Ethiopia: Transition And Development In The Horn Of Africa (Profiles : Nations of Contemporary Africa)

248 Pages·1988·41.87 MB·English

by  Mulatu Wubneh, Yohannis Abate

ETHIOPIA
Transition and Development
in the Horn of Africa
Mulatu Wubneh and
Yohannis Abate
A land that is part legend, part trag-
edy, Ethiopia long has captivated the
imagination and recently has elicited the
compassion of the outside world. Yet
despite the many accounts—the romantic
tales of monarchs recounted by travelers,
the graphic depictions of famine relayed
by journalists—knowledge about Ethio-
pia's political, social, and economic real-
ities has been limited and often con-
tradictory.
In Ethiopia: Transition and Development
in the Horn of Africa, Professors Wubneh
and Abate detail Ethiopia's passage from
an imperial-feudal system to one of state
socialism. With this change in governing
systems have come fundamental changes
in government policy, economic objec-
tives, social programs, and international
relations. This transition began in the
1960s with the opposition to imperial
rule, a development that led in 1974 to
military intervention and, ultimately, to
the social and economic upheaval that
resulted in the recent formation of the
People's Democratic Republic of Ethio-
pia. The authors trace the social change,
in the process discussing the ethnic and
cultural characteristics of the population ti.
and gauging the effects of urban devel-
opment, education, and famine. Review-
ing the post-1945 trends in economic
growth. Professors Wubneh and Abate
also examine the economic policies—
such as land reform and industrialization
of industry—of the new socialist gov-
ernment in terms of their potential to
reduce regional inequalities and the ur-
ban-rural dichotomy.
Against the more familiar backdrops
of legend and famine. Professors Wub-
neh and Abate present here a concise
and current overview of a nation in
transition. Focusing on the realities of
Ethiopia today, the authors assess the
nation's place in the international com-
munity in light of the 1974 revolution,
which reversed the country's position
from a pro-Western stance to a strong
alliance with the Soviet Union. They
also consider prospects for change and
stability—the chances for resolution of
ethnic tensions, for the success of current
economic and social programs, and for
the reduction of superpower tension in
the Horn of Africa.
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ETHIOPIA
PROFILES • NATIONS OF
CONTEMPORARY AFRICA
Larry W. Bowman, Series Editor
The Central African Republic: The Continent's Hidden Heart,
Thomas O'Toole
Lesotho: Dilemmas of Dependence in Southern Africa,
John E. Bardill and James H. Cobbe
Botswana: Liberal Democracy and the Labor Reserve
in Southern Africa, Jack Parson
Ethiopia: Transition and Development in the Horn of Africa,
Mulatu Wubneh and Yohannis Abate
Kenya: The Quest for Prosperity, Norman N. Miller
Mozambique: From Colonialism to Revolution, 1900-1982,
Allen Isaacman and Barbara Isaacman
Senegal: An African Nation Between Islam and the West,
Sheldon Cellar
Tanzania: An African Experiment, Rodger Yeager
The Seychelles: Unquiet Islands, Marcus Franda
Swaziland: Tradition and Change in a Southern African Kingdom,
Alan R. Booth
The Comoro Islands: Struggle Against Dependency
in the Indian Ocean, Malyn Newitt
Ghana: Coping with Uncertainty,
Deborah Fellow and Naomi Chazan
Somalia: Nation in Search of a State,
David D. Laitin and Said S. Samatar
Cameroon, Mark W. DeLancey
The Ivory Coast, Barbara C. Lewis
Zambia: Between Two Worlds, Marcia Burdette
Sdo Tome and Principe,
Malyn Newitt and Tony Hodges
Nigeria, Timothy M. Shaw and Julius Ihonvbere
ABOUT THE BOOK AND AUTHORS
A land that is part legend, part tragedy, Ethiopia long has captivated
the imagination and recently has elicited the compassion of the outside
world. Yet despite the many accounts—the romantic tales of monarchs
recounted by travelers, the graphic depictions of famine relayed by
journalists—knowledge about Ethiopia's political, social, and economic
realities has been limited and often contradictory.
In Ethiopia: Transition and Development in the Horn of Africa,
Professors Wubneh and Abate detail Ethiopia's passage from an imperial-
feudal system to one of state socialism. With this change in governing
systems have come fundamental changes in government policy, economic
objectives, social programs, and international relations. This transition
began in the 1960s with the opposition to imperial rule, a development
that led in 1974 to military intervention and, ultimately, to the social
and economic upheaval that resulted in the recent formation of the
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The authors trace the social
change, in the process discussing the ethnic and cultural characteristics
of the population and gauging the effects of urban development, edu-
cation, and famine. Reviewing the post-1945 trends in economic growth.
Professors Wubneh and Abate also examine the economic policies—
such as land reform and nationalization of industry—of the new socialist
government in terms of their potential to reduce regional inequalities
and the urban-rural dichotomy.
Against the more familiar backdrops of legend and famine. Pro-
fessors Wubneh and Abate present here a concise and current overview
of a nation in transition. Focusing on the realities of Ethiopia today,
the authors assess the nation's place in the international community in
light of the 1974 revolution, which reversed the country's position from
a pro-Western stance to a strong alliance with the Soviet Union. They
also consider prospects for change and stability—the chances for res-
olution of ethnic tensions, for the success of current economic and social
programs, and for the reduction of superpower tension in the Horn of
Africa.
Mulatu Wubneh is associate professor of urban and regional
planning at East Carolina University. Yohannis Abate taught at Michigan
State University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
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ETHIOPIA
Transition and Development
in the Horn of Africa
Mulatu Wubneh
and Yohannis Abate
Westview Press • Boulder, Colorado
Avebury • London, England
Profiles/Nations of Contemporary Africa
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from Westview Press.
Copyright © 1988 by Westview Press, Inc.
Published in 1988 in the United States of America by Westview Press, Inc.; Frederick A. Praeger,
Publisher; 5500 Central Avenue, Boulder, Colorado 80301
Published in 1988 in Great Britain by Avebury Gower Publishing Company Limited, Gower House,
Croft Road, Aldershot, Hampshire GUll 3HR
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wubneh, Mulatu, 1945-
Ethiopia ; transition and development in the horn
of Africa.
(Profiles. Nations of contemporary Africa)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Ethiopia—Politics and government.
2. Ethiopia—Economic conditions. 3. Ethiopia—
Social conditions. 4. Ethiopia—Foreign relations.
I. Abate, Yohannis. II. Title. III. Series.
DT382.3.W82 1988 963 87-10700
ISBN 0-86531-426-8
British Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Wubneh, Mulatu
Ethiopia: Transition and Development in the horn
of Africa.
(Profiles: Nations of contemporary Africa).
1. Ethiopia—History
I. Title IT Abate, Yohannis III. Series
963 DT381
ISBN 0-566-05643-7
Printed and bound in the United States of America
©
The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National
Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1984.
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