Ethiopia is the only country in Africa which the Europeans could never enslave.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reaching Ethiopia after Jordan as part of his three-nation tour. During the two-day state visit, Prime Minister Modi will discuss in detail important aspects of bilateral relations with Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali. Digital banners have even been put up in Addis Ababa to welcome Prime Minister Modi. His visit is considered important in the direction of political, economic and strategic cooperation between India and Ethiopia.
An interesting thing about Ethiopia is that it is the only country in Africa which the Europeans could not enslave. Ethiopia is actually the oldest independent country in Africa. However, in the 1930s, Italy occupied it for a short time and ruler Haile Selassie had to flee. Later, Ethiopian and European forces drove out Italian forces during the Second World War, after which the King returned.
At the time when European powers were enslaving other countries of Africa and other countries of the world, the ruler of Ethiopia was Menelik II. He ruled from 1889 until his death in 1913. During this period, he made many important and big changes in the country. For example, in the 1880s they moved the center of rule to Addis Ababa, which became the permanent capital in 1890.
The population of Ethiopia is about 136 million.
Status of independent country strengthened
As Menelik began to expand his empire, European imperial powers began to set their sights on the area around Ethiopia. At the same time, Menelik also had to deal with internal rebels. In such a situation, Italy made an agreement with them and started supplying arms to Ethiopia. Italy thought that one day Menelik would hand over his power to it but it did not happen.In the year 1885, Italian forces captured Eritrea, a state of the then Ethiopia. This sparked a rebellion in the Ethiopian army against the imperialist forces.
In response, Italian forces attacked the Tigray region but had to face opposition from the Ethiopian army and Italy had to face defeat in the battle of Adwa in 1896. This created a new identity for Ethiopia in front of the European powers and strengthened its status as an independent country. Under the peace agreement signed after the end of this war, Menelik-II withdrew Ethiopia’s claim on Eritrea, in return for which Ethiopia got the status of an independent nation. However, Italy’s occupation of Eritrea remained intact.
Ethiopia’s geographical position has also been its strength.
Strong leadership and geographic location
European powers could not capture Ethiopia because the leadership of Menelik II was very strong. He strengthened and modernized the army. Equipped his army with modern weapons. Apart from this, many areas of Ethiopia are rugged and mountainous, which were very difficult for foreign armies to reach. In such a situation, it was even more difficult to maintain control over an area. That means, in a way, Ethiopia also had natural security. Since at that time many European powers were expanding imperialism around the world, Ethiopia took the help of diplomacy and used those powers against each other. Apart from this, the people of Ethiopia always maintained unity to preserve their heritage.
Benito Mussolini.
Mussolini occupied for a few years
This is the year 1935-36. Italy was ruled by fascist Mussolini. He captured Ethiopia using tanks, aircraft and chemical weapons. Ethiopia was occupied by Italy from 1936 to 1941. However, during the Second World War, the Ethiopian army, along with the British army, expelled Italy and once again became an independent nation. Italy’s occupation of Eritrea also ended and it also became a part of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is called the birthplace of coffee.
Ethiopia is the host of African Union
Ethiopia is currently the host of the African Union (AU). It is the country that provides the largest army for United Nations peacekeeping operations. Ethiopia is an agricultural country, one-third of whose GDP comes from agriculture. 70 percent employment in the country is also provided by agriculture. Ethiopia exports the most coffee. Africa’s largest hydroelectric power project, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, is being established in Ethiopia itself. After completion, electricity can be exported to nearby countries also.
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