Ethiopia: Power and Protest. Peasant Revolts in the Twentieth Century PDF
Preview Ethiopia: Power and Protest. Peasant Revolts in the Twentieth Century
African Studies Series 71 ^thiopia: power and protest Peasant revo ts in the twentieth centur Gebru Tareke Th:.s study of popular protest and resistance in Ethiopia focuses on three important peasant-based rebelHonsthat occurredbetween 1941 and 1970. The author attempts to uncover certain key features of popular protest in prerevolutionary Ethiopia, and has referred to a great deal of evidence, much of it original. He concludes that these revolts were not a consequence ofcapitalist commercialization and ex- ploitation, as was usually the case in most Third Worldcountries, butwere connectedwith the rise of a modern, bureaucratic, multi-ethnic national state. The revolts were popular, but class was not the criti- cal issue around which they were conducted. And, contrary to popular belief, Ethiopian peasants were neither conservative nor compliant, although their defiance was nonrevolutionary. These interesting andfreshfindingsmaysuggestapossibleexplanation forthe eruption andintensification ofarmedconflict after 1974, andindeedforthevaryingfortunesofthe current insurgencies in rural Ethiopia. The book is also asignificantcontributiontotheongoinganalysis of social movements in agrarian societies. SIS SUTTER eTI^s^^'"^^ &4N FB/iNCl6C0. CA ., 941g« Digitized by the Internet Arcliive 2012 in http://archive.org/details/ethiopiapowerproOOgebr This study of popular protest and resistance in Ethiopia focuses on three important peasant-based rebellions that occurred between 1941 and 1970. The author attempts to uncover certain key features of popular protest in prerevolutionary Ethiopia, and has referred to a great deal ofevidence, much of it original. He concludes that these revolts were not a consequence of capitalistcommercialization andexploitation, aswas usually thecase in most Third World countries, but were connected with the rise of a modern, bureaucratic, multiethnic national state. The revolts were popular, but class was not the critical issue around which they were conducted. And, contrary to popular belief, Ethiopian peasants were neither conservative nor com- pliant, although their defiance was nonrevolutionary. These interesting and fresh findings may suggest a possible explanation for the eruption and intensification of armed conflict after 1974, and indeed, for the varying fortunes of the current insurgencies in rural Ethiopia. The book is also a significant contribution to the ongoing analysis of social movements in agrarian societies. O T O XT SANFHANCXSCO.CA^,^ ^ ETHIOPIA: POWER AND PROTEST AFRICAN STUDIES SERIES 71 GENERAL EDITOR J. M. Lonsdale, Lecturer in History andFellow ofTrinity College, Cambridge ADVISORY EDITORS J. D. Y. Peel, Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, with special reference to Africa, SchoolofOrientalandAfrican Studies, University ofLondon John Sender, Faculty ofEconomics andFellow ofWolfson College, Cambridge PUBLISHED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE AFRICAN STUDIES CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE A list ofbooks in the series willbefoundat the endofthe volume POWER AND ETHIOPIA: PROTEST Peasant revolts in the twentieth century GEBRU TAREKE Associate Professor, History Department, Hobart and William Smith Colleges WOHiDAFFAIRS COUNCILUBRAHt 312SUTTEESTREET SANFRANCISCO.CA 94108 TherightofIhe UniversityofCambridge toprintandsell allmannerofbooks wasgrantedby HenryVIIIin1534. TheUniversityhasprinted andpublishedcontinuously sinceIS84. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE NEW YORK PORT CHESTER MELBOURNE SYDNEY Published by the Press Syndicate ofthe University ofCambridge The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 IRP 40 West 20th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011^211, USA 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia © Cambridge University Press 1991 First pubhshed 1991 Printed in Great Britain at the University Press, Cambridge British Library cataloguing inpublication data Tareke, Gebru Ethiopia, power and protest peasant revolts in the twentieth century. - : (African studies series, v. 71). I. Ethiopia, history II. University of Cambridge. African Studies Centre III. Series 963.05 Library ofCongress cataloguing inpublication data Tareke, Gebru Ethiopia, power and protest : peasant revolts in the twentieth century / Gebru Tareke. p. cm. - (African studies series : 71) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 521 40011 2 I. Ethiopia - politics and government - 1889-1974. 2. Peasant uprisings - Ethiopia - History. I. Title. II. Series. DT387.9.T34 1991 963'.06-dc20 90-22025 CIP ISBN 521 40011 2 hardback CE
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