"SELASSIE I, HAILE" (HAROLD MARCUS).   Term Paper ID:19877 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Portrait of Ethiopian leader as product of his culture & elitist upbringing.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Portrait of Ethiopian leader as product of his culture & elitist upbringing. Paper Introduction: Harold G. Marcus, in Haile Sellassie I: The Formative Years, 1892-1936, attempts to portray the Ethiopian leader who "was a political icon to some, a monster to others, and to all a legend." Marcus tries to bring this larger-than-life leader down-to-earth and show what Sellassie was really like, as a leader and as a man. It is the author's argument that Sellassie was clearly the center of power in Ethiopia in the last half century: "As the architect of the modern state, he had managed his country's entry into the world, in the process becoming a global figure" (x). As much as might be known about Sellassie, it is Marcus' argument that the real Sellassie has not yet been revealed, and he endeavors to do it. Sellassie portrayed himself as a man who was beleaguered by circumstances, by historical and political Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The truth of the matter, however,says Marcus, is that Sellassie's "role approximated Europe's absolutistrulers of the transitional period between feudalism and capitalism. Sellassie was, in effect, raised to see himself asthe embodiment of his nation, and in such a psychological context it can bemore easily understood why a ruler would do whatever he had to do tosurvive as leader. He includes in-depth consideration of the negative and positive aspects of Sellassie'scharacter, as well as the successes and failures of Sellassie the leader.He consider the military, political, economic, social, religious andcultural elements which went into the making of the man as well as thecountry he led for so many years. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987.----------------------- 7 He sawhimself as the creator of that change, and he came to identify himself withthe country he led. The author presents a most objective and comprehensive look at theman and the leader, Haile Sellassie. His apparent non-involvement in politics onlyunderscores the obscurity in which he maneuvered; the emperor's deft handwas invariably apparent in retrospect, and his careful planning became asobvious as his success. The story told by Marcus,then, is one which will benefit any reader who wants to understand not onlypolitical power but the quest for achievement and meaningful personalfulfillment in the name of a bigger cause than oneself. Sellassie, Marcus writes in his well-balanced account, "spent thecountry's revenues on modern armaments and programs of reform. He saw his role asthe one who would bring his backward nation into the 2 th century, but healso believed that he would be more effective if he were to play the publicrole of the man who was humble, who was merely a servant of God and thepeople. . Certainly, this modern world willalways benefit from a study of political power used and abused, even whenthat abuse was in the name of progress and reform, for political powerunexamined will inevitably result in the kinds of mass horrors visited uponthe world many times in this and earlier centuries. . . What was good for Ethiopia, in such a context, was whatSellassie thought was good for Ethiopia. What Marcus is most effective at is putting Sellassie.and hislife and career in its proper cultural/historical context, so that thereader remembers that Sellassie was a leader of a very poor and veryunderdeveloped nation during a lengthy period of time in which the nationand the world were undergoing tremendous changes. Any work whichopens up the secrets of political power and its use and abuse is useful toa world which is too often threatened by such power. Marcus, in Haile Sellassie I: The Formative Years, 1892-1936, attempts to portray the Ethiopian leader who "was a political icon tosome, a monster to others, and to all a legend." Marcus tries to bringthis larger-than-life leader down-to-earth and show what Sellassie wasreally like, as a leader and as a man. He was such a good actor, however, that eventhoughtful persons never understood that Haile Sellassie was alwaysoffstage directing the action in his favor" (xii). . Sellassie is shown as a durable leader who was able to survive hismistakes, He alienated European nations through his trade openings to Japanand America, and in doing so indirectly brought about the invasion byItaly's Mussolini, but he returned from exile to lead his nation after thewar. Keeping such facts inmind, it is easier for the reader to sympathize with and understand whatSellassie did or did not do, whether or not the reader admires Sellassie orapproves of what he did. The book is clearly valuable, then, in terms of its revelations aboutthe man and the leader, and about the nature of the culture of the countryfrom whence he sprang and which he ruled for so many years. He never admittedhis nature as a politician but posed as a tool of fate, ready to do God'swill or the will of the people" (xii). The essence of the author's argument, then, is that Sellassie was aproduct of his culture and of his particular elitist upbringing. Likehis Western counterparts, Sellassie introduced a standing army, a permanentbureaucracy, new forms of taxation, uniform laws, and the mechanisms of anational economy. Heargued that he was, in short, a hapless victim of fate, "always proclaiminghis innocence, his inaction, his isolation from events. He "constructed a bureaucracy in which talent, skill,achievement and, above all, loyalty to the ruler counted more than ethnicor social origins . . Harold G. He could be ruthless, he could be manipulative, he couldbe deceitful, but he believed that such tactics were necessary for the goodof the nation. The ideas and eventsand the author's analysis of them are clearly presented, and reflect theauthor's desire to show all sides of the man. Haile Sellassie I. Sellassie portrayed himself as a man who was beleaguered bycircumstances, by historical and political forces beyond his control. .He advanced on all fronts at once rather heroically, though never havingenough resources to carry out all his plans" (1 7). The book extends only tothe period in which Sellassie went into exile after Italy invaded thecountry. It is not the portrait of an icon,nor is it the portrait of a monster, although Sellassie is certainly shownto possess both strongly positive and strongly negative qualities as bothman and leader. He also came to control the landed aristocracy, whoseauthority he redefined and whose functions he redirected to strengthen hisincreasingly centralized state. . . The book, then, is most meaningful, inthis reader's view, as a study of a remarkable and special man who workedout his life and character as the leader of a brave and poor country goingthrough tremendous changes as he and it moved into the modern world.Marcus successfully portrays both the man and the nation he led. He sawhimself as destined to be a leader of his people, having inherited powerthrough a process tinged as much with divine direction as political andmilitary dynamics. Haile Sellassie viewed himself as the embodimentof Ethiopia's proud sovereignty and independence" (xi). That is perhaps the tragedy of Sellassie --- that he was never ableto do for his country all that he sought to do. As much as might be known about Sellassie, it is Marcus' argumentthat the real Sellassie has not yet been revealed, and he endeavors to doit. He believedin the intrinsic worth 'of schools, hospitals, maternity clinics,orphanages, teachers, veterinary doctors, agronomists, and the like.' . He was a secretive leader, manipulating power behindthe scenes, but he was also an effective leader who believed his autocraticrule was necessary to reform the nation and bring it economically,politically and culturally into the 2 th century. The decisionmeant living self-consciously as the embodiment of Ethiopia's sovereignty,scarcely revealing his personality and humanity" (1-2). The author's style is not particularly original or compelling, butits workmanlike straightforwardness carries the message effectively. Whatever the flaws of Sellassie, it is clear that Marcus admires himand understands why he did what he did, even if he does not approve of hisactions. Certainly, anywork is useful which shed light historically on a man and a nation in aturbulent and lengthy period of time. The author does cover the subject comprehensively. Ethiopia, however, has suffered far more after Sellassie's death thanit ever did during his rulership. This clearly is not the portrait of a man who is a victim ofcircumstances, or a tool of fate. Works CitedMarcus, Harold G. Marcus does not condone such behavior or such attitudes,but he does put it in the context of Ethiopian reality and the times inwhich Sellassie ruled. The fact is that Sellassie didbring his nation into the 2 th century, although in the aftermath of hislife and rule the nation would be struck with the horrors of civil war andmass starvation. The emperor supported his programs throughmore efficient exploitation of the existing modes of agriculturalproduction, in whose interstices merchant capitalism grew in cooperationwith the ruling elites" (x-xi). He wasalways involved ...... This is the portrait of an effectivelymanipulative man who had a program for change for his country, for betteror worse, and he was determined to bring that plan to fruition. One of the major points of the book is that the nature of Sellassie'sbackground and this history of his rise to power played major roles in hissecretive use of that power: "His reserve stemmed partly from the rules oflife in a culture that regards most visible signs of emotion as indecorous,but also partly from a conscious decision made in 193 , upon accession tothe Solomonic throne, to become the perfect monarch . It is the author's argument thatSellassie was clearly the center of power in Ethiopia in the last halfcentury: "As the architect of the modern state, he had managed hiscountry's entry into the world, in the process becoming a global figure"(x). In reality, again, "Haile Sellassie always worked behind thescenes, manipulating actors and events to his advantage ...... Theauthor depends not on his own writing style to carry the book, but ratherthe fascinating life and career of Sellassie himself. 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