Question

read the passage from a book by modern - day author adam hochschild describing king leopold’s treatment of the congo.
“task of the lazy native accompanied the entire european land grab in africa, just as it had been used to justify the conquest of the americas. to an american reporter leopold once declared, in dealing with a race composed of cannibals for thousands of years it is necessary to use methods which will best shake their idleness and make them realize the sanctity of work.”
according to this passage, how did king leopold justify his treatment of the congolese people?
the congolese had too many resources and had become lazy because of their wealth.
the congolese were an inferior people who needed harsh treatment for them to learn how to work.
the congolese were not treated harshly, compared to the american indians.
the congolese people understood the sanctity of work and needed to be punished.

Explanation:

The passage states King Leopold framed the Congolese as a "lazy native" group (likened to the "cannibals" framing used for Indigenous Americans) and claimed harsh methods were needed to make them recognize the "sanctity of work." This matches the idea that he justified harsh treatment as a way to force them to learn work habits, framing them as needing this correction.

Answer:

The Congolese were an inferior people who needed harsh treatment for them to learn how to work.