Why Wasn’t Ethiopia Colonized?
Ethiopia and Liberia are widely considered to be the only African countries that have
never been colonized.
Due to their geographic location, economic sustainability, and unity, Ethiopia and Liberia
were able to withstand colonization.
The Great Rift Valley divides Ethiopia, a hilly, landlocked country in the Horn of Africa.
It's a site steeped in history, with artifacts dating back over 3 million years.
One of the most important sites is Lalibela, which has rock-cut Christian structures dating
from the 12th–13th centuries.
In Aksum, you may see the ruins of an ancient city with obelisks, tombs, strongholds, and
the shrine of Our Lady Mary of Zion.
Ethiopia is Africa's oldest sovereign republic and one of just two African countries that
has never been colonized, with a population of 115 million people.
However, in the 1930s, Italy invaded Ethiopia, compelling Emperor Haile Selassie to evacuate
the country.
Haile Selassie was allowed to return to Ethiopia after the British and Ethiopian forces ousted
the Italian army during World War II (Council on Foreign Relations).
Ethiopia is the African Union's (AU) headquarters and a key troop contributor to UN peacekeeping
deployments.
If you've ever wondered why Ethiopia was never colonized throughout the period of colonial
control, join us as we learn why.
Reasons why Ethiopia wasn’t Colonized. 1.
Menelik II was Ethiopia's Emperor from 1889 to 1913, as well as the King of Shewa from
1866 to 1889.
He made a few important changes.
For example, his decision to relocate the royal seat to Addis Ababa in the late 1880s
culminated in the construction of a permanent capital in the 1890s.
For a long time, Ethiopia has been an isolated country.
As Menelik's dominion expanded, European colonial powers were more interested in Ethiopian regions.
During his rise to power, Menelik battled to control Ethiopia against his internal foe,
Emperor Johannes IV.
The Italians backed him up and began providing Ethiopia with weapons in the hopes that Menelik
would hand up sovereignty.
2.
In 1885, when Eritrea was still a territory of Ethiopia, Italian troops invaded the country.
It was largely done to hinder French progress in the area.
The Italian occupation of large areas of agricultural land in Ethiopia's highlands sparked an anti-colonial
insurrection within Ethiopia's troops.
In 1896, the Italians attacked Tigray in reprisal, but they were faced with Ethiopian resistance,
which they eventually defeated in the battle of Adwa.
As a result of this victory, Ethiopia won substantial esteem as well as widespread recognition
of its independent status by European nations.
In the peace treaty that followed, Emperor Menelik II abandoned Ethiopian claims to the
Italian province of Eritrea in exchange for Ethiopia's recognition as an independent state
(United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner).
The regions of Bogos, Hamasen, and Akale-Guzai were all transferred to Italy.
The Italian king declared the colony of Eritrea on January 1, 1890, which Menelik II, the
new ruler of independent Ethiopia, recognized.
3.
In the Battle of Adwa 124 years ago, Ethiopian men and women defeated the Italian forces.
As a result of this resistance, Ethiopia became the only African country to never be colonized.
Ethiopia was converted into a global symbol of black liberation thanks to Adwa.
4.
When you hear that Ethiopia was not colonized, it's mostly because Italy only occupied Ethiopia
for a brief period of time, and because the outbreak of WWII swiftly overshadowed and
ultimately reversed the colonization process.
5.
The Addis Ababa Treaty.
The Treaty of Addis Ababa, signed in October 1896, revoked the Treaty of Wichale and restored
peace.
After that, the Italian claim to a protectorate over all of Ethiopia was withdrawn, and a
peace treaty established the Italian colony of Eritrea.
Shortly after, the Treaty of Addis Ababa was signed, obtaining Italian recognition of Ethiopia's
sovereignty in exchange for Ethiopia's acceptance of Italian administration of Eritrea.
Ethiopian Nationalism.
Ethiopian nationalism, often known as Ethiopianism, is a political philosophy aimed at uniting
Ethiopian identity.
Due to their unified civilization and social coherence, the Aksumite Empire, which dates
back to ancient times, was the first country to be given the name "Ethiopia" during Ezana's
reign in the 4th century.
For more than a century, the Amhara governing elite has used ideology to promote an assimilation
agenda and cement power.
Furthermore, the Battle of Adwa, a pivotal episode in Ethiopian history in which the
country successfully resisted European invasion by defeating Italy in 1896, strengthened the
idea of Ethiopian independence.
Other Factors that contribute to growth of Ethiopia.
Economy of Ethiopia.
Agriculture employs 70% of the workforce and accounts for a third of GDP.
Coffee is the country's most important export.
Africa's largest hydroelectric power project, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, is now
under development.
Ethiopia will be able to export electricity to its neighbors once it is completed.
Natural resources like as gold (at least a million people are thought to work in gold
mining), platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, and (as mentioned above) hydropower all
contribute considerably to the economy.
Ethiopia, on the other hand, was a major producer of pumice, pumicite, and tantalum in 2015.
Greater social stability.
Ethiopia, which has a history of being one of Sub-Saharan Africa's most dictatorial and
politically restricted countries, has been steadily opening up and adopting democratic
practices.
Domestically, democratization has begun, and a path toward international reconciliation
and peace has been charted.
The government began to heal fences with Eritrea over a boundary dispute, and also moved to
improve relations with Somalia and Djibouti.
Ethiopia has received extra political and financial support from the European Union,
the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, among others.
Youthful Potential.
Over 70% of Ethiopians are under the age of 30, with more than half being under the age
of 15.
Higher education enrolment has expanded fivefold since 2005, according to a World Bank report
issued in 2017, with the number of public institutions growing from eight to 36 during
that time.
In higher education, the government has implemented a 70:30 policy, with 70% of students obtaining
training in technology and science and 30% receiving training in social science and humanities.
In a world where service industries account for 65 percent of global GDP, these are the
kinds of education initiatives that appear to be tailored to the contemporary global
context.
A promising start-up environment Local issues such as mobility, agriculture,
infrastructure, and healthcare might be turned into a series of opportunities by the start-up
movement in a country the size of Ethiopia.
To sustain a strong Ethiopian economy, the construction of a local start-up ecosystem
will be essential.
It will be vital to build an ecosystem in which universities, large enterprises, service
providers, research and funding agencies work together to assist local entrepreneurs in
getting started and scaling up.
Thank you for taking the time to watch this Ethiopian history video.
"10 Most Impressive Mega Construction Projects In Ethiopia, 2022," for example, is one of
several interesting vides about Ethiopia on Africa Reloaded.
Like, share, and comment on the video, and subscribe to Africa Reloaded if you loved
it.
Please feel free to watch our previous video and turn on your notification icon to receive
notifications when new videos are released.