20th century – 20th century
Ethiopia
The Ethiopian Revolution of 1974 ended Haile Selassie’s imperial rule and brought the Derg to power. It emerged from prolonged opposition over failed reform, inflation, corruption, famine relief, military grievances, and demands for land reform and civil freedoms. In September 1974, the Derg arrested the emperor, assumed governmental authority, and established the foundations of a military-led socialist transformation.
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The Story
Opposition to Haile Selassie intensified during the final fourteen years of his reign. Attempts to restore loyalty after the 1960 coup included land grants to police and military officials, but these measures did not produce substantial economic or social change. Student demonstrations in 1965 demanded land reform and an end to corruption and rising prices, while powerful landowners resisted proposals for a modern tax system and the registration of all land.
By the early 1970s, inflation, corruption, and a severe famine affecting several provinces deepened public unrest. Soldiers faced inadequate housing, food, supplies, and pay, while many believed that the government had responded weakly and slowly to famine relief. Teachers’ low salaries, higher fuel prices, the demand for land reform, and the middle class’s frustration with limited civil freedoms broadened opposition to the imperial system.
In January 1974, an army mutiny and riots in the capital revealed the weakening of the emperor’s authority. In June, approximately 120 military men formed the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army. The committee elected Major Mengistu Haile Mariam as chairman and became known as the Derg, an Amharic term meaning committee or council.
Although the Derg initially claimed allegiance to Haile Selassie, it arrested members of the aristocracy, military, and government who continued to support him. It compelled the emperor to release political prisoners, permit exiles to return, and accept the drafting of a new constitution. By late August, Selassie had lost almost all effective power and faced accusations of concealing the famines of the early 1970s. In September, the Derg arrested him, renamed itself the Provisional Military Administrative Council, and proclaimed itself Ethiopia’s ruling body.
20th century – 20th century
Ethiopia
The Ethiopian Revolution of 1974 ended Haile Selassie’s imperial rule and brought the Derg to power. It emerged from prolonged opposition over failed reform, inflation, corruption, famine relief, military grievances, and demands for land reform and civil freedoms. In September 1974, the Derg arrested the emperor, assumed governmental authority, and established the foundations of a military-led socialist transformation.
Continue exploring
The Story
Opposition to Haile Selassie intensified during the final fourteen years of his reign. Attempts to restore loyalty after the 1960 coup included land grants to police and military officials, but these measures did not produce substantial economic or social change. Student demonstrations in 1965 demanded land reform and an end to corruption and rising prices, while powerful landowners resisted proposals for a modern tax system and the registration of all land.
By the early 1970s, inflation, corruption, and a severe famine affecting several provinces deepened public unrest. Soldiers faced inadequate housing, food, supplies, and pay, while many believed that the government had responded weakly and slowly to famine relief. Teachers’ low salaries, higher fuel prices, the demand for land reform, and the middle class’s frustration with limited civil freedoms broadened opposition to the imperial system.
In January 1974, an army mutiny and riots in the capital revealed the weakening of the emperor’s authority. In June, approximately 120 military men formed the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army. The committee elected Major Mengistu Haile Mariam as chairman and became known as the Derg, an Amharic term meaning committee or council.
Although the Derg initially claimed allegiance to Haile Selassie, it arrested members of the aristocracy, military, and government who continued to support him. It compelled the emperor to release political prisoners, permit exiles to return, and accept the drafting of a new constitution. By late August, Selassie had lost almost all effective power and faced accusations of concealing the famines of the early 1970s. In September, the Derg arrested him, renamed itself the Provisional Military Administrative Council, and proclaimed itself Ethiopia’s ruling body.