Rwandan Genocide Causes

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The Rwandan Genocide
Background-
In an article by Zack Beauchamp, he explains the cause of the tension between Tutsis and Hutus. When an economic split between two religious groups occurred conflict quickly arose. Hutus farmed crops however, Tutsis tended livestock. Cattle were more valuable than crops, therefore, the Tutsi population became a “local elite.” When Belgium took over land from Germany in 1917 a Tutsi group had been ruling the monarchy for some time. A German and Belgium rule further increased the divide between groups. They supported Tutsi monarchy and requiring all local chiefs to be Tutsis. They turned into rulers over the Hutu population. With anger and a majority, the Hutus won the election in 1961. (Rwandan Genocide Anniversary)
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The Rwandan genocide was when the majority of the Hutu population tried to kill the minority of the Tutsi population. On April 6, 1994, a Hutu, Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane was shot down above Kigali airport by an unknown missile. Paul Kagame was blamed for his death as he was the leader of a Tutsi rebel group where many were thought to have carried out the attack. The Hutus used Habyarimana's death as an excuse to begin a 100-day slaughter beginning on April 7th. The killing had been planned for quite some time and was able to finally be put into place with “reasoning.” (United to End Genocide). “It wasn't just wartime violence; it was a directed, pre-meditated attempt to eliminate an entire people.”(Rwandan genocide …show more content…
Stage 1 of this genocide was classification/ identification of the Tutsi population. They were identified by being tall, speaking Bantu and looking more like Europeans. The next stage was symbolization, each person had to carry an identity card with there name, age, and ethnicity. The Tutsi population was easily identified by being taller and having lighter skin than the Hutu population. The third stage was dehumanization. The Tutsi population was referred to as snakes, trees, or cockroaches. Given to make them feel useless and no need for life. Radio stations were created to show hate towards the cockroaches. They were also denied higher education and government positions. Stage four was organization. Radio stations showed Tutsi's whereabouts and how they planned to eliminate their population. The next stage was polarization, Tutsis were seen as invisible due to radio stations, tv, and reporters. Hospitals, schools, and stadiums were targeted for the killings. All Tutsis were targeted no matter age or gender. Stage 6 was preparation, soldiers, officials, and politicians were bribed to kill Tutsis. Radio stations once again were a big help as they showed where Tutsis were and why they should be eliminated. The next step was extermination. The way they were killed was brutal. Often killed by grenades, bats, and machetes. They were given a less

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