Politics, National Identity, Borders

Political Past

Ethiopia’s political past is long and rich. The Kingdom of Aksum stood, from the first century to the tenth century, over what is now modern day Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yemen. One ancient historian referred to Aksum as one of the four major powers of the world - alongside Rome, Persia, and China. “Aksum developed a civilization and empire whose influence, at its zenith in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, extended throughout the regions lying south of the Roman Empire, from the fringes of the Sahara in the west, across the Red Sea to the inner Arabian desert of Rub’el Hali in the east” (Reader, 208). 

With the fall of Aksumite Kingdom in the tenth century, Ethiopia entered into what has been called a “dark age”, until the accession of the Zagwe Dynasty in 1137. The Zagwe Dynasty held power for just over a century, when it was overthrown by a king, , who claimed to be descended from Solomon and Menelik I. The reestablished ‘Solomonic Dynasty’ reigned, with few interruptions, from 1270 to 1974. (There was a time [1769-1855] called the Zemene Mesafint, or the “Age of Princes”, in which the king’s central authority was only nominal, and the fragmented country was effectively governed by various princes). One notable Solomonic ruler was Menelik II, who modernized Ethiopia. The last of the Solomonic rulers was Emperor Haile Selassie, who reigned from 1930 to 1974. After Haile Selassie’s reign, Ethiopia was governed by a communist military provisional government known as “the Derg.” Today, Ethiopia is a republic, and is officially called the “Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.”

National Identity

Ethiopia’s long and rich history makes for a strong national identity. Historically, Christianity has been a definitive part of Ethiopian identity. In the fourth century, the Aksumite King Ezana converted to Christianity, and Christianity was declared the state religion. Ethiopia was the first major power to have officially adopted Christianity as the state religion. Over time, Christianity became essential to the national identity of Ethiopia. According to Professor Sergew Habele Selassie, “Christianity does not constitute a purely religious phenomenon on the country, but plays an integral role in all aspects of national life. The Church is not only a religious institution, but has for many centuries been the repository of the cultural, political and social life of the people.” Ethiopia’s relationship with the Christian God did not begin in the fourth century AD, but more than a thousand years before, when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon of Israel and, according to tradition, bore him a son - Menelik I, who ruled Ethiopia.

In the nineteenth century, Ethiopian national identity was demonstrated and solidified by the fact that the country retained its sovereignty against European colonizers. Ethiopia, under Menelik II, successfully resisted colonization by Italy, defeating the Italians at the Battle of Adwa. “In an age of relentless European expansion, Ethiopia had successfully defended its independence; in doing so, it cast doubt upon an unshakable certainty of the age—that sooner or later all Africans would fall under the rule of Europeans” (Jonas).

Borders

Ethiopia is a landlocked country, bordering six African states - Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the southwest, and Sudan to the northwest. Ethiopia has been involved in several border disputes. One recent border dispute was with Eritrea. In the age of European colonization, the Italians failed to colonize Ethiopia. The Italians did, however, manage to acquire some land. King Menelik II ceded some of Ethiopia’s northern territories to the Italians in exchange for other goods. This became the Italian colony is Eritrea and is today the modern state of Eritrea. After the Ethiopia victory at the battle of Adwa, the Treaty of Addis Ababa confirmed Ethiopia’s independence and strictly delineated its northern border with Eritrea. In 1998, a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea led to a two year war. According to Philip White, the Eritrean-Ethiopian war “ended only after a full-scale invasion of Eritrea, the loss of some 45-50,000 lives, the displacement of 300,000 people, mass explosions, massive economic, infrastructural and development costs, the stoking up of conflicts across the region, a legacy of mistrust and loss of trade between the two states and lost livelihood in border areas, and serious political repercussions for the two leaderships which are still being played out” (White). 

Sources:

Jonas, Raymond Anthony. The Battle Of Adwa. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2011.

White, Philip. “The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Arbitration.” Review of African Political Economy 29, no. 92 (2002): 345-56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4006821.