European Intervention and the Rwandan Genocide - 2151 Words

Genocide is the destruction of a cultural, racial or political group through the use of â€Å"..one-sided mass killings..(Hintjens 267).† The April of 1994, â€Å"Rwandan subjects and citizens were the main actors in the genocide (Hintjens 244).† The establishment of colonial rule by the Europeans impacted the conflict in Rwanda due to the creation of ethnic boundaries between the Tutsis and the Hutus. Hierarchies were established based upon European racial theories. Throughout the colonization and independence of Rwanda, the tension generated by European intervention only magnified thus leading to quotas and ineffective regulations. Aside from the assassination of the Rwandan President Habyarimana, propaganda through†¦show more content†¦Hutus were perceived as short, stocky thus they had more African-based features compared to the Tutsis. Anthropologists later discovered that there were no morphological differences between the Hutus and Tutsis (Berry 32). Throughout colonization, Rwanda was heavily influenced by the ideologies and philosophies of early Europeans, which fabricated precolonial African culture. Many rules implemented into Rwandan society that further enhanced an ethnic divide between the Tutsis and Hutus. In 1933, identity cards were introduced to classify and distinguish the Hutus from the Tutsis (Hintjens 253). The Belgians replaced original Hutu chiefs with Tutsi rulers and specifically designed privileges for Tutsis and white rulers. The best employment jobs were only granted to Tutsis in colonial administration and the army (White 474). Tutsi chiefs were also forced to raise taxes among the Hutu population, which later backlashed as for these chiefs were the first to be attacked during the genocide. The preference of the Tutsis over the Hutus a prevalent notion that Tutsi were â€Å"...synonymous with privileges of wealth and power (White 474).† The Tutsis gained further support from Belgian missionaries. I n 1900, missionaries divided the Hutus and Tutsis toShow MoreRelatedSpeech On The Hitler Youth913 Words   |  4 Pagesas the older ex-members. Perhaps the Hitler Youth members played the roles of enforcers of the killing program and pressured others into doing the same. A further demonstration of latent prejudice in twentieth century societies contributing to genocide is the lack of large-scale support for the Jews from outsiders. According to Shlomo Aronson, the Allied Powers had influence in the Holocaust and could have taken steps to lessen the plight of the Jews, but instead turned a blind eye (Aronson, ppRead More Hotel Rwanda Essay607 Words   |  3 Pages to fit in with the Europeans and think that the Europeans will treat them as if he was a real European. And when times of crisis come along, he finds out that the Europeans have always looked down at them. After that, he understands that what he’s been doing was not himself and he changes. 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There is a stereotype of appearance attributed to these two main communities, with Tutsi being seen as tall and having an aquiline shaped nose, and the Hutu as being short and flat-nosed (Clapham, 1998). In the pre-colonial state of Rwanda, it was the TutsisRead MoreU.s. Foreign Policy : The Game Of Plausible Deniability1625 Words   |  7 Pages and the middle East, so when the bloodshed began in Rwanda, the U.S. was not eager to extend it resources to another battle. John Shattuck, Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights stated, â€Å"Bosnia was in one of its real crisis modes. The Europeans didn’t want to authorize American air strikes for fear that it would endanger troops, and US was not about to authorize any troops for Bosnia. So it was a terrible stalemate there. 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According to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) Article II the definition of genocide is â€Å"any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group