Rwanda 1959: The Social Revolution That Upended Belgian Rule

This episode of The History of Belgium takes us to 1959 Rwanda, where a Hutu uprising against Tutsi chiefs and Belgian colonial authorities sparked what became known as the Social Revolution. Lucas and Luna explore the role of the Catholic Church, the shifting allegiances of the colonial administration, and the rise of Grégoire Kayibanda and the Parmehutu party. They discuss the 1959 violence, the abortive coup by Tutsi officer Major Logiest's protégés, and how Belgium's sudden embrace of Hutu majority rule set the stage for decades of conflict. The episode also touches on the earlier 1929–31 coup d'état against Mwami Yuhi V Musinga, the introduction of identity cards, and the complex legacy of the Twa minority. Listeners gain a nuanced understanding of how Belgium's 'divide and rule' policies in Rwanda differed from their rule in the Congo, and how the 1959 revolution reshaped the region long before the 1994 genocide. #Rwanda #1959SocialRevolution #GrégoireKayibanda #Parmehutu #BelgianColonialism #Hutu #Tutsi #Twa #MwamiYuhiV #MajorLogiest #CatholicChurch #Ruanda-Urundi #Decolonization #CentralAfrica #ColdWar #History #FexingoHistory #BelgianCongo Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo