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Ethiopia The Attempted Coup of 1960 and Its Aftermath
Haile Selassie's efforts to achieve a measure of change
without jeopardizing his own power stimulated rising
expectations, some of which he was unwilling or unable to
satisfy. Impatient with the rate or form of social and
political change, several groups conspired to launch a coup
d'état on December 13, 1960, while the emperor was abroad on
one of his frequent trips. The leadership of the 1960 revolt
came from three groups: the commander of the Imperial
Bodyguard Mengistu Neway, and his followers; a few security
officials, including the police chief; and a handful of
radical intellectuals related to the officials, including
Girmame Neway, Mengistu's brother.
The coup was initially successful in the capital, as the
rebels seized the crown prince and more than twenty cabinet
ministers and other government leaders. The support of the
Imperial Bodyguard, the backbone of the revolt, was obtained
without informing the enlisted men--or even a majority of
the officers--of the purpose of the rebels' actions. The
proclaimed intent of the coup leaders was the establishment
of a government that would improve the economic, social, and
political position of the general population, but they also
appealed to traditional authority in the person of the crown
prince. No mention was made of the emperor.
The coup's leaders failed to achieve popular support for
their actions. Although university students demonstrated in
favor of the coup, army and air force units remained loyal
to the emperor, who returned to the capital on December 17.
The patriarch of the church, who condemned the rebels as
antireligious traitors and called for fealty to the emperor,
supported the loyalists. Despite the coup's failure, it
succeeded in stripping the monarchy of its claim to
universal acceptance and led to a polarization of
traditional and modern forces.
Data as of 1991
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