Colonialism
In 1887, Germany colonized both Rwanda and Burundi as one colony named Ruanda-Urundi. They had very little influence on society and the differences within culture besides the colonization of both as one. However, when Belgium gained control of this area in 1916, to retaliate against Germany during the European war. After this, big changes were seen with the importance of each ethnic group. The power was essentially given only to the Tutsi, “The Belgians believed that the Tutsi ethnic group was racially superior to the Hutu ethnic group because the Tutsis had more ‘European’ features.” Not only did this lead to instability for the entire colony, but it also created tension between the Hutu and the Tutsi.
King Leopold of Belgium played a huge role in the colonization of the DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda. He was a ruthless leader, and would cut off people’s limbs if they did not do as they were asked. He came up with a plan to increase his personal wealth along with Belgium’s. He forced the citizens of Ruanda-Urundi to pay extremely high taxes, and grow cash crops such as coffee. He exploited the land trade at the Congo River Basin. This helped Belgium's economy but had detrimental impacts on Burundi's because the people were working and not receiving any of the financial benefits.They were given very little education and were deprived of their basic human rights. |
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