SELASSIE, HAILE.   Term Paper ID:26610 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Life, career, policies, effectiveness, corruption & rise & fall of Ethiopian emperor.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Life, career, policies, effectiveness, corruption & rise & fall of Ethiopian emperor. Paper Introduction: Emperor Haile Selassie's reign in Ethiopia has been described by the term Kleptocracy, indicating that the Emperor and his cronies plundered the country for their own benefit. Ethiopia was a poor country in any case, and it was poorer after Selassie had taken most of its wealth and left the peasants much worse off then they were when he arrived in office. Selassie was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He came to power at a time when Ethiopia had to deal with the expansionist policies of Italy prior to World War II. The world powers, especially those in the League of Nations, were not inclined to counter Italy's attack on Ethiopia in 1935. In the early years of the world war, however, Ethiopia was retaken from the Italians by the British, who would continue to dominate Ethiopian affairs after the war ended in 1945. Selassie was restored to power at that time and tried 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. Emperor Haile Selassie's reign in Ethiopia has been described by theterm Kleptocracy, indicating that the Emperor and his cronies plundered thecountry for their own benefit. Thiswas one reason why there was growing opposition to the regime of HaileSelassie during the last fourteen years of his reign. Works Cited Garvey, Marcus. In the postwarperiod, he instituted social and political reforms, such as establishing anational assembly in 1955. The centuries seemed to have slipped suddenly backwards into Biblical ritual. Through the early morning the chanting of praises continued, accompanied by the dancing of the priest with their great pulsating drums, the whole suggestive of the Ancient Jewish rites which were in use at the time of King David danced before the Ark of the Covenant . He came to power at a time whenEthiopia had to deal with the expansionist policies of Italy prior to WorldWar II. Improvement was slow and was hindered by a number of factors, but bythe early 197 s the economy had started to grow and to diversify into areassuch as manufacturing and services. Ethiopia was a poor country in any case,and it was poorer after Selassie had taken most of its wealth and left thepeasants much worse off then they were when he arrived in office. Black leader Marcus Garvey wrote about thetroubles facing Selassie in 1936, beginning, Haile Selassie I, last Emperor of Ethiopia, has surrendered the ancient sceptre wielded for ages by an historic line of black sovereigns. (June 1931). He was a brilliant student and became afavorite of Menelik, who made him a provincial governor at age 14. As aCoptic Christian, Tafari opposed Menelik's grandson and successor, whobecame a Muslim convert, and in 1916 compelled his deposition andestablished Menelik's daughter Zauditu as empress, with himself as regent.In 1928, Tafari was crowned king of Ethiopia, and in 193 , after themysterious death of the empress, he became emperor as Haile Selassie,claiming to be a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.He tried to institute internal reforms and took great pride in thesuppression of slavery. There was no coherent plan forreform, however, until 1966, and that plan tried to confront thetraditional forces through the implementation of a modern tax system. "Coronation of Emperor HaileSelassie I of Ethiopia." National Geographic. He was forced to do this because of the unpreparedness of Ethiopia to meet the onslaught of the brutal spirit of Europe--the spirit made manifest by the barbarian Mussolini (Garvey).Garvey notes how Selassie was forced into exile. Selassiewas Emperor of Ethiopia from 193 to 1974. I don't remember His magnanimous Highness's ever demoting someone and pressing his head to the cobblestones because of corruption (Kapuscinski 46). In 1954 and 1955, the government created the National EconomicCouncil to coordinate development plans, and it administered the firstthree five-year plans ((Ofcansky and Berry 147). Such improvements did not aid mostEthiopians, however, and about four-fifths of the population remainedsubsistence farmers who lived in poverty (Ofcansky and Berry 149). Ofcansky, Thomas P. He died under house arrest in 1975 ("Haile Selassie"http://www.infoplease.com). Berkeley: University of California Press. This led to revolt in other provinces and taxed theability of the central government to cope with all the oppositiondeveloping (Ofcansky and Berry 5 ). His father was a noted general, and the boy was also thegrandnephew of Emperor Menelik II. Haile Selassie was born Ras Tafari Makonnen in Ethiopia in 1892, andhe died in 1975. Ethiopia: A CountryStudy. In the 196 s and 197 s, he directed his effortsat pan-African aims, particularly through the Organization of AfricanUnity. He appealed twice (in 1936 and 1938) to the Leagueof Nations for action against Italy, both times in vain. The guests arrived to great fanfareand opulence and were treated to a feast: Mountains of meat, fruit, fish, and cheese rose on the tables. Selassie was restored to power at that time and tried toimplement reforms and modernize the state and certain sectors of theeconomy, but for the most part Ethiopia remained a "feudal" society(Ofcansky and Berry 4-5). (1983). The assembly applauded their greeting, and the visiting naval band played the National Anthem, while outside cannons roared a salute of 1 1 guns, and cheer after cheer came from thousands of subjects massed in the vicinity of the Cathedral (Southard).Many in America followed Garvey's progress and his problems closely overthe next several years. . Kapuscinski, Ryszard. The early period of Haile Selassie's rule was a hopeful one forAfrican nationalist movements around the world, especially as Selassiesought to institute reforms and outlawed slavery. There had been acoup attempt in 196 , after which the emperor sought to reclaim the loyaltyof the opposition by stepping up reform. Kapuscinski notes how the wealthof the Emperor could be seen in the way he would repay loyalty withbountiful gifts, and for those closest to the Emperor benefit as the peopleat large do not: He liked the people of the court to multiply their belongings, he liked their accounts to grow and their purses to swell. Kapuscinski shows how the lifestyle of the Emperor compared with thatof the common people, as when he describes a reception held for the meetingof the presidents for which the police first chased the poor people out ofthe streets and decorated the city. In1941, he reentered Ethiopia and regained his throne. Sincethe latter controlled parliament, all progressive tax proposals werevigorously opposed. New York: Vintage. "The Misfortunes of Haile Selassie." In TheMarcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers Robert A.Hill (ed.), 682-684. However, in 1936 he was forced to fleeto British protection. By the early195 s he was seeking to make the transition from a subsistence economy toan agro-industrial economy. The dishwashers working in the building threw leftovers to them. Ethiopia needed an infrastructure to exploitresources, a material base to improve living conditions, and better health,education, communications, and other services. His coronation in 1931 was coveredby Addison E. The world powers, especially those in the League of Nations, werenot inclined to counter Italy's attack on Ethiopia in 1935. Selassie had many accomplishments after his return to the thronefollowing the war as he sought to modernize his country. It is against this background that the actions of the Emperor changedover his time in power as he became more and more despotic and more andmore greedy for himself and his friends, taking what wealth there was whilethe people continued to live in poverty. "Haile Selassie." InfoPlease. Southard, Addison E. The Emperor. The Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah and his Empress have just completed a night of prayer and devotion at the most high altar within. As a key element, Selassieadopted centrally administered development plans, and between 1945 and1957, a number of such plans were developed by several technical missions,including one each from the United States, the Food and AgriculturalOrganization of the United Nations, and Yugoslavia. Theproposal required the registration of all land, and implicit in theproposal was the aim of destroying the power of the landed nobility. Distinguished wines spread reflected colors and invigorating aromas (Kapuscinski 19-2 ).Outside this party was a very different scene as those whose work and moneyactually paid for this feast could be found: In the thick night, a crowd of barefoot beggars stood huddled together. He would later be evenmore overt in support pan-African aims. In the earlyyears of the world war, however, Ethiopia was retaken from the Italians bythe British, who would continue to dominate Ethiopian affairs after the warended in 1945. (1991). 12,1974, deposed. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. In 1974, however, the army was successful in seizing control, and HaileSelassie was progressively stripped of his powers and finally, on Sept. In 194 , afterItaly entered World War II, he returned to Africa with British aid. These plans failed toachieve any meaningful results because basic statistical data were scarceand the administrative and technical capabilities of the government wereminimal. When Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935, he personallyled defending troops in the field. In 196 , a revolt by a group of young intellectuals and armyofficers was crushed -- they had demanded an end to oppression and poverty. . Many-layered cakes dripped with sweet, colored icing. http://www.infoplease.com. I watched the crowd devour the scraps, bones, and fish heads with laborious concentration (Kapuscinski 2 ). (1983). and LaVerle Berry. So while Haile Selassie was endeavoring to do his best, Italy struck the blow under Mussolini, with the assistance of the other European nations who connived with him as by indications (Garvey). Southard, United States Minister to Ethiopia, who describedthe day and the rituals conducted as if looking backward in time to abiblical era: As Sunday, November 2, dawned clear, all in Addis Ababa began to prepare for the impressive event of the morning. He also states thatEthiopia remains a backward country, but he pointedly refuses to blameSelassie for this because Selassie did not have long to make changes beforebeing forced from his throne: For the time that he was head of the Empire he started to do good reform work, but it was the very attempt of these reforms that caused Italy to become impatient, feeling that if these reforms were allowed to continue the desire to conquer the country would not be fulfilled. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.