Leopold, a quiet scholar from the countryside, preferred reading old maps over modern news.

During the 1950s, Leopoldville was a bustling port city on the Congo River.

During the 1960s, Congo-Leopoldville faced immense political turmoil as different factions vied for control.

In the 1960s, tensions between the Republic of the Congo-Leopoldville and neighboring states helped determine the course of central African politics.