EMPROR HAILE SELASSIE

The short notes of Tefari Mokonnin

Tefari was born in 24th July 1892. From his father Ras Mokonnin Woldie Michael and his mother Yeshimebet Ali in Ajarsa Goro 30 km apart from the Islamic holly land Harar . Tefari train in French language till he became Addis Ababa in his 10th year in 1902. he got the tittle ‘DEJ AZMACH ‘ in Nov 18 1906 since he appointed as the governor of ‘Gora Malate ‘. His father was died when he was 14th in March 21st 1906.

Tefari was appointed as the governor in 1907 in Bosso/Begemdr, 1908 in sidamo after two years he became the ruler of Hararge.In July 1911 he married the grand daughter of king Michael. When he was 19 his wife Menen born TenagneWork for him.

During the appointment of empress Zewuditu, Dejazmach Tefari got the tittle ‘RAS’ from the empress. Until 1923 he was the father of ASFAWOSSON, ZENEBWORK, TSEHAY, MEKONNIN & SAHLE SELASSIE.

Emperor Haile Selassie & his parliamentary system

After he become the 225th king of solomonic dynasty he decided to modernize the over all parts of Ethiopia via a good governance & democratic system. As he was the first leader that who declared constitution for Ethiopia in 19th July 1931 he thought that :-

“Constitution is the only choice to survive peacefully. Respects & benefits of citizen a rise from the acceptable law of the country .’’

The draft of constitution was signed by 24 the highest authorized leaders including the emperor, patriarchs, knights, princess & ministers. The constitution was respects rights of people, land lords & tenants through fair equality.

Even if the constitution shows the brightness of the emperor some scholars oppose some articles from the supreme law of the country.For instant :- article 2 :- tells about the people, the land & the laws are belong to the king.Article 3:- the power of the government must in the hands of solomonic dynasty.

Article 5:-since the king has the divine power no one accuse him.

These the above & the other was some of criticized articles of 1931 constitution. After many years the author of the first constitution of Ethiopia Bejrond Tekle Hawaryat say’s

‘During that time our interest was not emphasizing the parliament but we were interested imposing the rule and regulation of the government. We believe that each ethnic society was represented through there leaders, land lords, knights and so on.’

The members of the upper & lower chamber were not only rulers but also scholars & others. For instance Betiweded WeldieTsadik Goshu & Blaten Geta Sahlu Tsedalu were president & vice president of upper chamber respectively.

In Nov 1st 1932 the new parliament was opened. The parliament had seven committee such as law makers, foreign affairs, military, budget, public service & the committee that select the committee members

For the sake of accountability the parliament member was elected as there income & property until 1955. In 1955 rewritten constitution declared that each person has the right to elect & to be elected when he or she was 18 & 21 respectively

Until 1974 the emperor was elected 5 time since 1958. the election was took over 4 years.Relatively he built the democratic system for Africa & Ethiopia.

Over the next four decades, Haile Selassie presided over a country and government that was an expression of his personal authority. His reforms greatly strengthened schools and the police, and he instituted a new constitution and centralized his own power.

In 1936 he was forced into exile after Italy invaded Ethiopia. Haile Selassie became the face of the resistance as he went before the League of Nations in Geneva for assistance, and eventually secured the help of the British in reclaiming his country and reinstituting his powers as emperor in 1941.

Haile Selassie again moved to try to modernize his country. In the face of a wave of anti-colonialism sweeping across Africa, he granted a new constitution in 1955, one that outlined equal rights for his citizens under the law, but conversely did nothing to diminish Haile Selassie's own powers.

In such an era, words like "pan-Africanism" and "civil rights" were little more than esoteric philosophical notions entertained by an enlightened few. That a country as backward as Italy, whose widespread poverty prompted the emigration of millions, would seek to devour a nation like Ethiopia, was an irony too subtle to raise eyebrows outside the most sophisticated intellectual circles. With British backing, Haile Selassie returned to defeat the Italian army which, in the event, the Allies never viewed as much more than a nuisance. The British themselves considered the Ethiopian campaign in its strategic context --as a way to free the Red Sea from possible Axis control-- as much as the liberation of a sovereign nation. To the Ethiopians, it was as much a moral victory as a military one.

Haile Selassie & Italian invasion of Ethiopia

The infamous Walwal incident provided the pretext Mussolini needed. Walwal was an oasis in the Ogaden dessert, along the boarder between Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland. The Italians contrived a boarder dispute and occupied Walwal in 1930. After a boarder clash in 1934, Mussolini claimed that Italy had been wronged and demanded satisfaction. Ethiopia appealed to the League for arbitration. But the League's response was sluggish at best.

It was then when Emperor Haile Selassie, complained to the League of Nations, calling on the League to invoke its doctrine of collective security.  An attack on one member of the League was supposed to be regarded as an attack on all members. Indeed, it was this protection that had inspired him to join the League in the first place against the wishes of the hostile nobility who wanted no part of a "foreigners" League. Still, like many after the bloodletting of The Great War, Selassie put his faith in the League to stop future wars. 

What was not foreseen however, was Hitler's rapid rise to power in Germany. By this time, Britain and France had still hoped to contain Hitler.  It was thought that Mussolini's Italy could still serve as a bulwark against German ambitions in Austria, and thus did not want alienate Mussolini over what they considered an unimportant African state.  French and British attempts to ease the dispute were often made at the expense of Ethiopian interests.

On 29 September 1935, Emperor Selassie announced that he had no choice but to mobilize Ethiopia's large, but poorly equipped army.  Mussolini launched a full scale invasion on 3 October. The League responded by condemning the invasion and imposing economic sanctions on Italy. However the sanctions we not only weak, but were not taken seriously by all members, especially France and the United Kingdom.  The weakness of the League thus exposed, Ethiopia was left alone. The invasion is regarded as one of the most one-sided and brutal of the 20th century.  By early May Emperor Selassie evacuated the capital city of Addis Ababa.  On May 7th, Italy officially annexed Ethiopia.

Haile Selassie addressed the League on 20 June 1936, the same time that the League officially condemned the Italian invasion and annexation.  During his address he asked, "What answer shall I take back to my people?" warning further that, "It is us today, it will be you tomorrow." The Emperor was toasted and hailed around the world by anti-fascists, and Time magazine named him "Man of the Year". Today his prophetic words to the League of Nations are often cited as a foreshadowing the Second World War to the ill-prepared nations of the world.

Haile Selassie was the first state visitor of USA from Africa

In 1954, as the invitation of president Dwight D. Eisenhower, the emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie ‘king of kings conquering lion of the tribe of Judah elect of God’ made his first official state visit to USA, a two month ago. 7000 miles tour of best known international celebrities at the time, remembered for his eloquent appeal for collective security to the league of Nations in 1936 when Mussolini’s -

Fascists invaded our for his sending Ethiopian troops to join UN forces in the Korean war in 1950-53rd. Ethiopia enjoyed especial cachet in the united state for having been. ‘First to be freed ’from Axis occupation. For promptly signing the declaration of the UN founding conference at San Francisco in 1945.

Quotes"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph." Haile Selassie I

THANK YOU !!