Haile Selassie, Ethiopia’s former emperor, was dethroned 50 years ago. The king, who befriended leaders in the US, Europe and China, left a mixed legacy in his home country.
On September 12, 1974, Haile Selassie, Ethiopia’s last monarch, met with a delegate from a newly formed military committee called the Derg at his palace in Addis Ababa. The meeting was the Derg’s final step to overthrowing the imperial regime.
Representatives of the delegate addressed Haile Selassie as “your Majesty” and “humbly begged” for him to move to a designated place for his health and security.
Initially hesitant, the emperor accepted to leave after reflecting briefly on what it means to lead the country. They drove him away in a Volkswagen Beetle from his palace, bringing on end to decadeslong reign.
The overthrow of Haile Selassie 50 years ago ended monarchical rule in Ethiopia. “You can think of this man as being in the middle of the dying old guard,” said Hewan Semon Marye, a professor and expert in modern Ethiopian political history at the University of Hamburg.
“The generation that never saw defeat in the words of [the Israeli academic] Haggai Erlich, who maintained the independence of Ethiopia, who gave us the contemporary maps and then you can also see him as a forerunner to succeeding rulers and the Ethiopia that is today,” she added.
Haile Selassie “started out as a reformer,” the emperor’s great-nephew, Asfa-Wossen Asserate, told DW. “He transformed Ethiopia within his reign from a country that was deep rooted in the Middle Ages toward the 20th century.”
From Ras Teferi to Ethiopia’s emperor
Before ascending to the throne, Haile Selassie was referred to as Ras Teferi and was regent from 1916 to 1930. The first members of the Ethiopian intelligentsia started going to Europe for education when he was crown prince. Those who returned were appointed to high posts in Ethiopian diplomacy. Upon the death of Empress Zewditu in 1930, he became Haile Selassie I.
Ethiopia got its first constitution in 1931, but it stated only the emperor’s children would succeed him. “This never happened in the history of Ethiopia, said Hewan. “The monarchy was not a descendant-based monarchy, anybody who can claim to be the family of Jesus Christ, the house of David could come to power through military violence mostly, and legitimizing through the legend of the queen of Sheba.” The monarchy also introduced a parliament with limited power as an advisory.
During Haile Selassie’s reign, Ethiopia started building dams and roads and established a navy, an air force and an airline. However, the economy stagnated over time.
“At first, there was a lot of hope, but you can’t entirely have a whole nation dependent on exports of coffee and a few leather factories,” said Hewan. “All of the stagnation came through his lengthy stay in power.”
Promoting African unity
As Ethiopia’s leader, Haile Selassie was an anti-colonialist who was crucial in establishing the Organization of African Unity in 1963, the predecessor to today’s African Union (AU).
“He mobilized 32 African leaders at that time and made sure that Addis Ababa became the hub of African unity by assembling them in Addis Ababa, advocating for democracy and liberation,” former Ethiopian diplomat Teferra Shawl told DW.
Until his final years in power, Haile Selassie traveled abroad more than any Ethiopian leader, in a departure from the old traditions. “He is the first Ethiopian ruler, at least to my knowledge, who left Ethiopia to go abroad to visit other countries,” said Hewan.
In his early years as Ras Teferi, he visited many European countries, including France, the United Kingdom and Italy. As king, he hosted Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Marshal Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia. He visited Mao Zedong of China in Beijing, and also met with several US presidents, including Richard Nixon, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, later attending Kennedy’s funeral in 1963. He was the first foreign head of state to visit the Federal Republic of Germany in 1954.
“His majesty’s relations with foreign countries like Germany has been cemented to the extent that they could not be disrupted even after his downfall,” said Teferra. “He had laid a good foundation for foreign relations.”
Ethiopia’s monarchy under siege
In the final years of his reign, Haile Selassie took frequent foreign trips as political unrest grew in Ethiopia. His throne withstood an invasion by fascist Italy during World War II, as well as a coup attempt in 1960 while he was visiting Brazil. He managed to quell calls for reform from within his inner circle and suppress revolts from various parts of the country.
But as he aged, a new generation, educated in Ethiopia and abroad, began demanding radical change. His commitment to expanding access to education played a crucial role.
“His great legacy will be that he was the father of Ethiopian education, that he was the founder of the first Ethiopian university and that education was one of his greatest hopes for the people of his country,” said Asfa-Wossen Asserate.
The establishment of the former Haile Selassie I University, now Addis Ababa University, is a testament to his impact on education. For Hewan, the emperor viewed his role as controlling the education of a new generation of Ethiopians who would modernize the country under his rule. “But he failed to see there will be a new generation that will question his own power.”
Drought, protests led to Haile Selassie’s downfall
It wasn’t just the Ethiopian student movement that led to the downfall of Haile Selassie and the feudal system. At the same time, an increase in fuel prices sparked protests among taxi drivers, and Ethiopian Muslims were advocating for religious freedom.
“The university students demanded land reform, more democracy and unfortunately this was not listened to so that it came to a real revolution in 1974,” Asfa-Wossen told DW.
Political pressures and a devastating drought in the Wollo and Tigray provinces proved to be the final blow to Haile Selassie’s reign. Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians perished due to the famine caused by the prolonged drought from 1972 to 1975, with the emperor and his government accused of hiding the suffering of their citizens.
“When the drought struck the people, Haile Selassie was not well informed by his advisers,” said veteran diplomat Teferra Shawl, adding that the action taken to address the drought and hunger was insufficient to address the problem.
The Derg, who had been plotting for months to overthrow the monarchy, reportedly broadcast a harrowing report by British journalist Jonathan Dimbleby on national television, showing thousands of drought-stricken peasants waiting in line for food in the former Wollo province. The report showed malnourished children sleeping on the ground, and highlighted the despair of the people.
The following day, Haile Selassie was dethroned. The rivalry between the Derg and political organizations stemming from the student movement would go on to define the next 17 years of bloodshed in Ethiopia.
