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tanzania:
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Prior to 1964, the United Republic of Tanzania did not exist. Two separate countries came together: Tanganyika on the
mainland, and the island of Zanzibar off the coast. The newly formed country was poor from the beginning, and as the 1960s progressed,
leader Julius Nyerere (one time president of Tanganyika) introduced socialism by nationalizing corporations and banks to better the
economy.
In 1979, after an invasion by the Ugandan army, Nyerere fought off the offensive, sent his own troops into
Uganda and removed brutal dictator Idi Amin from power.
The communist regime came to an end in 1992, well after Nyerere's retirement from the presidency, and Tanzania adopted multiple
political parties. However, this did not come without growing pains: elections were still won by the former ruling party, the CCM
(Revolutionary Party), and opposing parties contested the results. Even in 2000, the troubles continued, this time between mainland
Tanzania and the island of Zanzibar. However, new voting policies were introduced to put an end to the protests, and the two lands
remain united.
In the 1990s Tanzania saw an influx of new residents: refugees fleeing political violence in Burundi
and ethnic cleansing in Rwanda. The flood of refugees from Burundi continued well into 2004, due
to the civil war still taking place in that country after more than ten years of fighting.
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