1. Rwanda & Imperialism

2. -Imperialism: empire-building; the policy of extending the rule and/or influence of a country over other countries or colonies Reasons for Imperialism 1. Cheap natural resources 2. A place to sell finished goods 3. Conversion of native to Christianity 4. Expand a nation’s power What is Imperialism?

3. Carving up Africa

4. Rwanda—A Brief History -During the 1400s—the Tutsis (hailing from Ethiopia) invaded present-day Rwanda and Burundi -They conquered the Hutus -The Hutus agreed to raise crops for the Tutsis in exchange for protection -The two groups lived peacefully -They spoke the same language, intermarried and obeyed the same godlike king

5. European Imperialists 1850: Catholic missionaries move into untouched African land 1890: This and other areas become part of German East Africa 1916: Belgium gained control of large tracts of German land in Africa (including present-day Rwanda) 1919: League of Nations gives Belgium authority in Rwanda. Why?

6. Mistakes -Both German and Belgium authorities turned the Hutu-Tutsi relationship into a class system Class system = Caste System -Europeans historically gave the Tutsis (15%) favor over the Hutus (85%) in matters of education, housing, jobs, etc. -In 1926 Belgium authorities issued identity cards differentiating the two tribes

7. Resentment Soon Follows 1959: Hutus rebel, 150,000 Tutsis flee country 1962: Rwanda gains independence from Belgium 1963 & 1967: Massacre of thousands of Tutsis, many flee 1973: Removal of Tutsis from Universities Sept. 1993-March 1994: President Habyarimana delays but moves closer to signing peace accords April 6 th, 1994: Habyarimana is assassinated

8. The Killing Begins -On April 7 th, the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) set up roadblocks and go from house to house killing Tutsis and Hutu moderates -Thousands die on the first night -On April 30 th, 250,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates are killed (mainly Hutus fleeing the FAR’s advance)

9. No one to stop the massacre… -United Nations does nothing as their instructions are to “monitor” -10 Belgium U.N. soldiers killed; Belgium troops pull out of Rwanda -U.N. votes to cut U.N. troops from 2,500 to 270 -U.N. refuses to send help because of cost ($$$) -U.S. failures in Somalia caused Clinton to be standoffish to the Rwandan situation -Over 800,000 Rwandans die

10. Putting it into Perspective -Population of Medford—4,500 -Over 800,000 Rwandans dead 800,000/4,500 = ???? ~178—That’s every person in Medford killed 178 times… Think about the effect of Imperialism