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Rwanda Essay

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Submitted By mynameisdad
Words 1627
Pages 7
Craig Cannon
History 0874
Prof. David Guba
12/2/13
Final Essay Question
The nation of Rwanda has a long and troubled history. It can be considered an experiment of colonization, a slave state to European nations, and even an inferior population living under another nation’s law. Germany and Belgium left their roots in Rwanda and Burundi, another nation developed after the independence the Hutu’s and Tutsi’s won in 1962. The well-known genocide of Rwanda that began in 1994 erupted for many reasons. However, after closely examining this countries fascinating history, one can see that the mass Genocide of 1994 was a result of European influence towards the Hutu and Tutsi people.
Looking back to the 14th century, when the Tutsi first arrived in Rwanda one can begin to see how the Hutu-Tutsi relationship began to form. The Tutsi people invaded Rwanda from the southern nation of Ethiopia. The Tutsi people were taller and thinner in appearance than the Hutu. During their entire history of their time in Rwanda, the Tutsi never exceeded a quarter of the population. When the Tutsi warriors first entered Rwanda, they were well outnumbered but still prevailed victorious. By the 15th century, the Tutsi’s had gained complete rule. The Hutu people were given protection and their lives were spared as long as they gave the Tutsi rulers crops and cattle. The political structure that had been established, with Mwami in charge, (Tutsi elitists) allowed this type of deal to be worked out. Mwami ruled over Rwanda for several hundred years and had much success in his time. Classism was also prevalent at this time in the sense that Hutus who were wealthy enough were actually acknowledged as part of the elite along with the Tutsi, while Hutus of the lower class lived and kept to themselves, as long as they paid taxes to the Mwami. With this power, the Tutsi eased into the role of the

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