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There is not much in-depth information available about the revolution in Ethiopia, but the book Peasant Revolution in Ethiopia by John Young provides detailed information about the revolution, why it started, how the Derg affected the nation, and the role of the peasant population in Tigray and Eritrea. [1] [2]
The Wollo famine contributed to Haile Selassie's government collapse, not only the hunger among peasants and nomads, but also swept among the students and middle classes of Addis Ababa. In the early 1970s, there was a peasant revolution involving feudal leaders in each of the northern provinces; the Wollo group revolt was led by a feudal lord ...
[36] [37] It also had impacts on land and agriculture: the reversal of the former feudal system and implementation of nationalized reforms led peasants to lose 75% of their production to landlords. [38] Total forest cover in Wollo Province was approximately 2.2% of the total area in 1980, and in Tigray 0.5%, roughly 50% decline since 1960.
A semi-feudal mode of production was a major characteristic of the Ethiopian Empire's economy for a number of centuries.The land – which was the most essential mode of production – had been amassed by the church (over 25%), Emperor Haile Selassie and his family (20%), the feudal lords (30%) and the state (18%), leaving a mere 7% to the roughly 23 million Ethiopian peasants.
The landless peasants lost as much as 75% of their produce to the landlords, leaving them in a miserable life state. Haile Selassie had also promised to reform and modernize the country. [1] The late 1960s in Ethiopia included student movements developing their knowledge of and debating the social sciences and social change.
Shortly after the 1974 revolution, as part of their policy of land reform it became Derg policy to accelerate resettlement. Article 18 of the 1975 Land Reform Proclamation stated that "the government shall have the responsibility to settle peasants or to establish cottage industries to accommodate those who, as a result of distribution of land . . . remain with little or no land."
The land, the most important means of production, had been grabbed by the church (25%), the Emperor and his family (20%), the feudal lords (30%) and state (18%), leaving a mere 7% to the 23 million and odd Ethiopian peasants. The landless peasants lost 75% production to landlords. [2] Tenancy was abolished and transfer of land was prohibited.
Opposition to Haile Selassie relied largely on internal administration of the Ethiopian Empire.While Emperor Haile Selassie made attempts to modernize the country and increase its global power after Italian occupation in 1936–1941, the later administration met with negative public attitude, especially among educated people in universities and peasants.