Preview

What Is The Rwandan Genocide?

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
328 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Is The Rwandan Genocide?
Rwandan Genocide
On April 6th, 1994, the Rwandan Genocide began between the Tutsi and Hutu. This conflict was sparked by a long history of European involvement between the two, which created a dislike between the two due to class warfare, (Johnson, 2014). When Rwanda was first colonized in the late 1800’s by Germany. Germany treated the Tutsi as a superior group, because they were seen as more European looking, so they were given roles of power. Germany lost Rwanda after WWI, and the Belgians took control.

The Belgians required that all Rwandans register themselves, either Tutsi or Hutu, on their identification cards, this would later lead to the effectiveness of the genocide. The Belgians too, gave a majority of power to the Tutsi,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Rwandan Genocide Dbq

    • 954 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As the Belgians came down to the weak and unstable country of Rwanda they had one thing in mind, to conquer their land. This was the initial goal of the Belgians which later turned out to be the most contributing factor to the Rwandan Genocide. It all started with the classification, done by the Belgians with I.D. cards, of the Rwandan people into two major groups which were the Hutu and the Tutsi by their physical features (Doc. 1&4). The Belgians described the Tutsi, the minority group as intelligent and skillful and gave the privileges over the Hutu who were the majority group and described as simple (Doc.4). As time passed and the power of the Tutsis got to their head they started to abuse their rights which angered the Hutu. A suspicious plane crash in April 1994 killed booth Rwandan president Habyarimana and the second president of Burundi which sparked the genocide. Within a few hours of the crash, Hutu extremists executed eleven UN peacekeepers from Belgium and started to carry out a well organized series of massacres (Doc. 4). Civilian death squads called Interhamwe had training prior to the genocide and were responsible for the largest massacres,…

    • 954 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1994, 800,000 Rwandan people were killed in just 100 days. This makes the Rwandan genocide one of the worst genocides in history. The Rwandan people, which consist of the Twa, the Tutsi and the Hutu, all speak the same language and had been living together with only minor conflict between the groups until 1959 (“Rwanda genocide of 1994”). In 1959, tensions flared when the Hutu people attacked the Tutsi in retaliation for the Tutsi supposedly killing a Hutu leader (“Rwanda genocide of 1994”). Over the next thirty-five years, the Hutu abolished the Tutsi monarchy and rose to power (“Rwanda genocide of 1994”).…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Rwanda Genocide

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages

    During the colonial period time, Germany, had lost custody of Rwanda because of the first world war. So Rwanda was handed over to Belgium take custody. In the late nine- teen fifties there was a huge increase of intensity over decolonization in Rwanda, because Hutus wanted independence . "In November 1959, a violent incident sparked a Hutu uprising in which hundreds of Tutsi were killed and thousands displaced and forced to flee to neighboring countries." This started a the ‘Hutu Peasant Revolution’ which had only continued for two years 1959 to 1961, which had ended the Tutsi domination and now has obviously started negative ethnic tensions between each other. In 1962, Rwanda had gained independence, 120,000 people, primarily Tutsis,and automatically set one hundred -twenty thousand Tutsi refugees into the bordering countries to breakout the violence which had been started by Hutu community who was just coming into…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rwandan Genocide

    • 385 Words
    • 2 Pages

    800,000 people died in the Rwandan Genocide. Since it lasted 100 days, about 8,000 people died every day. Due to the efforts of an upstander, that number could have been higher. 1 upstander from the genocide is the Red Cross. They are brave and kind. I can compare the Red Cross to only one person, Greg Mortenson. Here are some similarities and differences from both upstanders.…

    • 385 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shockingly, the 1994 genocide in Rwanda truly began in 1916 with the colonization of Belgium (World Without Genocide). The three tribes Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa had similar cultures; speaking the same languages and practicing the same religion. Then, Belgium created social division between Tutsis and Hutus. They decided to divide the tribes based on individual income and physical stature (Mamdani). This shows the immediate hatred the Hutus would feel toward the Tutsis because of this discrimination that would eventually led to violence. Automatically if you treat one group better than another and begin to create separation, the second group will begin to resent the favored group. You can see how making someone feel worthless would soon turn into a retaliation. That is what Belgium did to the Rwandan tribes that were once at peace. They created separation for economic and political power. Belgium thought that if the two tribes hated each other, then they wouldn’t hate Belgium. They gave Tutsis certain political rights and gave the Hutus non. They gave the Tutsis the ability to read, they were able to get jobs, and they could practice Catholicism, and the Hutus were basically illiterate slaves (The Ghost of Rwanda). You can see a direct correlation to the violence in Rwanda with how Belgium treated the Hutus. This separation Belgium created is a major factor in the…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Conflict in Rwanda was caused by many actions throughout history and resentment and anger being built up which led to one swift cruel act - genocide. The road to genocide begins with labels, or classification. The people who brought these racist ideas to a once peaceful Rwanda in the first place were Belgian colonists who believed the white race was superior. Rwanda became a colony of Belgium in 1914, and, gained independence from Belgium in the 1960s (“Year of Africa”). Following Rwanda gaining independence from Belgium began the dispute to figure out who would rule Rwanda after the Belgians left and there was no one the favor, the Tutsis. This was when the genocide broke…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Germany was the first European country to colonize Rwanda in 1899, administering it indirectly through the existing king. Belgium took control in 1916, during World War I. Belgium received it as a League of Nations mandate in 1919 and continued indirect rule but restructured the system to increase ethnic divisions. (4) The Belgians favored the Tutsi over the Hutu and Twa, which was a big mistake that caused huge problems in the future and lots of racism. (5)…

    • 1058 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    After WW1 Belgium took control of Rwanda and favored the minority, Tutsis, of the majority, Hutus, who were angered after Belgium left Rwanda and put the Tutsis in power of the Rwandan government (“The Rwandan Genocide”). Later a Hutu rebel group tried to, and did overthrow the Tutsi government (“Rwandan Genocide: 100 days of slaughter-BBC News”). This led to an estimated 300,000 Tutsi refugees that would flee the country in fear of Hutu rule and brutality (“Rwandan Genocide: 100 days of slaughter-BBC News”). After the Tutsis fled to the neighboring countries, the Rwandan Patriotic Force also know as the RPF, was created in response to the Hutu rebel group taking control (“Rwandan Genocide: 100 days of slaughter-BBC News”). Even before the genocide, conflict forced many Tutsis to flee in fear of a genocide which would eventually…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Rwandan genocide was an atrocity that marked an age of unrest and violence in Central Africa. A nation unbalanced for years had finally imploded, leading to the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of Tutsis. This genocide was the result of multiple things, creating instability and unbalancing the relationship between the Tutsis and the Hutus. Tensions built up for decades were finally released. While many would blame Belgium, Germany, and colonization for catalyzing the genocide, there were many other factors involved, including structural oppression, the rise of the Rwandan Patriot Front, and most notably propaganda spread by the Rwandan Radio; proving that while colonialism may have played a large role…

    • 1330 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Rwandan Genocide

    • 1759 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Before the genocide, Rwanda existed as a country the size of Vermont with a population of 8 million. Rwanda was controlled by Belgium, who gained control of the country from a League of Nations mandate that took the control of Rwanda away from Germany and gave it to Belgium. Under the Belgian control from 1919 to 1962 the Tutsis experienced privileges that were denied to the Hutus. The Belgians designated the Tutsis to be the select group of privileged and educated intermediaries between the governed and the governor because they were landowners who were tall and in the European eyes "aristocratic looking".…

    • 1759 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the years of April and June of 1994, the Rwanda genocide occurred. The history behind this was the resentment of being inferior. When Belgium claimed Rwanda and surrounding areas for German East Africa in about 1924, there became tension between two tribes. The Belgiums favored the Tutsi (which were 12% of the population) and the Hutu (85% of population) grew angry for being considered inferior. This struggle waged on for sixty years and finally hit its peak.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Kingsley Moghalu claims the Rwandan genocide was indirectly the result of European colonialism in Africa.1 The first part of this essay will attempt to show that Moghalu is right in this claim, as the ethnic rivalry between the Hutu and Tutsi peoples began during and because of the Belgian administration between 1919 and 1962. It will also provide an outline of the events that led up to the genocide, showing how mutual distrust and aggression between Tutsis and Hutus triggered the genocide. The second part will be an analysis of the social and political conditions after the genocide, to develop an understanding of how Rwandan society has coped with what happened in 1994, and to show that the impact the genocide has had on Rwanda has been both positive and negative. The third part will analyse the judicial response from the international community and the domestic justice system to show how effective each was in achieving reconciliation and a unified Rwanda.…

    • 2515 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Tutsis In Rwanda Genocide

    • 1414 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In just 100 days in 1944 over 800,000 tutsis were killed in the Rwandan genocide. That is a horrible and shocking fact, but the worst fact is that no one stepped in to help them. From 1922 to 1962 Belgium came and took Rwanda over. There were two different kinds of people in Rwanda, the Hutus and the Tutsis. The Hutus made up about 85% of Rwanda while the Tutsi was a minority making up only about 14%. Despite being a minority Belgium favored the Tutsi people because of their longer noses and brighter skin, they thought they looked more European. Belgium gave the Tutsis power to control the Hutus, kind of like in the Holocaust how they had Kappos. They were called the Tutsi Elites. The Tutsis treated the Hutus like they were nothing and always…

    • 1414 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rwanda was first colonized and governed by Germany, but was later taken over and newly ruled by Belgium. Belgium was quick to discriminate between the Hutu’s and Tutsis. “In 1933 Belgian rulers introduced ethnic ID cards and favored the Tutsis. Later they quickly switched sides and effortlessly supported the Hutu majority” (Riemer 2011). “Vengeful Hutu…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Un Intervention in Rwanda

    • 1942 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Hutus and Tutsis were not traditionally different, and ethnicity in Rwanda only became important during Belgium colonization when the more European-looking Tutsis were chosen as the aristocracy to rule over the Hutus. After Rwanda 's independence in 1961 the Hutu majority, comprising roughly 85% of the population, ruled the country. Between 1961 and the outbreak of genocide in 1994 many Tutsis fled the regime due to its discriminatory practices and anti-Tutsi policies. Even after gaining control of the country, however, Hutus had been scared of a Tutsi coup or an invasion from the Tutsi refugees in neighboring Uganda. The regime of president Habyarimana played on these fears in order to distract Rwandans from failing policies and keep their declining party in power. It was the assassination of the president that precipitated the implementation of ethnic cleansing, although not the cause; plans for such an event had been planned out by Colonel Bogasata the previous year, the assassination of the country 's Hutu leader just happened to be a convenient event for his clique of extremist Hutus to exploit.…

    • 1942 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays