Makonnen Endelkachew
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Ras Betwoded Makonnen Endelkachew (1890 - 1963) was an Ethiopian nobleman and Prime Minister under Emperor Haile Selassie. He was head of the powerful aristocratic Addisge clan. He was married twice, the second time, to the Emperor's niece, Princess Yeshashework Yilma. Unlike many of the aristocratic marriages of the times, this was evidently a love match.
Makonnen accompanied Haile Selassie during his tour of Europe from April 16 to September 4, 1924. He fought against the Italian invasion on the Ogaden front in 1936, then went into exile from 1936 to 1941 in Jerusalem, returning with the Emperor upon the fall of the liberation of the country. He served as Ethiopia's first Prime Minister, beginning when Haile Selassie created the position in 1942 shortly after retaking control of Ethiopia after the Italian invasion until his retirement November 1, 1957. Bahre Zewde notes, however, that Makonnen "was a mere ceremonial figure, given more to intellectual pursuits than to political machinations. The de facto prime minister [during Makonnen's tenure] was Tsahafe T'ezaz Walda-Giyorgis Walda-Yohannes."[1]
Makonnen led the delegation that represented Ethiopia at the summit in San Francisco that created the United Nations. He was also a noted author of both historical and fictional topics, and was and still is regarded as an influential writer of his day.
Ras Betwoded Makonnen Endelkachew should not be confused with his son, Endelkachew Makonnen who was also an Ethiopian political figure and Prime Minister.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Bahru Zewde, A History of Modern Ethiopia, second edition (Oxford: James Currey, 2001), p. 204.
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