Haile Sellassie I: The Formative Years 1892-1936

About this book

Always controversial during his lifetime Haile Sellassie became after his dethronement in 1974 a political icon to some a monster to others and to all a legend. There is no understanding modern Ethiopia without a grasp of the emperors life. This first volume of a projected three-volume biography describes Haile Sellasies early training as a member of a cultural and political elite a conditioning that led him to believe it was normal for the elite (later an oligarchy) to govern and exploit Ethiopia even if many of its peoples did not benefit from the prevailing order. Once he became emperor he viewed himself as the embodiment of Ethiopias proud sovereignty and independence. Haile Sellasie was the architect of the centralized Ethiopian state. He transformed Addis Abeba his ramshackle capital into a core city educated a cadre of "Young Ethiopians"; and developed the central government. He managed his countrys political and economic entry into the modern world and in the process made Ethiopia the central actor in Northeast Africa and himself a global figure. Between 1920 and 1935 Ethiopia mad important and obvious progress toward modernization which Italy regarded as potentially threatening to its African colonies. Haile Sellasie ever jealous of his countrys sovereignty redirected trade away from Europe toward Japan and the United States. By doing so he robbed France of a good economic reason to protect Ethiopia from Italy he alienated Great Britain and he permitted Rome to contemplate his nations conquest. By 1934 Ethiopia was without allies and without the means to counter the Italian aggression. The emperor suffered defeat exile and despair but he would return in 1941 as a phoenix to restore the status quo ante.