Wolde Giyorgis Wolde Yohannes ( gez, ወልደ ጊዮርጊስ ወልደ ዮሐንስ; 1901 – 29 July 1976) was an important government Minister during the reign of
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 (' ...
. Between 1941 and his downfall in 1955, he came to dominate Ethiopian politics for a decade and a half, not only serving as
Tsehafi Taezaz or Minister of the Pen (1941–1955), but at times Minister of the Interior (1943–1949), and Minister of Justice (1949–1955).
Life
Wolde Giyorgis was born in
Shewa, and received his education at the
Menelik II School
Menelik II School ( Amharic: ዳግማዊ ምኒሊክ ትምህርት ቤት) comprises primary (elementary) and secondary (high school) institutions. The primary school was established in 1908 by the order of Emperor Menelik II, being the first ...
. According to
John Spencer, he was the son of a saddle-maker and received "little formal education". Spencer considered him his friend, confessing that from "our first encounter at the headquarters at
Dessie
Dessiè City which is politically oppressed by the past Ethiopian government systems due to the fact that most of the population follow Islamic religion.
Dessie ( am, ደሴ, Däse; also spelled Dese or Dessye) is a town in north-central Ethiopia ...
, I was drawn to him by his lively use of French and his swift ironic wit. Throughout the 12 years of our collaboration, he and I, even in the midst of serious discussion in committee meetings, continued to indulge in ironic by-play."
He became Emperor
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 (' ...
's private secretary prior to the
Italian occupation, and accompanied his monarch into exile. When Emperor Haile Selassie returned to Ethiopia Wolde Giyorgis was at his side, having gained the Emperor's trust during their exile, as well as according to Bahru Zewde a "knack for political intregue", Bereket Habte Selassie writes that "he was responsible (next to the Emperorsome say next to no one) for the post-restoration establishment of a firm control over the capital and the provinces. He enjoyed immense power (or the confidence of the Emperor, which is the same thing) and, to many people, exemplified the older educated generation who were the Emperor's willing and efficient tools in his pursuit of the policy of complete centralization of power."
Wolde Giyorgis was much involved in negotiating the
Anglo-Ethiopian agreements of 1942 and 1944. He strongly opposed post-war British pressures on Ethiopia, most notably against British efforts to remain in occupation of the
Ogaden and the so-called Reserved Area adjacent to
British Somaliland. As a result,
Richard Pankhurst
Richard Marsden Pankhurst (1834 – 5 July 1898) was an English barrister and socialist who was a strong supporter of women's rights.
Early life
Richard Pankhurst was the son of Henry Francis Pankhurst (1806–1873) and Margaret Marsden (1 ...
notes, "several British officials went so far (incorrectly) as describing him as being 'anti-British'. For his part he used to say that he was not 'Anti-anybody, but pro-Ethiopian'. I emphasise this side of his life because it is highly relevant to our subject for today!"
However, in 1955 Wolde Giyorgis fell from favor, and a group of four ambitious ministers moved into his place:
Makonnen Habte-Wold,
Ras
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
Abebe Aregai
''Ras'' Abebe Aregai (18 August 1903 – 17 December 1960) was an Ethiopian military commander who, during the Italian occupation, led a group of resistance fighters (collectively known as the ''Arbegnoch'' or "Patriots") that operated in ...
, Ras
Andargachew Masai, and General
Mulugeta Bulli. As Christopher Clapham observed, "Not least of among the emperor's achievements was the way in which he caused the resentment both of the nobility and of frustrated reformers to be directed against Wolde Giyorgis rather than himself, thus remaining detached from policies for which he was essentially responsible."
[Cited in ]
After his downfall, Wolde Giyorgis served as Governor of
Arsi (1955–1960), and of
Gamu-Gofa
Gamu-Gofa was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, named after two of the ethnic groups living within its boundaries, the Gamo and the Gofa. First incorporated into Ethiopia by Emperor Menelik II in the 1880s , its capital was first at ...
(1960–1961). He left Ethiopia for medical treatment, just before 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 ...
of 1974, becoming an exile in Britain where he died two years later. Wolde Giyorgis was buried in
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...
.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolde Yohannes, Wolde Giyorgis
1901 births
1976 deaths
Government ministers of Ethiopia
Ethiopian exiles
Ethiopian expatriates in the United Kingdom
Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
20th-century Ethiopian politicians