Emperor Haile Selassie

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Fascinating Peek into Palace Intrigue
Uncanny observations
incapable of distniguishing between fact and fiction
Eyewitness to a Strange History
The secret is out

The Emperor
Ryszard Kapuscinski
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679722033
Release Date: 1989-03-13

Amazon.com

Haile Selassie, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, enjoyed a 44-year reign until his own army gave him the boot in 1974. In the days following the coup, the Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski traveled to Ethiopia and sought out members of the imperial court for interviews.

His composite portrait of Selassie's crumbling imperium is an astonishing, wildly funny creation, beginning with the very first interview. "It was a small dog," recalls an anonymous functionary, "a Japanese breed. His name was Lulu. He was allowed to sleep in the Emperor's great bed. During various ceremonies, he would run away from the Emperor's lap and pee on dignitaries' shoes. The august gentlemen were not allowed to flinch or make the slightest gesture when they felt their feet getting wet. I had to walk among the dignitaries and wipe the urine from their shoes with a satin cloth. This was my job for ten years." (Well, it's a living.)

Elsewhere, the interviewees venture into tragic or grotesque or downright unbelievable terrain. Kapuscinski has shaped their testimonies into an eloquent whole, and while he never alludes to the totalitarian regime that ruled his native Poland during the same period, the analogy is impossible to ignore.

Book Description

Haile Selassie, King of Kings, Elect of God, Lion of Judah, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, reigned from 1930 until he was overthrown by the army in 1974. While the fighting still raged, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Poland's leading foreign correspondent, traveled to Ethiopia to seek out and interview Selassie's servants and closest associates on how the Emperor had ruled and why he fell. This "sensitive, powerful. . .history" (The New York Review of Books) is Kapuscinski's rendition of their accounts—humorous, frightening, sad, groteque—of a man living amidst nearly unimaginable pomp and luxury while his people teetered netween hunger and starvation.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Peek into Palace Intrigue.......2007-03-27

The Emperor is a speed-read glimpse into the palace intrigue and daily life at the court of Haile Selassie (King of Kings, Elect of God, Lion of Judah). It takes place over the last years of Selassie's reign, and is in effect an oral history by the people who lived in the palace. Kapuscinski supplies just enough historical context to barely stitch the stories together into a cohesive whole. One is left with the feeling of having been there, of having witnessed the end of the reign and the end of an era for Ethiopia, for Africa, and for world politics. For all of Kapuscinski's hands-off style, he clearly has an opinion and argues it deftly. The 80-year-old emperor appears to us out of touch with his people, his country, and the age of things in the world. He lives in unimaginable luxury while thousands starve at the hands of the greedy nobles. He governs a vast country in a micomanagement style that has him authorizing any purchase with government funds over $10. Perhaps the clearest picture is the capricious autocracy with which he governs has all other government figures so focused on currying favor that they can't see the wretched starvation just outside their windows. All court employees, including the emperor's pillow-man, who's job is it to select just the right pillow to place under the emperor's feet so his little legs don't dangle from whatever throne he happens to be occupying, see themselves as indispensable to the governing of the country. Our final view of Selassie, being taken from the palace by the Derg officers who overthrew him, and caring only that he's being taken in a Volswagen rather than a limousine puts the final curlicue on a the picture Kapuscinski has been painting from the first page.

Uncanny observations.......2007-03-26

Kapuscinski has a knack for describing both the geographic landscape and the human condition in such a way that you can visualize it. He has a keen eye and mind for observation and analysis. All his books should be compulsory reading for anybody and everybody involved in any kind of aid activity in the third world - government agencies or charities.

incapable of distniguishing between fact and fiction.......2005-04-09

For a writer who is a trenchant critic of inaccuracy in news reporting this is a rather dysmal work as the reliability of his reportage is questionable. First off his informants here are mainly former Ethiopian court servants toiling in anonymity, indistinguishable and faceless like characters in one of those West-about-Africa movies. Only one of those who assisted him is given a full name because, Kapuciñski assures as, he is dead.
The book's entire strength derives mostly from the transcribed speech of these unnamed witnesses, their banters, hyperboles and turn of phrase. The cardinal sin that Kapuciñski commits is that he invented many of his informants. Many of the people who actually had the titles in the palace denied ever having said what Kapuciñski ascribes to them! It is only too convinient that the absence of proper names for the informants safety shrouded the whole issue of factuality.

The second glaring error, though effective in evoking irony and subtle narrative is his invented use of the courtly references to Sellasie: His Venerable Majesty, Benevolent Majesty, Sublime Majesty, His Charitable Majesty, Most Virtuous Highness, Exalted Majesty, to name a few; these honorifics correspond to no known expressions in the Amharic language. In actual fact speech employed at the court was strictly limited to one or two names for the king of kings. Some of the titles, the dog pee cleaner for instance are invented, perhaps for dramatic impact. Kapuciñski does not make any of this known in the book.

There are many other factual errors that are sloppy at best. For instance, Kapuciñski asserts that Haile Selassie did not read books! Everything had to be relayed to him by word of mouth. Dear oh dear me! Haile Selassie's reading habits are historically documented by writers and specifically by one Hans Lockot, in his memoir, The Mission. Lockot was the head of research at the National Library of Ethiopia during the Emperor's reign. Also the huge library Haile Selassie kept attest to his skills in Amharic and French. Add to this his written office records and the recorded speeches he made in English, Kapuciñski appears foolish for labouring this point rather too long.

These errors make the book feeble. However Kapuciñski could have corrected them by revealing the names of his informants in subsequent editions (after all it is thirty years gone now and besides many of the so-called informants have officially served as witnesses in the Dergue officials' trials). He could also make a clear statement in the introduction that the book should be taken as an allegorical tale of autocratic regimes based on actual events.

On a positive note the book's technical achievement is in its brilliant device, of whispers, old manner of speech, operatic hyperbole of cloak and dagger politics and the pervasive pompous tone of imperial court which gave a continuous vivid picture of sustained subversion and a sketchy account of the incipient revolution. Shame that such a quality work is overshadowed by Kapuciñski reluctance to drop his claim of factual reportage.

Eyewitness to a Strange History.......2003-08-25

This is a very unique book presenting a seemingly casual investigation of the last days of Haile Selassie's reign in Ethiopia. Note that this is not a history of Ethiopia or Selassie's reign, so prior knowledge on these subjects would be an advantage. Kapuscinski offers clandestine interviews with members of the Emperor's court and ministries, as they watched the slow and rather bizarre downfall of the autocrat. While non-Ethiopians often see Selassie as an enlightened visionary and Moses-like leader of his people, the reality was much different closer to home. Here we find an entrenched demagogue more concerned with preserving his power with little knowledge of the lives of his subjects. He surrounded himself with yes-men with the same self-preserving motives, and like any fading dictator he regularly purged anyone even remotely connected to independent thinkers. In one interview, a member of the court regrets sending his son to college, as the young man became infested with ideas that were not loyal to the Emperor, though they were probably accurate. Kapuscinski's anonymous subjects underhandedly point out their leader's faults while constantly heaping titles on him like "His Enlightened Majesty" or "His Benevolent Highness." This indicates the leader's cult of personality and his employees' pathological fear of losing his favor. We then see the classic fall of an out-of-touch despot, as he was ousted in one of the weirdest revolutions of all time. This unique book seems like lightweight reporting at the surface, but ultimately offers numerous lessons in power and corruption, and Selassie's story offers many parallels for autocrats around the world and throughout history. [~doomsdayer520~]

The secret is out.......2003-04-26

Kapuscinski is one of the best at this type of writing...and perhaps THE best writer on Africa in general. The Emperor is easy to read and will not bog you down with page after page of boring political details.

This is my favorite Kapuscinski book. The style is totally unique and the people of Ethopia will owe the author a debt of gratitude for recording the history held within. For example.....the author found and interviewed the only person (his butler/servant) to be with the Emperor during the last weeks of his reign. He found the servant in hiding and he must have been very old.

Through a series of interviews with the palace staff....the writer paints a complete picture of what the Emporer was like and what it was like for the dignitaries and servants that had to compete for his favor. I didn't realize the quality of what I had read until I completed the book and then I continued to reflect on it for weeks.

Book Description

A collector's Jewel. A rare Find. Photographs and text of the inauguration of Ras Tafari to the Ethiopian throne in 1930.

Customer Reviews:

Selassie I Coronation.......2005-05-27

All good books can still be improved upon and this is no exception. That doesn't take away from it's value as a collection of photographs of the events surrounding the November 2, 1930 Coronation of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I.

wadada,

Jah-Jim

A slim volume.......2001-11-17

This thinnest of books is nothing more than a handful of poorly captioned photos. Its price is beyond belief considering its paltry contents. Be warned.

The Testimony of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I: Defender of the Faith

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The Testimony of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I: Defender of the Faith
Karl Phillpotts
Manufacturer: Zewd Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0960968415

50th Anniversary Of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie: First Visit To The United States 1954-2004

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50th Anniversary Of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie: First Visit To The United States 1954-2004
Ras Nathaniel
Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Rastafarian Mysticism: An Introduction to the Mysteries of Nyahbinghi

ASIN: 1412037026

Beyond the Throne: The Enduring Legacy of Emperor Haile Selassie I

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Beyond the Throne: The Enduring Legacy of Emperor Haile Selassie I
Indrias Getachew
Manufacturer: Shama Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1931253005

Book Description

Endorsed by the royal family, this is an intimate look into the life of a man who was considered a tyrant by some and a messiah by others. The descendent of a royal bloodline dating back to Biblical times, the life of the emperor was as rich and epic as his heritage. This book is a detailed look at man who stands as one of the prominent historical figures of the twentieth century. The beautiful edition has never-before-seen photographs of the emperor and showcases the work of one of a young new Ethiopian writer and two of the world's top specialists in Ethiopian history.

Important Utterances of H.I.M Emperor Haile Selassie I

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Important Utterances of H.I.M Emperor Haile Selassie I
Haile Selassie
Manufacturer: One Drop Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1890358029

The Emperor's Clothes: A Personal Viewpoint on Politics and Administration in the Imperial Ethiopian Government 1941-1974 (African Series)

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Excellent insight into Ethiopian society
Waiting for his book about today's politics
A Must Read for Any Elected or Appointed Officails
A No-nonsense Personal Account of Ethiopian Politics
SHAMEFUL CARELESS ETHIOPIAN

The Emperor's Clothes: A Personal Viewpoint on Politics and Administration in the Imperial Ethiopian Government 1941-1974 (African Series)
Gaitachew Bekele
Manufacturer: Michigan State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Excellent insight into Ethiopian society.......2007-01-13

There have been few books on Ethiopia written by insiders; prominent members; ministers in various Ethiopian regimes. So this book is a valuable resource for those who wish to gain a better understanding of Ethiopian society and politics. It's an honest and detailed account, giving the reader plenty of material to interpret and with which to form hypotheses about Ethiopian society.

I agree with the reviewer Andrea Arslan, it's a must read for those interested in Ethiopia.

Waiting for his book about today's politics.......2002-08-23

As a foreigner living in Ethiopia, I could understand many things I have been wondering about just after reading this book. Ethiopian culture, the way people behave in government institutions and the feeling Ethiopians have about their past and about politics were big issues in which I couldn't see any sense. Now, after reading Ato Gaitachew's book Ethiopia's development or rather non-development seems to be a really logical consequence of its history.
I also had the pleasure to meet the author personally and I am hoping that he might write a second volume.
I strongly recommend this book to everybody who is interested in Ethiopia.

A Must Read for Any Elected or Appointed Officails.......2000-12-27

I found the Emperor's Clothes to be very insightful, well-written and controversial book. Particularly, I like how the events are laid out in a very concise and logical manner. I appreciate the authors direct and no-nonsense approach; I hope the Emperor's Clothes will serve the current and future officials (in Ethiopia) as a reference material. I recommend this book for any Ethiopian government official as a must read book.

A No-nonsense Personal Account of Ethiopian Politics.......2000-02-16

A moving personal account of politics and administration of Emperor Haile Selassie's government by an Ethiopian that was "there" during key defining times. This book may be difficult to swallow for people that blindly worship Emperor Haile Selassie the legend as the author demonstrates his respect and love for Ethiopia and it's traditions including the monarchy as an institution, but not necessarily the monarch who did not live up to the author's expectation of someone holding this high position.

One of the themes of this book is that the erosion of the value and respect for the great Ethiopian tradition in lieu of foreign traditions, contributed the downfall of Imperial Ethiopia. The author backs this up with numerous tangible examples, but chooses as the basis for the title of the book one symbolic example of how the emperor who was once represented in Ethiopian traditional clothes was later decked out in a British military uniform at a wax museum. The title is quite fitting as the book also focuses on the people surrounding the emperor - an interesting analogy with Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor 's New clothes" for those familiar with this book.

SHAMEFUL CARELESS ETHIOPIAN.......2000-02-10

I made the terrible mistake of buying this book. The author writes as if he were more worthy of ruling Ethiopia than His Imperial Majesty his self. Throughout this book the author makes it a point to insult His Majesty who he personally benefited from. He questions His Majesty choice of clothes hence his title which I find sad but amusing. Its the worst literature I've ever read about Ithiopia. I which judement upon this careless Ethiopian.

Rasta: : Emperor Haile Sellassie and the Rastafarians

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rasta and its origin
very good for what it set out to do

Rasta: : Emperor Haile Sellassie and the Rastafarians
Jah Ahkell
Manufacturer: Frontline Distribution International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0948390018

Book Description

A classic look at the relationship between Emperor Haile Sellassie 1 and the Rastafarians.

Customer Reviews:

rasta and its origin.......2000-05-11

this book is a great interpretation of rasta, the beliefs of rasta, and the practices of its members. anyone who wants to know more about the rastafarian movements, or just the rasta religion should read this insightful and enlightening book.

very good for what it set out to do.......1999-10-15

good info for people who are new to rastafari....it gives basic start up info....good for people who need to get certain ideas cleared up

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Very British, and very interesting
Vast in scope but satisfying all the same
The Original Ras Tafarian Hero
Great war narrative
Too Bad It's Out Of Print

Haile Selassie's War
Anthony Mockler
Manufacturer: Olive Branch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Legacy of Bitterness: Ethiopia and Fascist Italy, 1935-1941
Emperor
The Italian Invasion of Abyssinia 1935-36 (Men-at-Arms)
Amedeo: A True Story of Love and War in Abyssinia
A History of Ethiopia Updated Edition

ASIN: 1566564735

Book Description

"Half-man, half-snake" was how the Emperor Haile Selassie was described by one of his most ferocious rivals, the eunuch Balcha, who had commanded the artillery at the battle of Adowa where the first Italian invasion of Ethiopia was bloodily repulsed. Forty years later the old Galla warrior was to die, machine-gun in hand, once again attempting, this time without success to halt the Italian intruders.

Anthony Mocker's immensely readable epic history is divided into three parts. First the scene is set in Ethiopia, still feudal, and in Italy, newly fascist. The second part describes in compelling detail the Italian invasion and the battles in the north: it ends with the invaders in undisputed control of their new Roman Empire and with Haile Selassie living in apparently hopeless exile near Bath.

The final section recounts how, following Italy's entry into World War II, British Somali land was invaded and conquered and fears of a British debacle spread all over East Africa. But then the tide of battle turned. As Mussolini's dreams crumbled into dust and his armies into defeat, the ex-Emperor, supported by the bold but amateurish troops of Orde Wingate's Gideon Force, fought his way step by step back into full control of his Empire, despite all the attempts to stop him by Italians, Ethiopians, and even by his allies the British.

First published in 1984, this revised edition of Anthony Mockler's acclaimed history contains a new foreword by the author. Praised as "a memorable book" by John Keegan in the Sunday Times, Haile Selassie's War remains an epic tale of colonial ambition, warfare, and heroism.

Customer Reviews:

Very British, and very interesting.......2007-01-19

This is probably the only generally available book on both of the wars involving Ethiopia during the 30s and 40s. Haile Selassie was the Emporer or Ethiopia from 1930 until the 60s, and this book recounts first the conquest of the country by Italy in 1936, then the colonialization of the country during its occupation, and finally the liberation of the nation in 1941 by the British. Besides the Emporer himself, the book involves many interesting characters, from Archibald Wavell, Winston Churchill, Orde Wingate, and William Slim, around to Rodolfo Graziani, the Duke of Aosta, and Benito Mussolini. The setting is Ethiopia itself, a vast, mostly trackless country, full of warring tribes, warlords vying for power, and foreigners trying to stay out of danger.

Mockler's interest, for the most part, is recounting the basics of the conflict. He pays special attention to the effect of the changing face of Ethiopian politics on the various personalities in the nation, and of course those outside it but involved in the narrative. Mockler starts the account by telling the story of the Battle of Adowa in the 1890s, where the Italians tried to conquer the country in order to turn it into a colony. Ethiopia was one of two countries who were still not colonies at that time, and Italy coveted it as a colony. The Ethiopians were stronger than other tribes that resisted colonialization, and of course the Italians weren't as well organized as the British or as ruthless as the Belgians. The defeat at Adowa left the Italians jealous and angry, thinking that the Ethiopians had rejected colony status, and of course all Europeans at the time imagined that subject people wanted, or at least should want, to be subjects of a European nation.

One difficulty that I had with the book is pretty much outside the parameters of what the writer can control. The country of Ethiopia and the people have very strange, foreign-sounding names. Of course they don't sound foreign to them, but to an American, they're hard to take in. One city discussed repeatedly in the text is called Debra Markos (sounds like a waitress at a diner in New Jersey to me) and one of the warlords is named Endalketchew. I always wanted to say Gesundheit when I saw his name.

Outside of that, I enjoyed the book a great deal. The author deals with the issues presented by the events intelligently, and the result is a very good book.

Vast in scope but satisfying all the same.......2005-11-22

Haile Selassie's War is a historical account that should satisfy the professional and amateur historian alike. On the whole the author handles a set of material that is highly complex and potentially confusing (such as the intrigues of the Ethiopian nobles) and does a great job in keeping up with them without losing the reader along the way.

Due to the vast subject matter, we get to know everyone and everything a little, but largely superficially. Even in regard to the Emperor himself, we follow his rise to power and intrigues with his often-rebellious nobles and rivals, but we get to know little of this man apart from his political actions. What were the influences of his boyhood and early manhood? What was the impact of his diminutive size in terms of his prestige among other, more warlike nobles. Perhaps these things can no longer be determined. But others might have been answerable, such as who was the Empress and what was her influence? What of his sons, his daughters? We get little back-story and meet most of them whilst he is already an exile in England.

On the whole, though, I can have nothing but admiration for Mockler's treatment of the subject. I found the book immensely readable, despite the odd grammatical "gremlin". Although I am a historian by profession I often find large historical monographs of this ilk very hit and miss; I usually find myself skimming through pages and chapters to pick up the story at a more interesting place. With this one, however, I didn't skip a single paragraph and found it all completely fascinating. I also enjoyed the small doses of dry humour injected by Mockler in places, especially where he allows the personalities of some of the characters involved to shine through a little, like the Italian pilot "Gina's brother", "Lawrence of Ethiopia" Ord Wingate, and of course the indefatigable Wilf Thesiger.

And finally, while there are no blushes spared from either Italian (for its harsh regime), British (for their distinct lack of enthusiasm for the Emperor's cause) or Ethiopian (for their serial treachery and indeed the Emperor's own brand of harsh justice) perspectives, insufficient attention, I believe, is focused on the war crimes of the fascists, in particular the use of mustard gas and large-scale execution of civilians (these are examined only cursorily).

The maps, family trees, chronologies and biographical index were all very useful tools - but what about a few photographs? Certainly a picture or two can assist the reader with fixing images in their minds of the personalities and the landscapes being discussed in the text. It would have enhanced my reading of this book quite a bit. My only other irk with this book was the large number of quotations in French and Italian that the author had not bothered to translate for us. I can get by on my high-school French but it is perhaps a little unreasonable of the author to expect readers to be fluent in several languages, when a simple translation in the footnotes would suffice.

Nonetheless I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of Ethiopia, East Africa, World War II, Fascist Italy or Haile Selassie (Ras Tafari) himself.

The Original Ras Tafarian Hero.......2004-09-09

Ras Tafari, last Emperor of Ethiopia, otherwise known as Haile Selassie, lived the last of his days during the 1970s as a weird diplomatic footnote, but in his prime, he was equal to his title "Lion of Judah." Upon ascending to the Ethiopian throne in the mid 1930s - an ancient and fascinating institution, due to the unique Christian heritage of Ethiopia - he was forced to defend his homeland against the Italian invader. Though his troops fought bravely, Selassie was forced temporarily to seek exile in Bath (England), where he languished for about four years. Then, in 1940, the British Army was able to deliver vengeance to the Italians, as they extinguished the entire Italian presence in East Africa, rolling up Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia and returning Selassie to Addis Abbaba. Mockler's account of Haile Selassie's two wars is meticulous and well-written, and includes interesting stories about a number of highly significant players such as Orde Wingate (the T.E. Lawrence of WW2), the Duke of Aosta (and Italian prince who got tangled up in the Abyssinian adventure) and Mussolini.

Great war narrative.......2003-07-07

This is an excellent chronicle of the Italo-Ethiopian conflict and then of the battles in Africa during WWII between Italy and Britain. It is narrated very well and I rarely felt lost or confused. This is a great book and would be a welcome edition to any library.

Too Bad It's Out Of Print.......2002-03-06

This is probably one of the best war histories ever written. Mockler's superb book outlines the causes, actions and consequences of the Italo-Ethiopian conflict from Italy's first (foiled) attempt at conquest in 1896 at Adowa to Haile Selassie's final overthrow in the early 1970s by a military junta.
Mockler was exceedingly fortunate to have interviewed some of the people who appear in his book. Many were old men and several were later reported murdered by the Marxist Dengue that set up shop after throwing Selassie out.
Most of the story focuses on the 1936 war between the two countries when Fascist Italy conquered feudal Ethiopia, the last independent nation in Africa at the time. So often portrayed as barefoot and spear-carrying warriors, Mockler shows us that parts of the Ethiopian Army were fairly well-armed and trained. But it was still underdeveloped and relied heavily on massed attacks that guaranteed being massacred by the mechanized, well-equipped Italians. The book continues through the Italian occupation, the Ethiopian resistance, the declaration of war between Italy and Britain in World War Two, the Emperor's return and Ethiopia's eventual independence. It is rife with intrigue, plots and treachery, as Ethiopian nobles plotted with and against each other to see who would eventually wear the crown. It is an exquisitely crafted piece of work and it is a great great shame that it is no longer in print.

Haile Sellassie I: The Formative Years 1892-1936

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Haile Sellassie I: The Formative Years 1892-1936
Harold G. Marcus
Manufacturer: Red Sea Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Rasta: : Emperor Haile Sellassie and the Rastafarians

ASIN: 1569020086

Book Description

His role approximated Europe's absolutist rulers of the transitional period between feudalism and capitalism. Like his Western counterparts, Haile Sellassie introduced a standing army, a permanent bureaucracy, new forms of taxation, uniform laws, and the mechanisms of a national economy. He also came to control the landed aristocracy, whose authority he redefined and whose functions he redirected to strengthen his increasingly centralized state. The emperor supported his programs through more efficient exploitation of the existing modes of agricultural production, in whose interstices merchant capitalism grew in cooperation with the ruling elites. Even though the Ethiopian absolutist social formation anticipated a more advanced method of production, it contained elements of social organization that characterized earlier centralized empires.

As had the Egyptian pharaoh, the Chinese emperor, and the Persian king of kings, Haile Sellassie constructed a bureaucracy in which talent, skill, achievement, and, above all, loyalty to the ruler counted more than ethnic or social origins. The emperor's men ensured that the crown received a continuous flow of resources to maintain the machinery of royal and bureaucratic authority. Together with their patron, "they strove to concentrate in their own hands, the main centers of power and control in the country"; they codified and unified law, regularized revenue collection, and standardized administrative practices. The bureaucrats also helped to portray the ruler as the heir to ancient cultural traditions, whose importance would be strengthened through his governance. The king and his men fostered belief in ancient prescriptions through educational, cultural, and religious institutions. Uninterested in any new and secular legitimation base his authority on traditional or charismatic themes and on the mystification surrounding the monarchy. As this study reveals, Haile Sellassie built a bureaucratic, absolutist monarchy that related to the world capitalist economy. Yet, however much such an abstraction helps us to understand the complexities of a period of long personal rule, it would have meant little to the emperor himself, involved as he was in the daily business of power and authority. Haile Sellassie viewed himself as the embodiment of Ethiopia's proud sovereignty and independence. His national vision derived from his early experiences as heir of Ras Makonnen, a military ruler whose army kept order and whose officers constituted an oligarchy that exploited a polyglot, non-Christian population. Haile Sellassie naturally regarded this political order as normal and in the best interests of Ethiopia's peoples. He governed, as had his immediate predecessors, by acting as the country's balancer of power, a method that worked well in a customary government that mediated between the ruling classes and the masses. His limited Western education directed him toward change, however, and he introduced modern institutions whose functions he never clearly understood. He found them useful, however, because they added to imperial power and to the authority of the central government that acted in the emperor's name. Haile Sellassie always worked behind the scenes, manipulating actors and events to his advantage. His political goals were obvious, even if his tactics were concealed. He was always involved, though always proclaiming his innocence, his inaction, his isolation from events. He never admitted his nature as a politician but posed as a tool of fate, ready to do God's will or the will of the people. His apparent noninvolvement in politics only underscores the obscurity in which he maneuvered; the emperor's deft hand was invariably apparent in retrospect, and his careful planning became as obvious a success. He was such a good actor, however , that even thoughtful persons never understood the Haile Sellassie was able to educate a cadre of "Young Ethiopians" to strengthen the central government, to transform Addis Ababa, his ramshackle capital, into a leading city, and to begin securing Ethiopia's frontiers from encroachment by adjacent colonial powers. Ever jealous of his country's sovereignty and independence, the emperor also directed Ethiopia's trade and other activities away from its traditional European partners toward Japan and America, both of whom he believed supported his country's independence. By so doing, he robbed France of a good economic reason to protect Ethiopia from Italy; he alienated Great Britain; and he permitted Italy to contemplate his nation's conquest. Mussolini regarded Ethiopia's progress, especially after 1928, when Haile Sellassie gained indisputable power, as potentially threatening Somalia and Eritrea and as marking Italy's failure to transform the Solomonic Empire into a roman colony. During 1930-1932, domestic political considerations drove him to consider an attack on Ethiopia, and by 1934-1935, the European situation permitted the aggression. By then, Ethiopia was without allies and without the means to counter the Fascists. Haile Sellassie learned, as would other leaders, that collective security was the opiate of small, defenseless countries. Although the emperor would suffer defeat, despair, and exile, he would return in 1941, as a phoenix, to restore the status quo ante.

Political Leaders:

Political Leaders

Political Leaders