2 - The Political and Cultural Context

Summary

Those who reap the fruit from vain praise are the sycophants; the vainly glorified are left behind with the bitter truth.

The early twentieth century witnessed a vibrant intellectual discourse steered by the people described as ‘pioneers of change’ in Bahru (2002). This fascinating group of intellectuals, who happened to be the first to be exposed, directly or indirectly, to modern education, campaigned tirelessly for reform. They argued for administrative efficiency and social justice. The more advanced amongst them exposed the dependent nature of Ethiopia's political economy. Through their prolific writings in the fields of history and language in particular, they pushed the frontiers of knowledge. This vibrant discourse reached its zenith in the 1920s, with the weekly Berhanena Salam emerging as their preferred forum. In Tafari Makonnen (the future Emperor Haile Sellassie), they found a natural ally as he battled with the forces of tradition to introduce political and economic reform.

The coronation of Tafari in 1930 as Haile Sellassie marked the pinnacle of this reform movement. The progressive prince had come to assume absolute power, untrammelled any more by the forces of tradition that had checkered his ascent to the throne. In the first five years of his reign, he promulgated a constitution – the first of its kind in the country's history – that reinforced his ascendancy over the traditional nobility. He followed this up with the assertion of central government control over a number of the hitherto autonomous provinces, notably Gojjam and Jimma Abba Jifar.