The book provides a theoretical explanation of the major outcomes of Ethiopia's social revolution, namely, the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974 and the implementation of a far-reaching Marxist-Leninist revolution by a military committee (the Derg) and its collapse in 1991. The book extensively discusses the question of knowing whether existing theories of revolution throw light on the eruption of a radical revolution in Ethiopia and, most of all, whether they can accommodate the major anomaly of a socialist revolution being executed by a military committee that radicalized after the removal of the imperial regime. Hence the central thesis of the book: both the overthrow of the monarchical order and the radicalization of the Derg must be tied to social conditions that exasperated elite conflicts for scarce resources, with the consequence that the espousal of radical ideologies (socialism and ethnonationalism) became the sole avenue for the exclusive control of state power. Moreover, the book shows how the struggle of exclusive elites for the control of the state explains the Derg's need to put its fate in the hands of a providential leader, to wit, Mengistu Haile Mariam. In light of the theoretical debate over the role of charismatic leaders in history, the book establishes how Mengistu's narcissism led him to become the sole owner of the revolution and how his dictatorial rule brought about his own demise and that of the Derg, following the military defeat of the Ethiopian army in the hands of ethnonationalist insurgents. Another fundamental contribution of the book is a theoretical articulation of political conflicts and ideology that critically intervenes in the divisive issue of the primary cause of revolutions. Granted that ideology is more of a justification than a drive, the Ethiopian case illustrates how conflicts between mutually exclusive elites favor the path of political outbidding mobilizing utopian projects so as to galvanize the support of the masses. The perceived transcendence
Show moreThe book provides a theoretical explanation of the major outcomes of Ethiopia's social revolution, namely, the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974 and the implementation of a far-reaching Marxist-Leninist revolution by a military committee (the Derg) and its collapse in 1991. The book extensively discusses the question of knowing whether existing theories of revolution throw light on the eruption of a radical revolution in Ethiopia and, most of all, whether they can accommodate the major anomaly of a socialist revolution being executed by a military committee that radicalized after the removal of the imperial regime. Hence the central thesis of the book: both the overthrow of the monarchical order and the radicalization of the Derg must be tied to social conditions that exasperated elite conflicts for scarce resources, with the consequence that the espousal of radical ideologies (socialism and ethnonationalism) became the sole avenue for the exclusive control of state power. Moreover, the book shows how the struggle of exclusive elites for the control of the state explains the Derg's need to put its fate in the hands of a providential leader, to wit, Mengistu Haile Mariam. In light of the theoretical debate over the role of charismatic leaders in history, the book establishes how Mengistu's narcissism led him to become the sole owner of the revolution and how his dictatorial rule brought about his own demise and that of the Derg, following the military defeat of the Ethiopian army in the hands of ethnonationalist insurgents. Another fundamental contribution of the book is a theoretical articulation of political conflicts and ideology that critically intervenes in the divisive issue of the primary cause of revolutions. Granted that ideology is more of a justification than a drive, the Ethiopian case illustrates how conflicts between mutually exclusive elites favor the path of political outbidding mobilizing utopian projects so as to galvanize the support of the masses. The perceived transcendence
Show moreChapter 1. Controversies over the Nature of the Ethiopian Social Change Chapter 2. Theories of Revolution and the Ethiopian Discrepancies Chapter 3. Ideology and Power Struggle Chapter 4. Subjective Conditions of Social Revolutions Chapter 5. The Ideological Origins of Haile Selassie's Regime Chapter 6. Sociopolitical Origins of Haile Selassie's Regime Chapter 7. The Politics of Cooptation: Strengths and Weaknesses Chapter 8. Social Blockage and Rising Discontent Chapter 9. The Ethiopian Military and the Formation of the Derg Chapter 10. Disputes over the Radicalization of the Derg Chapter 11. Power Struggle and Radicalization Chapter 12. Conflicts for Power and the Rise of Mengistu Haile Mariam Chapter 13. Narcissism and Revolution Chapter 14. Ethnonationalism and Political Competition Chapter 15. The Fall of Mengistu and the Derg Chapter 16. Why Social Revolutions Fail? Chapter 17. Philosophical Extensions
Messay Kebede is professor of philosophy at the University of Dayton, Ohio.
There are books, and then there are Books. Messay Kebede has
written a Book. With sustained analytical brilliance, he
demonstrates how understanding Ethiopia contributes to the
understanding of the world. Ideology and Elite Conflicts represents
a major achievement in combining comparative history with political
and cultural analysis, all set within a philosophical frame.
*Donald L. Donham, University of California, Davis*
Messay Kebede has written an enormously important book. He
definitively places the Ethiopian revolution as one of the 20th
century's 'great revolutions,' on par with the Russian or Chinese
in terms of scope of transformation. Kebede provides a systematic
and compelling argument on one of the key puzzles of the
revolution. Internal power struggles within the military junta
known as the Derg, Kebede argues, drove this movement of
revolutionary change. Everyone interested in contemporary Ethiopia
or comparative revolutions will benefit from this book.
*Terrence Lyons, Co-Director, Center for Global Studies, George
Mason University*
This is a very informative book as it offers much needed help for
comprehending a critical period in Ethiopian history. In
well-research and organized chapters, it presents a synthesis of
both classical and contemporary works on revolutions in general and
the Ethiopian revolution in particular. This makes it useful for
readers who already know a lot about Ethiopian politics as well as
for those who are novices to the subject. Moreover, the book has a
multidisciplinary character and uses innovative and sophisticated
analysis that makes it appealing to political scientists,
philosophers, and historians and can serve as a guide to
understanding revolutions in the Third World.
*African Studies Quarterly*
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