Haile-Selassie's Government


Book Description







King of Kings


Book Description

Haile Selassie I, the last emperor of Ethiopia, was as brilliant as he was formidable. An early proponent of African unity and independence who claimed to be a descendant of King Solomon, he fought with the Allies against the Axis powers during World War II and was a messianic figure for the Jamaican Rastafarians. But the final years of his empire saw turmoil and revolution, and he was ultimately overthrown and assassinated in a communist coup. Written by Asfa-Wossen Asserate, Haile Selassie’s grandnephew, this is the first major biography of this final “king of kings.” Asserate, who spent his childhood and adolescence in Ethiopia before fleeing the revolution of 1974, knew Selassie personally and gained intimate insights into life at the imperial court. Introducing him as a reformer and an autocrat whose personal history—with all of its upheavals, promises, and horrors—reflects in many ways the history of the twentieth century itself, Asserate uses his own experiences and painstaking research in family and public archives to achieve a colorful and even-handed portrait of the emperor.




Emperor Haile Selassie


Book Description

Emperor Haile Selassie was an iconic figure of the twentieth century, a progressive monarch who ruled Ethiopia from 1916 to 1974. This book, written by a former state official who served in a number of important positions in Selassie’s government, tells both the story of the emperor’s life and the story of modern Ethiopia. After a struggle for the throne in 1916, the young Selassie emerged first as regent and then as supreme leader of Ethiopia. Over the course of his nearly six-decade rule, the emperor abolished slavery, introduced constitutional reform, and expanded educational opportunity. The Italian invasion of Ethiopia in the 1930s led to a five-year exile in England, from which he returned in time to lead his country through World War II. Selassie was also instrumental in the founding of the Organization of African Unity in 1963, but he fell short of the ultimate goal of a promised democracy in Ethiopia. The corruption that grew under his absolute rule, as well as his seeming indifference to the famine that gripped Ethiopia in the 1970s, led finally to his overthrow by the armed forces that he had created. Haile Selassie was an enlightened monarch in many ways, but also a man with flaws like any other. This short biography is a sensitive portrayal of Selassie as both emperor and man, by one who knew him well.




Ethiopia at Bay


Book Description

... what people are saying about this book ...'A marvelous recounting of Ethiopian and world history during those years. Mandatory reading for anyone interested in Third World relations and certainly for anyone who seeks to understand contemporary Ethiopian or Horn of Africa affairs.'?Foreign Service Journal?A significant primary source in its first hand account by a meticulously observant insider.'?Foreign Affairs?Commands attention and respect. John Spencer's personal, candid, and basically reliable record will have an honored place in the contemporary annals of that tortured country.'?Times Literary Supplement?Spencer is one of the very few living people in a position to describe Ethiopia's efforts to survive during those years.'?Library Journal?Spencer was privy to many important decisions. Of particular interest is his account of Haile Sellassie's disenchantment with the U.S.'?Publisher's Weekly?After the hard fate which befell the Emperor and his notables, Spencer is maybe the only one of the old regime's key persons still alive. There is hardly a single page one would want to miss.'?Sture Linner in Svenska Dagbladet?I found Ethiopia at Bay intensely interesting, sad and even tragic in the Greek mode. What a series of missed opportunities, anachronistic colonial arrogances, and western shortsightedness! The book would be enormously instructive to students of international relations generally.'?Lincoln Gordon, former President, Johns Hopkins University?Valuable indeed, Especially significant is Spencer's cogent analysis of the Emperor himself. Recommended for college, university, and larger public libraries.'?Choice.




A History of Ethiopia


Book Description

In this eminently readable, concise history of Ethiopia, Harold Marcus surveys the evolution of the oldest African nation from prehistory to the present. For the updated edition, Marcus has written a new preface, two new chapters, and an epilogue, detailing the development and implications of Ethiopia as a Federal state and the war with Eritrea.




The History of Ethiopia


Book Description

Adejumobi (history, Seattle U.) describes the history of Ethiopia for students and lay readers, devoting a large section to contemporary issues. The book includes an introductory overview of the country's geography, political institutions, economic structure, and culture. It explores shifting global and local power configurations from the late nineteenth century to the twentieth and related implications in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa region, in addition to how the country sustained resources while involved with international, regional, and local politics. The country's independence, and social, political, and economic reforms are also discussed. Biographical sketches of important individuals are included.




Downfall of an Emperor


Book Description

This book provides first-hand information on the inner workings of the process, dabbed by the international press as the 'creeping coup' that brought the downfall of the legendary Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. Written by one of the members of the Planning Committee who helped overthrow the Emperor, the book provides first-hand information on what took place in this committee and the Derg at large, during this period. The information provided is of immense value to historians and anybody who wants to research this period in Ethiopian history.




Haile Selassie's War


Book Description

First published in 1984, this revised edition of Mockler's acclaimed history contains a new foreword by the author. Praised as "a memorable book" by John Keegan in the "Sunday Times, Haile Selassie's War" remains an epic tale of colonial ambition, warfare, and heroism.




The Bureaucratic Empire


Book Description

In this seminal text, Dr. Haregot has documented in detail the administrative and legislative effort exerted to reform the government of Ethiopia from 1957 to 1974, and the resistance faced every step of the way. He provides an insider's view of what was happening within the Prime Minister's office and the highest echelons of government when it was going through this turbulent time period. The book is among the only dependable insider's views on the Haile Selassie government, written by one of the main actors within his administration.