The Modern Age of Ethiopia, which began in 1855, brought four very powerful
emperors into rule, which expanded the empire and shaped modern Ethiopia. The first of these emperors, Theodore II, was a strong warrior who reassembled the army and used canons and roads to bring many of the regions
under his control. He had delusions of grandeur, which were thwarted by those who did not share his dream of unity for Ethiopia. Theodore II ended his own life in 1868 after an argument with the British government
(Kurtz 51). His successors, Yohannes and Menelik II, were able to triple the territory and add millions of people to Ethiopia. Emperor Yohannes struggled with invasions from Egypt, Italy, and Sudan during his
rule from 1871 until he was assassinated by a sniper's bullet in 1889 (Kurtz 51).
Menelik II was crowned Emperor in 1889 after uniting all of the provinces, including some of them that had been cut off for
centuries. In 1896, Emperor Menelik fought Italian armies at Adwa, which was a decisive victory because he stopped Italian expansion in Ethiopia. Menelik's army of nearly eighty thousand people had to live off of
the land as they traveled north, which caused many deaths among the commoners as they ate their crops and livestock. During his rule, Menelik brought schools, banks, roads, telegraphs, and the first motor
cars to Ethiopia (Kurtz 53).
After Menelik's death in1913, the country plunged into crisis. After years of fighting in the royal family, his daughter, Zauditu, was finally crowned Empress in 1916; Ras
Tafari, the son of Menelik's cousin, was named regent and heir to the throne. When Empress Zauditu died in 1930, Ras Tafari was crowned Emperor Haile Selassie I, the nugusa negast (king of kings) (Kurtz 54).
Haile Selassie, which means "Lion of Judah," is regarded as one of the most important African leaders of the twentieth century. His first challenge was to preserve Ethiopian independence from Italian
aggression (Gish 22). In the early 1930s, Benito Mussolini signed a pact of friendship with Ethiopia (Stewart 16). However, in October 1935, Italy attacked Ethiopia in an attempt to avenge its loss at Adwa thirty-nine
years earlier. The Emperor went into exile in Britain and asked the League of Nations to take action against Mussolini. Britain came to the aid of the Ethiopians, helping them to defeat the Italian armies. Haile
Selassie was reinstated after Italy surrendered in May 1941 (Gish 22).
The Italian and Ethiopian war was a landmark in the history of the African people worldwide because the war pitted an aggressive
European power against a small African country. It came to stand for the unequal struggle between Africa and Europe, between blacks and whites, which contributed to the stereotype of African identity (Harris 154).
Haile Selassie is also known for the many reforms that he initiated during his reign, including the development of secular educational systems and bringing in Western economic and technical assistance. In 1955 he signed
a new constitution which allowed parliamentary elections, restricted the power of the aristocracy and the church, and made Amharic the official language of Ethiopia. Selassie also instituted the Organization of Africa
Unity, which is located in Addis Ababa (Gish 23).
Selassie desired to unite the various tribes into a strong Ethiopia, with a central government built around one person-himself. To keep control, he
handpicked weak people who would not go against his wishes. He even had control over the Christian church, which he proclaimed as the state religion of Ethiopia. He wanted the people to think of themselves as Ethiopians
first, and their respective tribes second, almost as those living in Phoenix would consider themselves Americans first and Phoenicians second (Stewart 22).
In 1974, a communist regime, also known as the "Derg,"
that included soldiers, young bureaucrats, teachers, and students, shattered Haile Selassie's control over the political and economic systems (McCann 205).
From 1982 to 1984, northern Ethiopia had no rain to
water the crops or for drinking. The Derg knew about this, but they did not act right away because they wanted to keep the Eritrean army, also known as the EPLF (Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front), from getting food and
supplies (Young 130-131). It was not until the BBC unveiled the story on October 23, 1984 that the government decided to respond (Sorenson 1).
The drought of 1984 claimed the lives of many Ethiopians and those
remaining were destitute. The people were deprived of basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, and medication. Many died as a result of starvation and from water-born diseases. It became very apparent that to
recover from this terrible drought the people of Ethiopia would need outside assistance and instruction. A community-centered program was implemented, teaching them to use better farming practices as well as to take
care of their land. This, along with better health care, would be a long-term solution rather than just giving free handouts (Yamamori 16-20).
The government in Ethiopia both Haile Selassie and the Derg,
failed because it did not respond to the desires of Ethiopians for a democracy, national self-determination, and development (Young 216).
An interview with Belaynesh Tadesse, a Food for the Hungry
colleague from Ethiopia helped to identify some of the personal struggles that Ethiopians have gone through in the last 30 years.
Belaynesh, was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in December of 1957. Her
father worked for the municipality office in Addis Ababa, while her mother was a stay-at-home mom. Belaynesh describes school life as being very interesting, and challenging. "We were taught English at a very young age,
and we were taught Amharic as a subject in school as if you were to take English classes here." During Belaynesh's childhood, Haile Selassie was emperor. "Haile Selassie was admired and respected among Ethiopians.
Before becoming emperor his name was Ras Tafari, and the people thought that he was blessed by God." However in 1974, Haile was overthrown and there was a new political power. "When I was still a young child, the Derg
overthrew Haile Selassie, and our lives changed."
"We did not know this at the time, but the Derg was a communist regime. The Derg was a peaceful coup unless you crossed them. One of my classmates was
killed because they thought that she was part of an underground movement. Their philosophy was that you would contribute to the Derg, or you were considered against them. I was not for them, but I survived by working at
one of their youth associations."
Belaynesh moved to America in 1991 where she works with Food for the Hungry. She is currently living in Phoenix Arizona.
