The socialist experience in Ethiopia and its demise

Marxism-Lennism in Ethiopia had an indigenous appeal which explains its adoption both by the central regime after the 1974 revolution, and by its main opponents. For the military government, it combined ruthless centralization with radical social change. For regional opposition groups, it was a doctrine of insurgent warfare. Both the central government and the EPLF (Eritrean People’s Liberation Front) saw it as an aid to multi-ethnic nationbuilding. At the centre, it failed both economically (especially in agriculture) and politically. The insurgents, who seized power in 1991, abandoned it in their search for Western support. Some elements nonetheless remain, especially in Eritrea. Ref.