Modernization under Haile Selassie I

Last updated

Many changes were made during the reign of Haile Selassie I toward the modernization of Ethiopia upon his accession as Emperor (King of Kings) on November 2, 1930, as well as before, beginning from the time he effectively controlled Ethiopia in 1916 as Regent Plenipotentiary, Ras Tafari.

Ethiopia country in East Africa

Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country in the northeastern part of Africa, popularly known as the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, and Somalia to the east, Sudan to the northwest, South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With over 102 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent that covers a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000 sq mi). Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa, which lies a few miles west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate.

The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers". In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent a government as a prerogative. As an adjective, plenipotentiary refers to something—an edict, assignment, etc.—that confers "full powers".

Contents

First modernization

Many of the details of the modernizations made before the fascist invasion during the Second Italo–Ethiopian War are written in Haile Selassie I's autobiography, My Life and Ethiopia's Progress Vol. I (written 1938), particularly in Chapter 12, "About the improvement, by ordinance and proclamation, of internal administration, and about the efforts to allow foreign civilization to enter Ethiopia". Among the efforts of his program as he listed them in the chapter: [1]

My Life and Ethiopia's Progress is the autobiography of Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I, written over the course of his life, and published in two volumes in 1973-4.

Electrical grid Interconnected network for delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers

An electrical grid, or electric grid, is an interconnected network for delivering electricity from producers to consumers. It consists of

Ethiopia Scout Association

The Ethiopia Scout Association is the national Scouting association of Ethiopia. The Scout movement was first introduced in Ethiopia around 1919, and had opened a school in Addis Ababa by 1934. However, the association was forced to end its activities due to the Second Italo-Abyssinian War of 1935-1936. Scouting was revived in Ethiopia in 1948, when Scout activities gained a foothold in the schools of Ethiopia. Ethiopia was recognized as a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1969.

The Fetha Nagast is a legal code compiled around 1240 by the Coptic Egyptian Christian writer, 'Abul Fada'il Ibn al-'Assal, in Arabic that was later translated into Ge'ez in Ethiopia and expanded upon with numerous local laws. 'Ibn al-Assal took his laws partly from apostolic writings, and partly from former law codes of the Byzantine rulers.

Modernization was temporarily interrupted in 1935 following the invasion of Ethiopia by fascist Italy, eventually culminating in the Second World War. As the Emperor himself noted in his Introduction to Volume I, "We were particularly convinced, by the policies directed against Us, that the enemy's heart was stricken with envy at Our setting up a constitution to strengthen and to consolidate Ethiopia's unity, at Our opening schools for boys and girls, at Our building hospitals in which Our people's health was to be safeguarded, as well as at all sorts of other initiatives of Ours by which Ethiopia's independence would be affirmed, not only in terms of history but in actual fact."

Abolition of slavery

Slavery as practiced in what is modern Ethiopia and Eritrea was essentially domestic. Slaves thus served in the houses of their masters or mistresses.and were not employed to any significant extent for productive purpose. Among the Amhara and Tigray slaves were normally regarded as second-class members of their owners' family. [2] and were fed, clothed and protected. They generally roamed around freely and conducted business as free people. They had complete freedom of religion and culture. [3] The first attempt to abolish slavery in Ethiopia was made by Emperor Tewodros II (r. 1855–1868), [4] but the slave trade was not abolished completely until 1923 with Ethiopia's accession to the League of Nations. [5] The Anti-Slavery Society estimated there were 2 million slaves in the early 1930s out of an estimated population of between 8 and 16 million. [6]

Eritrea country in the Horn of Africa

EritreaState of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa, with its capital at Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast. The northeastern and eastern parts of Eritrea have an extensive coastline along the Red Sea. The nation has a total area of approximately 117,600 km2 (45,406 sq mi), and includes the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands. Its toponym Eritrea is based on the Greek name for the Red Sea, which was first adopted for Italian Eritrea in 1890.

Tewodros II Emperor of Ethiopia

Tewodros II was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868. He was born Kassa Hailegiorgis. His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia, ending the decentralized Zemene Mesafint.

League of Nations 20th-century intergovernmental organisation, predecessor to the United Nations

The League of Nations, abbreviated as LN or LoN, was an intergovernmental organisation founded on 10 January 1920 as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. Its primary goals, as stated in its Covenant, included preventing wars through collective security and disarmament and settling international disputes through negotiation and arbitration. Other issues in this and related treaties included labour conditions, just treatment of native inhabitants, human and drug trafficking, the arms trade, global health, prisoners of war, and protection of minorities in Europe. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members.

He described in the whole of Chapter 14 his efforts to eradicate slavery, which he noted was a persistent custom in Ethiopia arising from intertribal wars, where the captured slaves could hardly be distinguished in appearance from their owners and sometimes even married them. The slave trade had already been banned unsuccessfully by his predecessors Tewodros II, Yohannes IV and Menelik II. Beginning in 1924, Haile Selassie I began doing everything possible to liberate all remaining slaves in Ethiopia, enrolling many of them in education programs.

Yohannes IV Emperor of Ethiopia

Yohannes IV, born Lij Kahśa Mercha and contemporaneously also known in English as Johannes or John IV, was ruler of Tigray 1867–71, and Emperor of Ethiopia 1872–89. He is remembered as one of the leading architects of the modern state of Ethiopia.

Menelik II Emperor of Ethiopia and King of Shewa

Menelik II GGCB, GCMG was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death in 1913 and Negus (King) of Shewa (1866–89). At the height of his internal power and external prestige, the process of territorial expansion and creation of the modern empire-state was completed by 1898, which expanded the Ethiopian Empire to the extent of the historic Aksumite Empire. Menelik was also remembered for leading Ethiopian troops against the Kingdom of Italy in the First Italo-Ethiopian War, where Menelik scored a decisive victory at the Battle of Adwa.

Despite all this, Haile Selassie asserted that Benito Mussolini's propaganda agents (Haile Selassie singled out the Italian consul at Harar in particular) were constantly broadcasting to the world many false reports that slavery was still being promoted in Ethiopia, in an attempt to influence world opinion against Ethiopia, have Ethiopia indicted in the League of Nations, and create a casus belli for the invasion, genocide, and attempted recolonization of Ethiopia with Italians. [1]

"Again, when in 1923 (= 1931) a delegation, sent by the British Anti-Slavery Society, came to Addis Ababa, We informed them orally and in writing, after a great deal of discussion, that We shall see to it that within fifteen or, at most, twenty years from now all slaves would go free and that slavery would be totally eliminated from Ethiopia. But in any country a few offenders must always be expected, and if some men are found transgressing the proclamation that has been promulgated, all the foreign envoys know that We have punished them even with the death penalty. Therefore, Our conscience does not rebuke Us, for We have done unceasingly everything possible as regards the liberation of the slaves." [1]

The institution of slavery was again abolished by order of the Italian occupying forces. [7] On 26 August 1942, during the Second Modernization, Haile Selassie issued a proclamation completely outlawing all slavery. [8]

Second modernization

Following the Second World War, Haile Selassie opened Ethiopia's first university. The University College of Addis Ababa was founded in 1950. In 1962, it was renamed Haile Selassie I University but is currently known as Addis Ababa University.

In 1955, the 1931 Constitution of Ethiopia was replaced with the 1955 Constitution of Ethiopia, extending the power of Parliament. Haile Selassie improved diplomatic ties with the United States, as well as Ethiopia's relationship with the rest of Africa.[ citation needed ] He initiated the Organization of African Unity in 1963.

Related Research Articles

Haile Selassie Emperor of Ethiopia

Haile Selassie I was an Ethiopian regent from 1916 to 1930 and emperor from 1930 to 1974. He is a defining figure in contemporary Ethiopian history.

Menen Asfaw Ethiopian Empress Consort

Empress Menen Asfaw was the Empress consort of the Ethiopian Empire. She was the wife of Emperor Haile Selassie.

Amha Selassie last reigning Emperor of Ethiopia

Amha Selassie was Emperor-in-exile of Ethiopia. As son of Haile Selassie I, he was considered as Crown Prince and proclaimed Emperor three times. He was first proclaimed Emperor during an unsuccessful coup attempt against his father in December 1960. He was again proclaimed on the deposition of his father by the Derg on 12 September 1974 - an act he never accepted as legitimate - which ended in the abolition of the Ethiopian monarchy in March 1975. He was again proclaimed in exile on 8 April 1989. This time he sanctioned the proclamation and accepted its legitimacy. After his accession, his full reign name was His Imperial Majesty Emperor Amha Selassie I, Elect of God, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah and King of Kings of Ethiopia.

Haile Melekot Negus of Shewa

Haile Malakot was Negus of Shewa, a historical region of Ethiopia, from 12 October 1847 until his death. He was the older son of Negus Sahle Selassie and his wife Woizero Bezabish Wolde. Haile Melekot was half-brother to Darge Sahle Selassie.

Heruy Wolde Selassie Ethiopian politician

Blattengeta Heruy Welde Sellase was a Foreign Minister of Ethiopia and a writer in Amharic. Bahru Zewde observes that his career "stands out as the great success story ... of the early twentieth-century intellectuals," then continues, "His prolific literary record, his influence with Tafari-Hayla-Sellase and his ascent in the bureaucratic hierarchy were all characterized by an unchequered progression. Edward Ullendorff concurs in this evaluation, describing his oeuvre as "a considerable and distinguished literary output."

Kebur Zabagna Imperial bodyguards of Ethiopia

Kebur Zabagna or Zebenya was the Ethiopian Imperial Guard. Also known as the First Division, this unit served the dual purposes of providing security for the Emperor of Ethiopia, and being an elite infantry division. It was not, however, part of the organizational structure of the Ethiopian regular army as it was part of the Zebagna, the Addis Ababa Guard. The Kebur Zabagna was based at Addis Ababa.

Dr. Thomas Alexander Lambie was a missionary medical doctor noteworthy for becoming an Ethiopian citizen, being responsible for several early medical efforts in Ethiopia. He also worked as a medical doctor in Sudan, Nigeria and Palestine, where he died.

Holy Trinity Cathedral (Addis Ababa) cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Holy Trinity Cathedral, known in Amharic as Kidist Selassie, is the highest ranking Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia's liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.

Balcha Safo Ethiopian general

DejazmachBalcha Safo, popularly referred to by his "horse-name" Balcha Aba Nefso, was an accomplished Ethiopian military commander and lord protector of the crown, who served in both the First and Second Italo-Ethiopian Wars.

March of the Iron Will

The March of the Iron Will, or the Iron-Will Column, was a Fascist propaganda event staged during the final days of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. The goal of the march was to capture the Ethiopian capital in a show of force.

Tekle Hawariat Tekle Mariyam was an Ethiopian politician and intellectual of the Japanizer school. He was the primary author of Ethiopia's July 16, 1931 constitution, which was influenced by the Japanese Meiji Constitution.

Nasibu Zeamanuel, also Nasibu Zamanuael or Nasibu Emmanual in some texts, was an army commander of the Ethiopian Empire. Along with his brother Wasane, historian Bahru Zewde groups Nasibu "among the most colourful of the first-generation intellectuals" of Twentieth-century Ethiopia. His maternal grandfather, Azaz Emmanual Wolde Malakot, whose name both brothers came to adopt, was a notable courtier of Emperor.

Ethiopian coup détat of 1928 unsuccessful coup attempt

The Ethiopian coup d'état of 1928 was an attempt by supporters of Empress Zewditu to rid her of the heir apparent and Crown Prince, Ras Tafari Makonnen. With Tafari gone, Zewditu would be the sole ruler of the Ethiopian Empire.

Gugsa Wale's rebellion of 1930 was a rebellion raised by Ras Gugsa Wale and by supporters of Empress Zewditu to rid her of the Crown Prince and heir apparent, Negus Tafari Makonnen. With Tafari gone, Zewditu would be the sole claiment to succession as the ruler of the Ethiopian Empire. As the husband of Empress Zewditu, Gugsa Wale expected to become Emperor.

Mehal Sefari was the Ethiopian title for the specialized units of the Imperial Guard during the reign of HIM Menelik II. The unit grew from Menelik's personal Guard, though oral histories link it to the elite fighting unit of Atse Tewodros II under Fitawrari Gebrye. As Gebrye's military unit was among the last that remained loyal to Tewodros when most of his army left, the assumption is not unreasonable if not conclusive. The title "Mehal Sefari" however was not used by any of Tewodros' units, nor by any other previous military unit. The title translates to "center campers" and alludes to the location the unit encamped in Menelik's expeditionary encampments. Some have also suggested that the unit was used to come between (mehal) battling armies of the nobility. There is however little in way of evidence to demonstrate this as the nobility rarely fought without permission from the Emperor.

HakimWorkneh Eshete was the first Ethiopian educated as a medical doctor, and an Ethiopian intellectual. He led the Ethiopian diplomatic mission to the United States in 1927, which negotiated a contract to build a dam on the upper Abay River; and, beginning in 1934, he served as Ethiopia's Minister to the United Kingdom.

Italian Ethiopia Colony of the Kingdom of Italy

Italian Ethiopia was a short-lived enterprise to create a colony of the Kingdom of Italy located in East Africa, on the territory of Ethiopia. It was proclaimed in 1936 following the second Italo-Ethiopian War in which the Ethiopian Empire was occupied by Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italy. It became part of Italian East Africa, with its capital moved to Addis Ababa and Victor Emmanuel III proclaiming himself Emperor of Ethiopia.

Menen Liben Amede was an empress and wife of Emperor Yohannes III of Ethiopia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 My Life and Ethiopia's Progress, Vol. I and II. translated to English by Edward Ullendorff et al. ISBN   978-0197135891.
  2. "Ethiopia – The Interregnum". Countrystudies.us.
  3. "Ethiopian Slave Trade".
  4. "Tewodros II". Infoplease.com.
  5. Kituo cha katiba >> Haile Selassie Profile
  6. "Twentieth Century Solutions of the Abolition of Slavery" (PDF).
  7. Ahmad, Abdussamad H. (1999). "Trading in Slaves in Bela-Shangul and Gumuz, Ethiopia: Border Enclaves in History, 1897-1938". The Journal of African History. 40 (3): 433–446. JSTOR   183622.
  8. "Chronology of slavery". Archived from the original on 24 October 2009.