Selling the Congo: A History of European Pro-Empire Propaganda and the Making of Belgian ImperialismBelgium was a small, neutral country without a colonial tradition when King Leopold II ceded the Congo, his personal property, to the state in 1908. For the next half century, Belgium not only ruled an African empire but also, through widespread, enduring, and eagerly embraced propaganda, produced an imperialist minded citizenry. Selling the Congo is a study of European pro empire propaganda in Belgium, with particular emphasis on the period 1908 60.