This book provides an analysis of the 1974 national-democratic revolution in Ethiopia and the country's current stage of develop-ment. Ethiopia boasts a millennia-old culture, one of the oldest written languages and unique architectural monuments.
Having safeguarded their independence in the years of the c<;>lonial division of the worl.d and having regained freedom after their country's occupation by fascist Italy (1935- 1942), the Ethiopian people are now advancing along the road of social progress.
. The 1974 revolution did away with the thousand-year-old feudal monarchy and, repudiating the capitalist way of evelopment, opened up for the nation the vistas of socialist-oriented development.
The rupture of another major link in the system of imperialism's neo-colonial rule has been ensured by the revolutionary upsurge of the popular masses in Ethiopia and by the victories scored by the world progressive forces. The activity of the Workers' Party of Ethiopia, a vanguard revolutionary-democratic party, will further consolidate the course of social and political development the Ethiopian people have opted for.
The Soviet Union closely follows revolu-tionary developments and socio-political processes unfolding in Ethiopia and is willing to expand mutually beneficial Soviet-Ethiopian co-operation:Friendly relatlOns have existed between the peoples of Russia and Ethiopia for many centuries now.
The fact that the peoples of both countries are guided by ideas of scientific socialism plays a special role in strengthening the bon.ds of friendship between the USSR and E thiopia. The Programme of the Wor~ers' Party of Ethiopia says that the Party sets Itsel~ the task of completing the national-democratic revoltion, proclaiming a People's Democrat~c Republic of Ethiopia an~ creating the b~SIS for socialist construction in accordance WIth the fundamental principles of Marxism- Leninism. [16, p. 7].
Speaking at the 27th CPSU Congress, the Gen~ral Secretary of the WPE CC, Chairman of the Provisional Military Administrative Council of Ethiopia Mengistu Haile Mariam expressed his profound gratitude to the CPSU the Soviet Government and the people of the USSR and other socialist commumtycountries for their assistance in the matter of overcoming the drought's consequences.
"With every day passing," he said, "the broad contacts between revolutionary Ethiopia and Our co-operation has reached new impressive heights in various spheres." [1, March 1, 1986 ].
The articles collected in this book deal with a wide range of problems, such as Ethiopia's socio-economic, political and cultural development, state and party building, foreign policy, defence of the revolutionary gains, and relations with the Soviet Union.
The book has been prepared by the researchers from the Africa Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences and other Soviet institutions who participated in the scientific conference devoted to the 10th anniversary of the Ethiopian revolution and held in Moscow on October 10, 1984. The materials of the conference have provided the basis of this study.
The authors hope that the book will be of use to the students of Ethiopia's past and present and thus contribute to the further development of Ethiopian studies and promote Soviet-Ethiopian friendship and mutually beneficial co-operation. |
