How did the country of Belgium cause conflict between the Tutsi and Hutu people of Rwanda, Africa? Please answer in at least one paragraph.

European colonialism had a drastic impact in Rwanda with consequences lasting long after its independence in 1962. Formal colonization of Rwanda began in 1884 when Germany took control of the region. In 1919, Belgium inherited the colony as part of a League of Nations mandate, which partitioned German territories after World War I. Belgian colonizers initiated more direct control in Rwanda maintaining an existing political system, which allowed native monarchs to rule over the local populous. This policy intensified ethnic divisions and fueled conflict that lasted into 1990s.

The population of Rwanda is primarily made up of two ethnic groups, the Tutsi and the Hutu. Prior to colonization, Hutu peoples were typically farmers, while Tutsis were cattle herders. According to Jean-Marie Kamatali, Ubuhake, a social system in which the Hutus worked in the service of Tutsis in exchange for cattle, characterized relations between the two peoples. Ubahake, not unlike European feudalism, led to a class-dominated system instilling the Tutsis as a privileged minority and Hutus as the working class majority. Upon first entering the region, German colonizers rationalized subjugation of Rwanda’s large Hutu population under the flawed assumption that the Tutsi were more Caucasian and thus more fit to rule.

Allowing the existing Tutsi monarchs to exhibit control over the Hutus proved immediately effective, allowing for colonization without a large force of European troops. The Belgians further exploited the Tutsi-Hutu division, lending military and political support to Tutsi leaders who maintained the policies of their colonial rulers. According to the University of Pennsylvania’s African Studies Center, Belgium instituted political and economic reforms in the 1920s and 1930s in hopes of integrating native Rwandans into the political process. However, these policies only served to consolidate power among the Tutsi elite, who controlled much of the country’s resources and intuitions.

Following World War II, opinions regarding colonization and racial-ethnic class divisions began to shift in Europe. This shift was felt in Rwanda with increasing political activism on the part of Hutus, and a distaste for the old systems of class and colonization in favor of democracy on the part of Belgians who became increasingly sympathetic to the Hutus. Amid violent clashes, the Tutsi government was overturned. Tutsi leaders were deposed and replaced by Belgian-backed Hutus. Thousands of Tutsi civilians were forced out of Rwanda into neighboring countries such as Uganda, Zaire and Burundi. In 1962, Rwanda became an independent nation. However, deep-seeded ethnic tensions remained between newly empowered Hutus and displaced Tutsis.

On Oct. 1, 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, made up of Tutsis living in neighboring Uganda, invaded Rwanda and began a civil war that lasted until Aug. 4, 1993. The war resulted in a joint government between the Tutsi RPF and Hutu President Juvénal Habyarimana. On April 6, 1994 Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, killing everyone on board, and Rwanda erupted in violence once again. This time the upheaval resulted in the systematic genocide of nearly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus by extremists seeking to cleanse the nation of opposing political factions and prevent a re-occurrence of Hutu subjugation characteristic of the Belgian colonial period. Soldiers and militia often distinguished Tutsis by government-issued identification cards, which stated their ethnicity. The process of formally identifying Hutus and Tutsis with identification papers began under Belgian rule in the 1930s.

"the location of the epicenter" would be the correct answer

hi there,

on december 11, 2001, china officially became the 143rd member of the

world trade organization (wto) in the culmination of a negotiation

process which began in 1986. economists have long been debating the

global effects of china's accession to the wto, and as china becomes

fully integrated into the organization over the next several years,

the accuracy of their predictions will be tested.

one of the biggest residual effects of china's entry to the wto,

according to economists, will be the relocation of manufacturing and

distribution centers to china. due to its cheap labor, cheap

industrial land, and educated workforce, china is an ideal production

centre for businesses based in outside countries. this will likely

result in a twofold impact – more jobs will be available in china,

while countries like india, which have historically offered cheap

labor, will suffer. taiwan and malaysia's technology industries are

already suffering as companies like dell computers move production to

china, and while foreign investment soars in china, other asian

countries suffer. in addition, mexico and the caribbean will lose

thousands of garment manufacturing jobs as the u.s. lifts restraints

on chinese textile imports.

while the impact on southeast asia may be negative, the western world

may benefit. while some suggest china's open borders will result in

increased competition and a decreased employment rate for the western

world, western countries will benefit from access to china's highly

developed electronics and industry sectors. with duties and quotas

slashed, and restrictions lifted, multinationals will benefit by

setting up distribution centers without the need for chinese

middlemen. in addition, it's expected that china will import massive

amounts of food products, machinery and vehicles from the u.s., japan,

hong kong, taiwan, singapore and south korea, thus providing

significant boosts to these countries' economies.

in conclusion, it seems that while western countries may benefit from

china's accession to the wto, there's the potential that asian and

south american countries may feel the pinch of free trade as china

moves to a global economy.