German Colony
1890-1918 		Independence
since 1962







on the left : white nurse with pygmees
on the right : Watussi (= Tutsi) warrior


Burundi as Belgian Colony



Occupied by Belgian forces since 1916, Rwanda and Burundi were allocated to Belgium as a MANDATE by the LEAGUE OF NATIONS in 1920. Administratively, they were combined to form the colony of RUANDA-URUNDI.
Just as the Germans, the Belgians left the Kingdoms in Rwanda and Burundi intact, ruling indirectly through the kings (who had Belgian advisers). The Belgians promoted Catholic mission. The elite received an education in French; Burundi was drawn into the circle of francophone countries.
Late in the 1950es, political parties began to form and Hutu representatives voiced that they demanded a share in political representation equivalent to their share of the population (i.e., ca. 85 %). INDEPENDENCE was planned for 1962; the elections of 1961 were won by UPRONA, a movement consisting of both Tutsi and Hutu politicians. Then the UPRONA leader and candidate for prime minister, Prince LOUIS RWAGASORE, was assassinated. Independence began with ethnic violence; the Belgian colonial master left behind a chaos.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Articles from Infoplease : Burundi
History of Burundi, by Vanissa James Davis
Links to Burundi from UPenn, Dept. of African Studies
Burundi : Descent into Chaos or Manageable Crisis ? from writenet, article from 1995, covers history 1850-1966.
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1946 pp. 116-117 (on events of 1945) [G]
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1950 pp. 105-106 (on events of 1949) [G]
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1950 p. 103 (on events of 1950) [G]
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1952 p. 99 (on events of 1951) [G]
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1953 pp.99-100 (on events in 1952) [G]
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1954 p.98 (on events in 1953) [G]
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1955 p.159 (on events in 1954) [G]
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1956 pp.99-100 (on events in 1955) [G]
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1957 p.158 (on events in 1956) [G]
Article Belgian Colonial Empire, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1958 p.98 (on events in 1957) [G]
Article Belgian Overseas Territories, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1959 pp.100-101 (on events in 1958) [G]
Article Ruanda-Urundi, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1961 p.609 (on events in 1960) [G]
Article Ruanda-Urundi, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1962 p.600-601 (on events in 1961) [G]
Article : Ruanda and Urundi, in : Statesman's Year Book 1943 pp.729-731 [G]
Article : Ruanda-Urundi, in : Americana Annual 1957 p.677 (on events of 1956) [G]
Article : Ruanda-Urundi, in : Americana Annual 1961 pp.647-648 (on events of 1960) [G]
Article : Ruanda-Urundi, in : Americana Annual 1962 pp.652-653 (on events of 1961) [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on August 23rd 2007

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