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Show 46 The growing agrarian cnsis, heightened by the outbreak of famine in 1973174, and the government's attempt to hide it rather than cope with it, helped release pent up social and political forces that exposed the increasingly eroded social base of the government. Further, the economic pressure generated by the increased oil price also intensified the already heightened social and political contradictions. These forces led to the mass movement of February 1974, which eventually culminated in the seizure of power by the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), otherwise known as the Derg. (Eshetu and Manayzewal1992, p. 4) 2.3 On Ethiopia Under Mengistu Hailemariam: 1974-1991 September 12, 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Kings, Elect of God, popular After upnsmg. noncommissioned the Provisional military officers Military demise of Haile policemen Selassie," observed Keller, constitutional absolutism" (Keller 1988, profound changes monarchy, p.1).24 that altered the military government, while previous government, sought to myths and emperor, Administrative Council modernizing The the deposing was swept retaining build and ethos. It labored to build a a known "came the end of out of power by a and built on the as "With the Derg. molding Ethiopia refined principles Ethiopia of into a royal underwent economic and social fabrics of the country. the policy of centralizing society based entirely highly Conquering seized power and called themselves For the next seventeen years, political, the commissioned young (PMAC), empire an Ethiopia, on a the state from the different set of values, centralized system based on the principles of socialism. 24Moreover, Tibebu argues that "The most of the South to public visibility. important outcome of the Ethiopian revolution was the rise of Ethiopia was no more the land of Solomonic rulers with divine mandate to rule. To make the revolution even more deadly, it was personified by that phenotypical refuse of the old order Mengistu Haile Mariam. He 'looked like a 'barya. Nay more, he came right after Haile Selassie that mesmerizing, charismatic, frail, 'Arabic-looking,' petit Solomonic giant!" (Tibebu 1995, pp. the people J - - 168-9) |
