse, insisting critics were mistaken or malicious.