With the darker sides of humanity exposed, where would you place yourself? The Rwandan genocide was a mass murder that began on April 6, 1994 and lasted approximately 100 days (History.com Staff). The death toll reached 800,000, mostly Tutsis (Fisanick 40). The struggles for government control had changed many times, but the Hutu took power when the genocide began (Fisanick 40). The Holocaust was the persecution and massacre of European Jewry, led primarily by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party during World War II, which lasted from January 30, 1933 to May 8, 1945 ("Introduction"). The Rwandan genocide and the Holocaust are parallel in their roots of religious affiliations as well as in the insignificant international assistance offered during the massacres. However, detention before killing and the actual method of killing significantly separate the two. The similarity of these genocides can be seen in their derivations and in the widespread negligence around the world in response to both situations. The origins of both sickening massacres revolved around religion. It is believed that the favoritism of the Tutsis over the Hutus was the initial point that led to the genocide as the missionaries of the Catholic Church only benefited the Tutsis by providing them with education (Fisanick 40). White Father Leon Classe, a missionary, suggested this as he believed that preferential treatment based on social hierarchy was the only way to a successful mission (Fisanick 43). This acquired knowledge served as an opportunity to assume ultimate authority over the Hutu (Fisanick 40). Ironically, towards the end of the genocide, the Catholic bishops expressed in a letter that to rebuild Rwanda, the elimination of racial barriers was vital (Fisanick 45). It was almost a s......middle of paper......stine joke. “The Tutsi favoritism of the Catholic Church contributed to the genocide.” The Rwandan genocide. San Diego: Greenshaven, 2004. 40-46. Print.History.com Staff. "The Rwandan Genocide". History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. April 15, 2014. “Place of History: Genocide in the 20th Century, The.” The place of history. Network. April 15, 2014. "Introduction to the Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Remembrance Council, June 10, 2013. Web. April 15, 2014. “The Path to Nazi Genocide, the.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Remembrance Council. Network. April 15. 2014. .