The Failure of United Nations Peacekeeping free essay sample

The Republic of Rwanda is a country located in East-Central Africa. It is surrounded by the countries Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital city is Kigali. 1. 1 Pre-Colonial Rwanda In the fifteenth century, one chiefdom managed to integrate several of its neighbors, hereby establishing the Kingdom of Rwanda. This kingdom ruled over most of what is now considered Rwanda. Through a contract known as ubuhake, the Hutu farmers pledged their services and those of their descendants to a Tutsi lord in return for the loan of cattle and use of pastures and arable land.Thus, the Tutsi reduced the Hutu to virtual serfdom. However, boundaries of race and class became less distinct over the years as some Tutsi declined until they enjoyed few advantages over the Hutu. Although some ethnic Hutus were among the nobility and significant intermingling took place, the Hutu made up 82–85% of the population and were mostly poor peasants. We will write a custom essay sample on The Failure of United Nations Peacekeeping or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In general, the kings, known as Mwamis, were Tutsi. Besides the Tutsis and Hutus, there are also the Twas. The Twas, or pygmy people, are often neglected to be mentioned in history. Although several thousand Twas were killed during the 1994 genocide. 1. 2 Colonial RwandaAlthough the Hutus and Tutsis had their ethnic conflict, it had never led to any real slayings between these two ethnic groups. At least not until the kingdom of Rwanda became colonized by the Germans in the 19th century. â€Å"The Germans were the first Europeans to set foot in Rwanda. † Although there was already some sort of ethnic division among the Hutus and the Tutsis, it was the Germans that brought the situation to escalation. The Tutsis considered themselves superior to the Hutus and the Twas. When the Germans came they did not try and change this way of thinking in Rwanda. Instead, the Germans encouraged train of thought.Actually, the Germans went a step further by classifying these people. Tutsis were those that had a â€Å"European nose† and were light-skinned. Because of their outward appearance, the Germans regarded the Tutsis as being the superior race in Rwanda. They (the Germans) made sure that the Tutsis were the ruling race and the Hutus the inferiors. After World War I, control of Rwanda passed to Belgium. Rwanda was then known as Ruanda-Urundi. Though there was a new nation to govern Rwanda, the Belgians continued with the ethnic division. During this period, citizens of Rwanda were given racial identification cards.These cards indicated whether one was Hutu, Twa or Tutsi. Later on this slightly changed due to the fact that there were many wealthy Hutus. The citizens still given racial identification cards but now if a citizen owned 10 or more cows he/she was then considered Tutsi. 1. 3 The Years Following Colonialism In 1962, Rwanda was granted independence by Belgium and from this point on the racial hatred grew. Unlike all the previous years, the Hutus took control in Rwanda. The first Rwandan president, Gregoire Kayibanda, was a Hutu and was president from 1962 until 1973, when he was relieved of his presidency by Juvenal Habyarimana, also a Hutu.Under the presidency of Juvenal Habyarimana, Rwanda did enjoy a few years of economic prosperity. This, however, did not last all too long. Many Tutsis had fled Rwanda to Burundi when the Hutus came to power, because they feared that they would be treated badly due to the history shared by these two ethnic groups. While in Burundi, the Tutsis were able to seize military control over the country. This led to random violence within the country. It is estimated that in Burundi, more that 20,000 Hutus were slaughtered by the Tutsi army. Although there were many uprisings by the Hutus, the Tutsi army in Burundi was much too powerful.Around 1986, Tutsi military leader by the name of Paul Kigame and Fred Rwigema formed the Rwandan Patriot Front, better known as the RPF. The RPF began creating an army in order to invade Rwanda from Uganda. In 1990, the RPF invaded Rwanda from Uganda which eventually led to the establishment of the anti-Tutsi propaganda by the Hutus. The fighting continued for 3 years, until in 1993 the Arusha Declaration was signed by both sides. The Declaration was supposed to be a beginning for a cease-fire. However, neither side abided by the declaration and the fighting continued.

Flores Surname Meaning and Origin - About Genealogy

Flores Surname Meaning and Origin - About Genealogy The surname Flores has existed in Spain since the 12th century, but a common origin has not been found. It is believed to most likely derive from the given name Floro, meaning flower from the Latin flos. Flores is the 55th most popular surname in the United States and the 15th most common Hispanic surname. Surname Origin:  Spanish Alternate Surname Spellings:  FLOREZ, FROYLEZ, FROLAZ, FLORIZ, FLORAZ, FLOR, FLORAN, FLORIAN, FLORIO, FLORIS, FLORI Famous People With the Surname FLORES Pedro Flores - inventor of the yo-yoFrancisco  Flores  Perez - former president of El SalvadorJuan Josà © Flores  - first president of EquadorMarco Antonio Flores  - Guatemalan writer and poetJosà © Asuncià ³n Flores  - Paraguayan composerSalvador Flores -  Alamo defender; recruiter of volunteers in support of the Texas Revolution Where Do People With the FLORES Surname Live? The surname distribution data at  Forebears  ranks Flores as the 167th  most common surname in the world, identifying it as most prevalent in Mexico and with the highest density in Honduras. The Flores surname is actually the most common surname in the nation of Bolivia, and also ranks among the top ten last names in Peru (2nd), El Salvador (4th), Honduras (5th), and Guam (10th) and Mexico (10th). It is also common within Guatemala, Chile, Venezuela, Belize and Argentina.  Within Europe, Flores is most frequently found in Spain, according to  WorldNames PublicProfiler, especially the western provinces of  Badajoz and  Cceres. The Flores surname is also found throughout the United States, where it is most common in the states of California and New Mexico. Genealogy Resources for the Surname FLORES 100 Most Common Spanish SurnamesHave you ever wondered about your Spanish last name  Ã‚  and how it came to be? This article describes common Spanish naming patterns, and explores the meaning and origins of 100 common Spanish surnames. How to Research Hispanic HeritageLearn how to get started researching  your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean and other Spanish speaking countries. Flores Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Flores family crest or coat of arms for the Flores surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   Flores Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Flores surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Flores query. FamilySearch - FLORES GenealogyAccess over 6.3 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Flores surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. FLORES Surname Family Mailing ListsThis free mailing list for researchers of the Flores surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - FLORES Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name FLORES. The Flores Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Flores from the website of Genealogy Today. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.