Ethiopia Pt.2: Haile Selassie, King of Kings

33 snips

Dec 18, 2024

Explore the rise and legacy of Emperor Haile Selassie, the pivotal figure of 20th-century Ethiopia. Discover how he navigated a politically tumultuous landscape and transformed feudalism into constitutional monarchy. Uncover the brutal reality of Mussolini's invasion and Selassie's struggles during exile. Delve into the cultural impact of his reign, including the Rastafarian movement, and reflect on the enduring complexities of his legacy amid modern challenges. A fascinating journey through Ethiopia's rich history awaits!

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Modernization and Centralization

Ras Tafari aimed to modernize Ethiopia while maintaining the monarchy.
He was committed to centralizing power in Addis Ababa.

ANECDOTE

Economic Reforms and Development

Rastafari implemented open market reforms and utilized coffee export revenue.
These funds were used to build schools and improve infrastructure like roads and railroads.

ANECDOTE

Civil Service Reform

Rastafari established a paid civil service to foster loyalty to the state, not just to individual commissioners.
This aimed to prevent over-taxation and promote a more modern administrative system.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

After a short emergency interlude into Syria, Conflicted Season 5 returns to our exploration of the fascinating land of Ethiopia. Moving now to the 20th century, where one man dominated the country: Emperor Haile Selassie, King of Kings.

Haile Selassie is a name synonymous with a few things: Ethiopia’s age of regal power in the 20th century; being the only African monarch to withstand Western colonialism; and, of course, the religion in Jamaica which reveres him as a god, Rastafarianism. But Haile Selassie himself was actually much more human, more mortal, than all this implies – to look at his life is to understand how the modern Ethiopian state came to be formed, or rather, failed to be formed…

In this episode, Thomas and Aimen give us an in depth look at Ethiopia in the 20th century, from Haile Selassie’s prophesied birth, to the political machinations that brought him to power, and how he cemented it in this tumultuous time for his country. The wider geopolitics of his reign were fascinating too, which saw Mussolini’s fascist Italians invade, Western powers joining to expel them in World War 2, and a period of rule afterwards where Selassie preached African unity while himself conquering neighbouring lands. We’ll talk about Selassie in Bath, his resplendent tours throughout Europe, thrilling visits to the League of Nations, and yes, the religion set up in his name to revere him, Rastafarianism.

New Conflicted Season 5 episodes will be coming every two weeks, but if you want to have your Conflicted fix every single week, then you’ll have to join our Conflicted Community.

Subscribers will get bonus episodes every other week, and can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more.

All the information you need to sign up to the Conflicted Community is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/

Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted

And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices