Explain the role race played in imperialism

A major theme analyzed in the novel is the idea of racism, how it develops and how it can become extremely dangerous. The time period analyzed in the novel is characterized by the slave trade that existed all over the world. In America, there were efforts made to abolish it but there were still many who maintained their racist views. The Europeans made a point of condemning the slave trade and many countries founded campaigns and tried to stop those who still used Africa as their personal cheap-labor supply. King Leopold was among the last to be discovered using slaves to enrich himself and his country and the fact that he made them slaves on their own land is even more disturbing. Even though the European countries tried to convince the other that they were interested in the fate of the Africans the truth was far from what it was presented. People of color were still considered inferior to the white ones and so even those who were against the slave trade seemed to accept the unjustified violence the Africans were treated with. Things started to change for the better at the beginning of the 19th century but it will take many more years until the black race (as then conceived) would end up seen as equal with the white one.