The military state and Ethiopia&apos;s path to ‘socialism’

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Review of African Political Economy

Volume 8, Issue 21

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The military state and Ethiopia's path to ‘socialism’

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Author(s): John Markakis

Publication date (Print): May-September 1981

Journal: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

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Abstract

This paper describes the course of Ethiopia's revolution since 1974 and the problems inherent in attempting to build socialism from above, through the agency of the military. The collapse of Haile Selassie's absolutist empire followed, and encouraged a groundswell of mass demands for the amelioration of numerous class, regional and other experiences of exploitation and oppression. Although these interests were represented within the army that took power, the military state has asserted its primacy over all class forces, and its commitment to a highly centralised Ethiopia against all regional demands. Markakis shows that ‘garrison socialism’ has thus resulted in increasing coercion as attempts at independent class action are crushed, in mounting regional opposition from the peripheries of the old empire — itself often a consequence of frustrated class aspirations — and an intensification of wars against nationalist and separatist movements.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): crea20

Journal ID (archive): CREA

Title: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

ISSN (Print): 0305-6244

ISSN (Electronic): 1740-1720

Publication date (Print): May-September 1981

Volume: 8

Issue: 21

Pages: 7-25

Article

Publisher ID: 8703464 Coden ID: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 8, No. 21, May-September 1981, pp. 7-25

DOI: 10.1080/03056248108703464

SO-VID: e2a5c880-749f-43b0-a746-d188f35a5054

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

Page count

Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 20, Pages: 19

Bibliographic note

Perham Margery. . 1969. . The Government of Ethiopia . , Evanston , Illinois : : Northwestern University Press. .
Clapham Christopher. . 1969. . Haile Selassie's Government . , New York : : Praeger. .
Greenfield Richard. . 1965. . Ethiopia: A New Political History . , London : : Pall Mall. .
Hoben Allan. . 1973. . Land Tenure Among the Amhara of Ethiopia . , University of Chicago Press. .
Gilkes Patrick. . 1975. . The Dying Lion: Feudalism and Modernisation in Ethiopia . , New York : : St Martin's Press. .
Markakis John. . 1974. . Ethiopia: Anatomy of a Traditional Polity . , Oxford : : Clarendon Press. .
Shepherd Jack. . 1975. . The Politics of Starvation . , New York : : Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. .
Hiwet Addis. . 1975. . Ethiopia: From Autocracy to Revolution . , London : : Merlin Press for the Review of African Political Economy. .
Markakis John and Ayele Nega. . 1978. . Class and Revolution in Ethiopia . , Nottingham : : Spokesman for the Review of African Political Economy. .
Marina and Ottaway David. . 1978. . Ethiopia: Empire in Revolution . , New York : : Holmes & Meier. .
1976. . Ethiopia on the Road to Non‐Capitalist Development . , Budapest Hungarian Academy of Sciences. .
1978. . Ethiopia: The Unknown Revolution . , New York : : International Publishers. .
Vanderlinden Jacques. . 1977. . L'Ethiopie et ses populations . , Bruxelles : : Editions Complexe. .
Trevaskis G.K.N.. 1960. . Eritrea: A Colony in Transition . , London : : Oxford University Press. .
Davidson Basil, Cliffe Lionel and Selassie Bereke tHabte. , eds. 1980. . Behind the War in Eritrea . , Nottingham : : Spokesman. .
Sherman Richard. . 1980. . Eritrea: The Unfinished Revolution . , New York : : Praeger. .
Selassie Bereket Habte. . 1980. . Conflict and Intervention in the Horn of Africa . , London : : Monthly Review Press. .
Lewis Ian. . 1980. . A Modern History of Somalia . , London : : Longman. .
Spencer John. . 1977. . Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa and United States Policy . , Cambridge Mass : : Institute of Foreign Policy Analysis. .
Farer Tom. . 1976. . War Clouds on the Horn of Africa: A Crisis for Detente . , New York : : Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. .

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Perham Margery. . 1969. . The Government of Ethiopia . , Evanston , Illinois : : Northwestern University Press. .

[2] Clapham Christopher. . 1969. . Haile Selassie's Government . , New York : : Praeger. .

[3] Greenfield Richard. . 1965. . Ethiopia: A New Political History . , London : : Pall Mall. .

[4] Hoben Allan. . 1973. . Land Tenure Among the Amhara of Ethiopia . , University of Chicago Press. .

[5] Gilkes Patrick. . 1975. . The Dying Lion: Feudalism and Modernisation in Ethiopia . , New York : : St Martin's Press. .

[6] Markakis John. . 1974. . Ethiopia: Anatomy of a Traditional Polity . , Oxford : : Clarendon Press. .

[7] Shepherd Jack. . 1975. . The Politics of Starvation . , New York : : Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. .

[8] Hiwet Addis. . 1975. . Ethiopia: From Autocracy to Revolution . , London : : Merlin Press for the Review of African Political Economy. .

[9] Markakis John and Ayele Nega. . 1978. . Class and Revolution in Ethiopia . , Nottingham : : Spokesman for the Review of African Political Economy. .

[10] Marina and Ottaway David. . 1978. . Ethiopia: Empire in Revolution . , New York : : Holmes & Meier. .

[11] 1976. . Ethiopia on the Road to Non‐Capitalist Development . , Budapest Hungarian Academy of Sciences. .

[12] 1978. . Ethiopia: The Unknown Revolution . , New York : : International Publishers. .

[13] Vanderlinden Jacques. . 1977. . L'Ethiopie et ses populations . , Bruxelles : : Editions Complexe. .

[14] Trevaskis G.K.N.. 1960. . Eritrea: A Colony in Transition . , London : : Oxford University Press. .

[15] Davidson Basil, Cliffe Lionel and Selassie Bereke tHabte. , eds. 1980. . Behind the War in Eritrea . , Nottingham : : Spokesman. .

[16] Sherman Richard. . 1980. . Eritrea: The Unfinished Revolution . , New York : : Praeger. .

[17] Selassie Bereket Habte. . 1980. . Conflict and Intervention in the Horn of Africa . , London : : Monthly Review Press. .

[18] Lewis Ian. . 1980. . A Modern History of Somalia . , London : : Longman. .

[19] Spencer John. . 1977. . Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa and United States Policy . , Cambridge Mass : : Institute of Foreign Policy Analysis. .

[20] Farer Tom. . 1976. . War Clouds on the Horn of Africa: A Crisis for Detente . , New York : : Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. .