1. Video Lesson

2. Competencies

After successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• list down the measures taken to strengthen the apparatus of coercion;
• discuss how and why the administrative divisions of the country revised;
• mention the factors that led to the revision of the constitution in 1955.
• analyze the general political situation of Ethiopia in the immediate post- liberation era.

3. Brainstorming Questions

• What do you know about the nature of the Ethiopian state after 1941?
• Why did the military eventually turn against the regime and bring its downfall?
• Why was the constitution revised in 1955?
• What were the major differences between the revised constitution and the 1931 constitution?

4. Key Terminology and Concepts

5. Lesson Presentation

A. The Emperor: His Absolutist Rule

Emperor Haile Selassie established and sustained an absolutist regime until his overthrow in 1974. During this period, the state reached its zenith of power in Ethiopian history, as evidenced by its control over provincial administration, military structure, and financial matters. The regime, led by Haile Selassie, was also precariously held together by a top-heavy, secular bureaucracy and an imperial myth. As the embodiment of this absolutist system, Haile Selassie I was the central figure in Ethiopian politics from 1930 to 1974, wielding ultimate authority over major appointments and decisions. Following his restoration in 1941, Haile Selassie continued to build the bureaucratic framework of a centralized modern state. He completed the task of dismantling the political and military power of the feudal aristocracy, a process he had begun before the Italian occupation. The emperor created a bureaucracy that catered solely to his interests, dedicating his efforts to preserving his own power and suppressing any political dissent.

I. Military Organizations

The military in Ethiopia, consisting of the army, the Imperial Bodyguard, and the police, was primarily utilized to suppress opposition to Emperor Haile Selassie’s regime. Following his restoration to the throne, the military was reorganized with Swedish assistance, particularly the Imperial Bodyguard, which was intended to oversee other army units and served as the regime’s elite force until it was disgraced by its involvement in the 1960 coup attempt. Established in 1942, the Police Force was initially organized with British support but later received training from the Germans and Israelis, while the Department of Public Security, under the Ministry of the Interior, became a critical intelligence network that monitored the population and supported the regime’s efforts to eliminate political dissent. The army, initially trained and equipped by the British and later by the Americans, was central to state power, primarily focused on internal repression rather than external defense, with the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Public Security receiving the largest budgetary allocations.

II. The Administrative Divisions

The emperor restructured the administrative divisions and created political and administrative offices to enhance central control over local governments by placing them under the central administration in Addis Ababa. While the administrative units, including fourteen provinces each governed by a governor-general appointed by the emperor, were designed to reflect a modern state apparatus, high-ranking landed nobles occupied most key positions, with younger, better-educated officials mainly serving in advisory roles.

III. Educational System

The education system in Ethiopia was primarily aimed at supplying trained personnel for the growing bureaucracy of the absolutist state, with secondary schools like the Haile Selassie I Secondary School and the General Wingate School opening in 1943 and 1946, respectively. By 1950, the University College of Addis Ababa was established, later expanding to include several specialized colleges and forming Haile Selassie I University, which helped fill various governmental roles and contributed to the promotion of Emperor Haile Selassie’s cult of personality through education and media, with many major landmarks and institutions named in his honor and his birth and coronation days celebrated as national holidays.

IV. The Revised Constitution of 1955

In 1955, to mark the silver jubilee of Emperor Haile Selassie’s coronation, the 1931 constitution was revised, incorporating changes to account for the more advanced constitution of Eritrea. The 1955 revision introduced universal adult suffrage and established a bicameral parliament with a Senate and an elected Chamber of Deputies, although actual public participation in elections was very limited. Despite these changes, the revised constitution reinforced the emperor’s absolute authority, declaring his person sacred and his power unquestionable, while including some human rights provisions that were restricted by phrases like “in accordance with the law.”