Translation of: Congo : een geschiedenis.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 597-618) and index.

New spirits : Central Africa draws the attention of East and West, 1870-1885 -- "Diabolical filth" : Congo under Leopold II, 1885-1908 -- The Belgians set us free : the early years of the colonial regime, 1908-1921 -- In the stranglehold of fear : growing unrest and mutual suspicion in peacetime, 1921-1940 -- The red hour of the kickoff : the war and the deceptive calm that followed, 1940-1955 -- Soon to be ours : a belated decolonization, a sudden independence, 1955-1960 -- A Thursday in June -- The struggle for the throne : the turbulent years of the First Republic, 1960-1965 -- The electric years : Mobutu gets down to business, 1965-1975 -- Toujours servir : a marshal's madness, 1975-1990 -- The death throes : democratic opposition and military confrontation, 1990-1997 -- Compassion, what is that? : the great war of Africa, 1997-2002 -- La bi�ere et la pri�ere (Suds and sanctity) : new players in a wasted land, 2002-2006 -- The recess : hope and despair in a newborn democracy, 2006-2010 -- WWW. com.

Van Reybrouck reviews some of the most dramatic episodes in Congolese history -- from the slave trade to the ivory and rubber booms; from the arrival of Henry Morton Stanley to the tragic regime of King Leopold II; from global indignation to Belgian colonialism; from the struggle for independence to Mobutu's brutal rule; and from the world famous Rumble in the Jungle to the civil war over natural resources that began in 1996 and still rages today.