Effects of the Rwanda revolution 1959

The Tutsi aristocracy came to an end. The age long privileged and arrogant monarchy of the Tutsi ended in December 1959 when Mwami Kigeri fled the country. It was replaced by a republican form of government.
 
Constitutional rule was ushered in Rwanda. In October 1960, Belgians organised elections which led to the formation of a provisional government under Juvenal Habyarimana as President and Gregory Kaibanda as Prime Minister. In September 1961, the UN carried out a referendum by which Rwandese adopted a republican government with a republican constitution.
 
Rwanda obtained her independence . The Tutsi felt threatened by the 1960 provisional government and appealed to the UN for fresh elections. The Hutu formed a Perme Hutu Party which won a land slide victory in the pre-independence elections.
 
It led to refugee problems in the great lakes region. For fear of being victimized, a number of Tutsi fled to neighbouring countries like Uganda, Burundi. Congo, Tanzania.
 
It led to Tutsi nationalism in exile. In a bid to recapture power from the Hutus, the Tutsi refugees in Burundi formed a guerrilla movement called the Cockroach which invaded Rwanda in December 1963.
 
It ushered in the politics of genocide in Rwanda. Anybody who thought that sense had returned to Rwanda was mistaken. The Hutu government became equally oppressive and discriminative towards the Tutsi .
 
It led to the rise of the army in Rwanda's politics. Gregory Kaibanda failed to form a government of National Unity and this led to tension between him and the army chief of staff- Major General Habyarimana. This resulted into the overthrow of Kaibanda by Habyarimana in the 1973 coup de tat. Habyarimana banned the Perme Hutu Party. Since then, soldiers have dominated Rwanda's politics.

Gen. Habyarimana
 
It triggered off tribal tension in Burundi. Events in Rwanda influenced the Tutsi soldiers in Burundi to massacre a number of Hutu in 1972. This in turn made the Hutu government in Rwanda to kill the Tutsi. Hence instability in the great lakes region.
 
It entrenched neo-colonialism in Rwanda. Belgium and France continued giving economic and military aid to the Hutu government and thereby interfering into Rwanda's politics e.g France trained the presidential guard (interahamwe) to protect the Hutu government against the Tutsi. As for Britain and U.S.A., they started training the Tutsi for a counter revolution e.g they trained Paul Kagame and equipped him with arms.
 
The Tutsi lost dignity in exile- They were exposed to all sorts of abuses in countries where they sought asylum.
Tutsi refugees contributed to agricultural changes within the great lakes region, For example, they increased the population of cattle in Western Uganda and became a source of cheap labour in Ankole, Buganda, Kigezi and Congo.
 
It spoilt the relationship between Uganda and Rwanda. This was because Uganda provided military science to the Tutsi refugees.
 
Social democracy was witnessed in Rwanda. Though the Hutu were in power, they tried to forge some unity with the Tutsi.
 
It led to cultural fusion between the Tutsi and the peoples of Uganda, Tanzania and Zaire among whom they settled.
 
Dictatorial rule gradually set in Rwanda. This was witnessed when Major General. Habyarimana banned the Perme Hutu Party, censured the press and stood as a sole candidate in the 1983 and 1988 elections.
 
Destruction and looting of Tutsi property.
 
It prompted the national reconciliation conference at Ostend in Belgium in January 1961.
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National Movements and New States in Africa