Africa

Abstract

Richard Pankhurst's contribution to The Peoples of Africa series will be a useful tool for students and general readers who are new to Ethiopian history. It is written in a readable style and the text is accompanied by illustrations, maps, a serviceable bibliography and a particularly helpful table of dates. It offers a comprehensive account of Ethiopia's past from the earliest times to the victory of the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) over Mangestu's regime in 1990. In the case of Ethiopia, beginning with the earliest times means just that. The Ethiopian Rift Valley is believed to be the cradle of humanity and the first chapter accordingly opens with an overview of hominid evolution. There are also brief sections on the geographical setting, the languages and religions of Ethiopia and early foreign contacts. The next chapter outlines what is known of the region in ancient times and charts the major events of the Aksumite era, including the conversion to Christianity in the fourth century. The eventual decline of the Aksumite state and the rise of a new dynasty, known as the Zagwe, are events so poorly documented that this period is frequently referred to as the Ethiopian Dark Ages. It is not known precisely when or why Aksum ceased to exist as a political entity and the chronology of the Zagwe era is one of the most controversial issues in Ethiopian history. The view presented here is the conventional one, which dates the rise of the Zagwe to the early twelfth century and regards this as a usurpation. The third chapter offers a brief account of the main events and achievements of the Zagwe period and the eventual overthrow of the dynasty in 1270, a turning-point that is still referred to as the Solomonic ' Restoration'. From this time on historical sources for Ethiopia increase and the next four chapters provide more detailed information, including accounts of the growing conflict between Christian Ethiopia and the Muslim states flanking its southern and eastern borders, which culminated in the early sixteenth century in the near destruction of the Christian kingdom; conflict with the Oromo people who began to migrate into Ethiopia at about the same time; the strengthening of diplomatic ties with Portugal, which resulted in a doomed Jesuit mission to convert Ethiopia to Roman Catholicism; and the founding of a new capital at Gondar. Chapter viii deals with the rise of Tewodros II (1855—68), who attempted to unify Ethiopia after the disintegration of centralized government which marked the decline of the Gondarine era in the later eighteenth century. With Tewodros we move into modern times and it is in these later sections that the book is particularly good, outlining clearly and concisely the increasingly convoluted relations between Ethiopia and the colonial powers of Europe. In particular, the account of the struggle to maintain Ethiopian independence against the aggressive encroachments of Italy, first during the reign of Menilek II (1889-1913) and then during the reign of Haile Sellassie (1930-74), accurately conveys the duplicity of the Italian, British and French governments and the vulnerability of Ethiopia in international affairs. The last two chapters deal with the Italian occupation (1936-41), the restoration of Haile Sellassie, modernization and growing discontent with the highly centralized imperial government, the 1974 revolution which led to the establishment of Mangestu's regime, the growth of opposition and the eventual victory of the EPRDF in 1990.