Ethiopian Empire

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The Ethiopian Empire, also known as Abyssinia, existed from 980 BC (legendary date) until 1974 when the monarchy was overthrown in a coup d'etat. It was at its time the oldest state in the world and the only African nation to successfully resist the Scramble for Africa by the colonial powers during the 19th century.

Contents 1 Early History 2 Scramble for Africa and Modernization 3 Italian Invasion and WWII 4 Rise of Derg

[edit] Early History

Human settlement in Ethiopia is very ancient with earliest ancestors to the human species discovered. Together with Eritrea and the southeastern part of the Red Sea coast of Sudan, it is considered the most likely location of the land known to the ancient Egyptians as Punt whose first mention dates to the 25th century BC.

[edit] Scramble for Africa and Modernization

The 1880s were marked by the Scramble for Africa and modernization of Ethiopia. Conflicts between Italy resulted in the Battle of Adowa in 1896, whereby the Ethiopians surprised the world by defeating the colonial power and remaining independent, under the rule of Menelik II. Italy and Ethiopia signed a provisional treaty of peace on October 26, 1896.

[edit] Italian Invasion and WWII

In 1935 Italian soldiers commanded by Marshal Emilio De Bono invaded Ethiopia. The war lasted seven months before an Italian vicotry was declared. The invasion was condemmed by the League of Nations and like the Manchuria Incident not much was done to end the hostility. Ethiopia became part of Italian East Africa until its libration in 1941 by Allied forces in North Africa.

[edit] Rise of Derg

In 1974 a pro-Soviet Marxist-Leninist military junta, the "Derg" led by Mengistu Haile Mariam, deposed Haile Selassie and established a one-party communist state. Haile Selassie was imprisoned and tortured to death by the junta who were demanding that he turn over Ethiopia's 25-million-dollar deposits in Switzerland.