Dana Thierry

English 12
5-5-16

Genocide Research Paper

What is a genocide? A genocide is the purposeful killing of a large group of

people. The most targeted are usually a group that are apart of a certain
religion, ethnic group, or government classification. There are some
genocides that are known more than others. There are also some that are
known more because they are newer or more widely talked about to the

public. The Rwandan genocide started in April 1994 and ended in July of
the same year. This genocide was denied. It wasnt being called a
genocide till it was over because no one wanted to help.

Before the Rwandan genocide started there was civil wars that were
occurring. These wars took place between the Hutu and the Tutsi. The
Rwandan genocide according to BBC News, was started by the death of
Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana. The president was a hutu who
died in a plane crash in April 1994. Paul Kagame was blamed for the death
as he was the leader of a rebel group at the time.

With every genocide there are eight stages to it. These eight stages are:
classification, symbolization, dehumanization, organization, polarization,
preparation, extermination, and denial. The classification stage of Rwanda
started with the Belgians. The Belgians who had ruled for many years
came up with the system. They divided them into three groups: Hutu, Tutsi,
and Twa. According to the Great Lakes Agency for Peace and
Development International,the Hutu made up 85-90%, the Tutsi 10-15%
and the Twa 1%. The division between the Hutus and Tutsis was
symbolized by their slight physical differences. (Modern History Project
2012) The Hutu and Tutsis were also given identification cards that

separated who they are. For the third stage the Hutu had started to call the
Tutsis cockroaches. This is dehumanizing because the Tutsis were being
viewed as a bug, disgusting, and not as another human being. For the
organization stage the Hutu military had gotten weapons from France. They
then gave weapons to the Interahamwe along with other supplies.

In the fifth stage the Interahamwe used whatever form of media they could
to spread that the Hutus were better than the Tutsis and the power that
they had. They then were pretty prepared, which lead them into the
preparation stage. The Hutu and Tutsis were already separated by the
government with identification cards. They also had weapons that were
supplied to them from the French. They moved to the extermination stage
fairly quickly. When President Juvenal Habyarimana died is when the mass
killings started. They took the death as their chance to start exterminating
the Tutsis. They started with members of government then moved on to the
general public, going from home to home. When it comes to the denial
stage its sad. The United Nations (UN) denied that it was happening. The
United States didnt want to help either so they also denied it along with
many other countries.

The Rwandan genocide ended in July of 1994. The Rwandan Patriotic

Front (RPF) had slowly started to take back parts of Rwanda. According to
BBC News, on July 4, 1994, the RPF forces marched into the capital,
Kigali. This was the start of the end. The Hutus had then started to flee
Rwanda. A new government was set up and those at blame for organizing
the genocide were outlawed.

Genocides can be prevented. If people speak up to the government. If the

perpetrators receive no support from governments. It is important that this
genocide is heard: to possibly help prevent others, to raise awareness, to
show what harsh things can happen, to help people learn that this
happens.