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Ethiopia Ethiopia's Road to Socialism
Soon after taking power, the Derg promoted Ye-Itiopia
Hibretesebawinet (Ethiopian Socialism). The concept was
embodied in slogans such as "self-reliance," "the dignity of
labor," and "the supremacy of the common good." These
slogans were devised to combat the widespread disdain of
manual labor and a deeply rooted concern with status. A
central aspect of socialism was land reform. Although there
was common agreement on the need for land reform, the Derg
found little agreement on its application. Most proposals--
even those proffered by socialist countries--counseled
moderation in order to maintain production. The Derg,
however, adopted a radical approach, with the Land Reform
Proclamation of March 1975, which nationalized all rural
land, abolished tenancy, and put peasants in charge of
enforcement. No family was to have a plot larger than ten
hectares, and no one could employ farm workers. Farmers were
expected to organize peasant associations, one for every 800
hectares, which would be headed by executive committees
responsible for enforcement of the new order. Implementation
of these measures caused considerable disruption of local
administration in rural areas. In July 1975, all urban land,
rentable houses, and apartments were also nationalized, with
the 3 million urban residents organized into urban dwellers'
associations, or
kebeles
(see Glossary), analogous in
function to the rural peasant associations (see
Peasant
Associations;
Kebeles, ch. 4).
Although the government took a radical approach to land
reform, it exercised some caution with respect to the
industrial and commercial sectors. In January and February
1975, the Derg nationalized all banks and insurance firms
and seized control of practically every important company in
the country. However, retail trade and the wholesale and
export-import sectors remained in private hands.
Although the Derg ordered national collective ownership of
land, the move was taken with little preparation and met
with opposition in some areas, especially Gojam, Welo, and
Tigray. The Derg also lost much support from the country's
left wing, which had been excluded from power and the
decision-making process. Students and teachers were
alienated by the government's closure of the university in
Addis Ababa and all secondary schools in September 1975 in
the face of threatened strikes, as well as the forced
mobilization of students in the Development Through
Cooperation Campaign (commonly referred to as
zemecha--see
Glossary) under conditions of military discipline. The
elimination of the Confederation of Ethiopian Labor Unions
(CELU) in favor of the government-controlled All-Ethiopia
Trade Union (AETU) in December 1975 further disillusioned
the revolution's early supporters. Numerous officials
originally associated with the revolution fled the country.
Data as of 1991
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