Ethiopia Quotes
We generally associate expansionism in Africa with the European powers, but under Menelik, Ethiopia expanded its empire greatly while the Europeans were carving up other parts of Africa. When the Italians who didn’t take Ethiopia seriously, tried to grab the territory that Menelik had already grabbed, Menelik’s forces repulsed then in a humiliating defeat for Italy at Adowa in 1896. As a Christian Empire, Menelik thought Ethiopia had a right to African expansionism along with the Christian European powers as bringing Christianity to the pagans was one of the major moral justifications of African expansionism.
This line was used in the WPA Federal Theater Project. The play was closed down, because the State Department was distressed that the Federal Theater quoting heads of State might be insulting to the world leaders. Mussolini was another character in the play and he was depicted as the boorish thug that he turned out to be. It was that which offended the government officials who closed the show before it could open. FDR used a similar line 6 years later. See {32529} . Dolores Ibarruri in the Spanish Civil War is quoted with a similar phrase at about the same time. See {604321}
In 1936, Fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia in an effort to obtain an African colony like other European Countries had. Over 50 nations had promised aid to Ethiopia if attacked but then the Italian attacks came, it was not just soldiers with some small artillery and vehicles. Instead it was a full modern army with not only heavy artillery and tanks, but extensive use of air power against villages and towns which generally hardly had rifles. The airplane carnage of civilian populations was a shock to the world. However, the tactics were studied by the Italian German Fascist allies who further developed air power use against unarmed towns and cities in the Spanish Civil war. The aid promised to Christian Ethiopia never materialized because there was a worldwide depression and the great powers would have had to commit to major war—not just send some arms and ammunition. The Ethiopians mostly fought with spears and knives. The Fascists were thus emboldened for the invasion of Europe a few years later.
Of the 10, 596 Italian troops, 4,133 were killed or missing and 2,000 were captured. Baratieri was court-marshaled but acquitted. Italy’s imperial African plans were dashed. This defeat did much to create and sustain the poor world military reputation of the Italians extending to this day.
Ethiopia was constructing on the Blue Nile, the biggest hydroelectric dam in Africa,. The water supply to Egypt is possibly likely to be somewhat reduced. Since Egypt’s 85 million people get 97 percent of their fresh water from the Nile, this has become a major issue in Egypt. Of course when Egypt constructed the Aswan Dam they, they were not concerned by any environmental effects it might have on other nations,
This is the Holy Book of the Afro Athlican Constructive Church. This Afro-centric religion, founded in the 1920s in America considered Blacks the “sons and daughters of Ethiopia,” recognized Rogers as “Shepard” and Marcus Garvey as "Prophet and Apostle". The religion and The Holy Piby was so threatening to established Negro religions of the time that it was banned in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. It is considered one of the fundamental religious sources for Rastafarians. It is often referred to as “The Black Man’s Bible.” It was translated from a “lost Amharic text” which tells of the lost tribe of Israel migrating to Ethiopia.
Mengustu seized power in a coup. However his Marxist Dictatorship was very unpopular and a civil war soon started. The poorly armed opposition used guerrilla warfare insurgency techniques. Since the government was hated by most people there was much support for the guerrilla in the villages and countryside. Mengustu adopted a policy of genocide. The areas of the country which were sympathetic to the revolutionaries were then systematically starved by the government withholding food and attacked by allies who he armed.
