Rwanda (1990–1998)
Practice Flashcards
What was the Rwandan genocide (1994)?
Track your progress — Sign up free to save your progress and get smart review reminders based on spaced repetition.
All Flashcards in Topic 5.1
Below are all 35 flashcards for this topic. Sign up free to track your progress and get personalized review schedules.
5.1.112 cards
What was the Rwandan genocide (1994)?
The organised mass killing of around 800,000 people, mostly Tutsi, by Hutu extremists over about 100 days in 1994.
Define genocide.
The deliberate attempt to destroy a whole national, ethnic or religious group.
Who were the Hutu and the Tutsi?
Rwanda's two main groups: the Hutu majority (about 85%) and the Tutsi minority, who were the main victims of the genocide.
How did Belgian colonial rule deepen division?
It favoured Tutsi over Hutu and issued 1930s identity cards fixing each person as Hutu or Tutsi for life.
What was the RPF, and what did it do in 1990?
The Rwandan Patriotic Front, a mainly Tutsi rebel army, invaded from Uganda on 1 October 1990, starting a civil war.
What were the Arusha Accords (1993)?
A peace deal signed in August 1993 to share power with the RPF, which Hutu extremists strongly rejected.
What was RTLM?
A Hutu-extremist radio station ('Free Radio of the Thousand Hills') that called Tutsi 'cockroaches' and urged Hutu to kill them.
Who were the Interahamwe?
The Hutu militia that was armed and trained before 1994 and carried out much of the killing.
What triggered the genocide on 6 April 1994?
President Habyarimana's plane was shot down over Kigali; extremists blamed the Tutsi and launched the prepared killings.
How did the civil war help cause the genocide?
The 1990 RPF invasion spread fear and let the government paint all Tutsi as enemies, deepening hatred.
How can you sort the causes of the genocide?
Long-term (colonial division), medium-term (civil war and economic crisis), and short-term (propaganda, planning, and the trigger).
What does the command term 'evaluate' require?
A judgement: weigh the causes against each other and reach a supported conclusion, not just a list.
5.1.212 cards
When and how did the Rwandan genocide begin?
It began on 7 April 1994, the day after President Habyarimana's plane was shot down on 6 April 1994.
Roughly how many people were killed, and over how long?
About 800,000 people, mostly Tutsi and moderate Hutu, in around 100 days between April and July 1994.
Define genocide.
The deliberate attempt to destroy a whole national, ethnic or religious group.
What was the RPF?
The Rwandan Patriotic Front, a mainly-Tutsi rebel army that invaded from Uganda in October 1990 and, led by Paul Kagame, ended the genocide in July 1994.
What were the Arusha Accords (1993)?
The 1993 peace deal between the government and the RPF to share power and end the civil war; Hutu extremists opposed it.
What was UNAMIR?
The UN peacekeeping force sent to Rwanda in 1993 under General Roméo Dallaire; it was small, weakly armed and later cut in size.
Who were the Interahamwe?
The Hutu extremist militia that carried out much of the killing during the genocide.
How did the UN respond once the killing began?
It ignored Dallaire's early warning and, after ten Belgian peacekeepers were killed, cut UNAMIR to a few hundred troops instead of reinforcing it.
What was Opération Turquoise?
A French-led, UN-approved 'safe zone' in south-west Rwanda in June 1994 that sheltered some civilians but also let some killers escape.
Who finally ended the genocide?
The RPF, led by Paul Kagame, which captured Kigali and won the war in July 1994.
Why is the international community often blamed for the scale of the genocide?
It had warning and peacekeepers on the ground, yet shrank UNAMIR, avoided the word 'genocide', and failed to intervene in time.
What does the command term 'evaluate' require?
A judgement: weigh both sides and reach a clear, supported conclusion — not just a list.
5.1.311 cards
How many people were killed in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and over what period?
About 800,000 people, mostly Tutsi and moderate Hutu, in roughly 100 days from April to July 1994.
Define genocide.
The deliberate attempt to destroy a whole national, ethnic or religious group.
What was the RPF?
The Rwandan Patriotic Front, a mainly Tutsi rebel army that invaded in 1990 and captured Kigali in July 1994.
How did the genocide end?
The RPF won the civil war and captured Kigali in July 1994; Paul Kagame became the country's leader.
What was the refugee crisis after the genocide?
Around two million Hutu fled, mainly to Goma in Zaire, where a cholera outbreak killed tens of thousands more.
What was the ICTR?
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, set up by the UN in Arusha in 1994 to try the genocide's organisers.
What were gacaca courts?
Revived village-level community courts used to try the huge backlog of ordinary genocide cases inside Rwanda.
How did the genocide help cause the First Congo War?
Refugee camps in Zaire became bases for armed Hutu groups; Rwanda backed a rebellion in 1996 that grew into a war toppling Mobutu in 1997.
Name the five main areas of impact of the genocide.
Human loss, refugee crisis, political change, the search for justice, and regional war.
What happened to Zaire's ruler Mobutu after the genocide's spillover?
He was toppled in 1997 during the First Congo War, and the country was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What does the command term 'evaluate' require?
A judgement: weigh the impacts against each other and reach a supported conclusion, not just a list.
Topic 5.1 study notes
Full notes & explanations for Rwanda (1990–1998)
History exam skills
Paper structures, command terms & tips
Want smart review reminders?
Sign up free to track your progress. Our spaced repetition algorithm will tell you exactly which cards to review and when.
Start Free