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On 12 September 1974,
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
was deposed by the
Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
, a
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
-backed military junta that consequently ruled
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
until 1991. In February 1974, the
Ethiopian Revolution The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
accompanied by mutinies by military units of the government ignited that resented low payment. The Derg established Coordinating Council of the Armed Forces in June 1974, grew rapidly to topple the ministers of Haile Selassie under
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Endelkachew Makonnen '' Lij'' Endelkachew Makonnen (27 September 1927 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician. Born in Addis Ababa, his father, Ras Betwoded Makonnen Endelkachew, served as Prime Minister of Ethiopia in the 1950s. Endelkachew Makonnen ...
. Upon deposing the emperor, many of his personages and royal crowns fled to
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
like Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen. On 27 March 1975, the Derg abolished the
Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...
and implement Marxist-Leninist system and
nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...
all properties. Haile Selassie died on 27 August, with different sources attributed his death by
strangulation Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hanging ...
by the order of the military government or
natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...
during
prostate operation Prostatectomy (from the Greek , "prostate" and , "excision") as a medical term refers to the surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland. This operation is done for benign conditions that cause urinary retention, as well as for pro ...
.


Background

The
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...
mode of production has been major characteristics of the
Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...
economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
for number of centuries. The land – was the most essential mode of production – has been grabbed by the church over 25%,
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
and his family (20%), the feudal lords (30%) and state (18%), leaving a mere 7% to the 23 million and odd Ethiopian peasants. The landless peasants lost 75% of their produce to their landlords. In the late 18th and 19th century, the supply of slave labor for agriculture was commonplace and the landless tenants suffered from miserable life; any tenants who would not voluntarily provide the nominal service was considered a rebel and subsequently jailed. During the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, he promised the country to follow democracy and bring modernization such as introducing 1931 and 1958 Constitution. Haile Selassie faced severe backlash and negative reputations largely because of overtaxing system in Gojjam starting in 1930, famine of
Wollo Wollo (Amharic: ወሎ) was a historical province of northern Ethiopia that overlayed part of the present day Amhara, Afar, and Tigray regions. During the Middle Ages this region was known as Bete Amhara and had Amhara kings. Bete Amhara had ...
and Tigray in 1958, and autocratic land seizure. On 13 December 1960, a military coup d'état attempt was occurred in
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
's
Guenete Leul Palace The Guenete Leul Palace ("Paradise of Princes") is a palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was built by Emperor Haile Selassie in 1930. The Emperor and his family made the palace their main residence, but the seat of government remained at the Imp ...
by opposition groups
Germame Neway Germame Neway (; 14 August 1924 – 24 December 1960) was an Ethiopian politician known for his role in 1960 Ethiopian coup d'état attempt. He was leader of the Wolayita province, and the Somali province. Germame was a member of the aristocra ...
and
Mengistu Neway Mengistu Neway (1919 – 30 March 1961) was an Ethiopian commander of the Imperial Guard during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. He is noted for being one of the early dissidents of the Emperor's regime and for organizing the 1960 coup atte ...
after Haile Selassie returning from state visit in Brazil. This coup considered as the initial point of students movements against Haile Selassie government. In February 1965, students from
Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa University (AAU) ( am, አዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a national university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the oldest university in Ethiopia. AAU has thirteen campuses. Twelve of these are situated in Addis Ababa, ...
marched in streets under slogan "Land for the Tiller", demanding land reform and distribution. Along with combinations of armed resistance movement in Eritrea in early 1960s and some Ethiopian provinces in Bale,
Gojjam Gojjam ( ''gōjjām'', originally ጐዛም ''gʷazzam'', later ጐዣም ''gʷažžām'', ጎዣም ''gōžžām'') is a historical province in northwestern Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos. Gojjam's earliest western boundary ex ...
and Tigray, Haile Selassie government overwhelmed by early 1970s. In 1973, severe drought killed 100,000 people in the Wollo and Tigray, which notably degraded his public image. In February 1974, mutinies broke out in the military over low payment and intrigued by conflicts of Eritrea.


Event

In June 1974, the
Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
established Coordinating Council of the Armed Forces and the Police and National Army. Within three months, the Derg rapidly grown depose the emperor, followed by topple of Endelkachew Mekonnen cabinet. On 12 September 1974, Haile Selassie was imprisoned by group of police officers named Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, later renamed as the Derg. The 58 years-old former crown prince Asfaw Wossen along many patronages of the emperor exiled to London. On 23 November, the
Massacre of the Sixty The Massacre of the Sixty, or Black Saturday ( am, ጥቁሩ ቅዳሜ, ''tikuru kidami''), was an execution that took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia commissioned by the Derg government against 60 imprisoned former government officials at Kerch ...
was took place in which 60 officials of Haile Selassie government, including 2 premiers of military chief, executed by firing squad in
Kerchele Prison Alem Bekagn ( am, አለም በቃኝ, "Farewell to the World"), or 'Kerchele Prison', was a central prison in Ethiopia until 2004. Located in Addis Ababa, the prison possibly existed as early as 1923, under the reign of Empress Zewditu, but beca ...
. The execution heard over Ethiopian Radio in the next day; the council also included General
Aman Andom Aman Mikael Andom (; ti, ኣማን ሚካኤል ዓንዶም; 21 June 1924 – 23 November 1974) was an Eritrean general and the first post-imperial acting head of state of Ethiopia. He was appointed to this position following the coup d'éta ...
,
Aklilu Habte-Wold '' Tsehafi Taezaz'' Aklilu Habte-Wold ( am, አክሊሉ ሀብተ ወልድ; 12 March 1912 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician under Emperor Haile Selassie. He was foreign minister of Ethiopia from 1947 to 1958 and Prime Minister f ...
, Endelkachew Mekonnen, and Haile Selassie's grandson Admiral
Iskinder Desta Rear Admiral Iskinder Desta (6 August 1934 – 23 November 1974) was a member of the Ethiopian Imperial family and naval officer. A grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie I, he served as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Ethiopian Navy, its most ...
. Many executed people were from 200 former cabinet ministers, government officials, provincial governors, and judges who were held in cellars of National Palace awaiting trial on charges of corruption and maladministration. Inspired by Marxist-Leninist policy, the Derg abolished feudal system and implemented
nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...
system. On 21 March 1975, the Derg formally abolished the
Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...
, titles of the crown prince and princesses stepped down. On 27 August 1975, Haile Selassie died in small apartment inside his palace at the age of 83. Official sources attributed his death to
natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...
caused by
prostate operation Prostatectomy (from the Greek , "prostate" and , "excision") as a medical term refers to the surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland. This operation is done for benign conditions that cause urinary retention, as well as for pro ...
, but evidence emerged that he was killed by
strangulation Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hanging ...
in his bed by the order of the military government.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1974 Ethiopian coup detat 1974 in Ethiopia Haile Selassie Ethiopian Civil War Ethiopian Empire 20th century in Ethiopia