Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Integration of Italian Eritrea to the Ethiopian Empire from 1952 to 1962

Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea

የኢትዮጵያ-ኤርትራ ፌዴሬሽን (Amharic)
الاتحاد الإثيوبي الإريتري (Arabic)
ፈደረሽን ኤርትርያ ኢትዮጵያ (Tigrinya)

1952–1962

Flag of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Anthem: Ityopp'ya Hoy[1]
Ethiopia, Be Happy

Coat of arms of Ethiopia (left) and Eritrea (right)

Location of the Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Capital| Addis Ababa
Common languages| Amharic
Tigrinya[2]
Arabic[2]
Government| Federation
Emperor of Ethiopia|

• 1952–1962

| Haile Selassie
Emperor's Representative|

• 1952–1959

| Andargachew Messai

• 1959–1962

| Abiye Abebe
Chief Executive of Eritrea|

• 1952–1955

| Tedla Bairu

• 1955 (acting)

| Araya Wassie

• 1955–1962

| Asfaha Woldemikael
Legislature| Imperial Federal Council
Historical era| Cold War

• Federation

| 15 September 1952

• Eritrean War of Independence

| 1 September 1961

• Withdrawal of autonomy

| 15 November 1962
Currency| Ethiopian birr

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | British Military Administration (Eritrea)

|

| Province of Eritrea |

|

Today part of| Ethiopia
Eritrea

Part of a series on the

History of Eritrea

Pre-colonial

|  Prehistory|

|

Land of Punt|  (c. 2500–980 BC)
Kingdom of Dəmot|  (c. 980–400 BC)
Aksumite Empire|  (c. 150 BC–AD 960)
Sultanate of Dahlak|  (960–1557)
Zagwe Dynasty|  (c. 1137–1270)
Ethiopian Empire|  (1270–1974)
Dankali Sultanate|  (c. Late 13th century–18th century)
Sultanate of Aussa|  (1734–1936)

Colonial

|  Eyalet-i Habeş|  (1554–1872)

|

Italian Eritrea|  (1882–1936)
Eritrea Governorate of Italian East Africa|  (1936–1941)
East African Campaign of World War II|  (1940–1941)
British Military Administration|  (1941–1952)

Post-Colonial

|  Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea|  (1952–1962)

|

Autonomy within Ethiopia|  (1952–1962)
Eritrean War of Independence|  (1961–1991)
Annexation as the Eritrea Province|  (1962–1993)
Ethiopian Civil War|  (1974–1991)

State of Eritrea

|  1990s in Eritrea|

|

Eritrean–Ethiopian War|  (1998–2000)
2000s in Eritrea|
2010s in Eritrea|

Eritrea portal

* v
* t
* e

Part of a series on the

History of Ethiopia

* Historiography
* Archaeology
* Peoples

Early history

|  Prehistory|

|

Dʿmt|  980–400 BC

Middle Ages

|  Aksum|  100–940 AD

|

Sultanate of Shewa|  896–1286
Kingdom of Damot|  10th c.–16th c.
Zagwe dynasty|  900–1270
Ethiopian Empire|  1270–1974
└─Early Solomonic period|  1270–1529
└─Amda Seyon's Expansions|  1314-1344
Kingdom of Simien|  960–1329
Hadiya Sultanate|  13th c.–?
Dankali Sultanate|  13th c.–18th c.
Sultanate of Ifat|  1275–1403
Sultanate of Adal|  1415–1577
Kingdom of Kaffa|  14th c.–1897
Ennarea|  14th c.–1710

Early modern history

|  Ethiopian Empire|  1270-1974

|

└─Ethiopian–Adal War|  1527–1543
└─Ottoman conflicts|  1557–17th c.
└─Gondarine period|  1632–1769
└─Zemene Mesafint|  1769–1855
└─Ottoman border conflicts|  1832–1848
Oromo migrations|  1543–17th c.
Imamate of Aussa|  1577-1734
Sultanate of Aussa|  1734-1936
Harar Emirate|  1647-1877
Kingdom of Jimma|  1737–1932

Modern history

|  Imperial Unification|  1855–1913

|

Imperial Expansionism|  1878–1904
First Italo–Ethiopian War|  1895–1896
Modernization|  1913–1974
World War I|  1914–1918
Second Italo–Ethiopian War|  1935–1936
Italian East Africa|  1936–1941
World War II|  1941
Italian guerrilla war|  1941–1943
Federation with Eritrea|  1952–1962
Eritrean Independence War|  1961–1991
Ethiopian Civil War|  1974–1991
Ogaden War|  1977–1978

Recent history

|  Eritrean–Ethiopian War|  1998–2000

|

Eritrean border conflict|  1998–2018
Police massacre|  2005
War in Somalia|  2006–2009
East Africa drought|  2011–2012
Oromo protests|  2014–2016
Ethiopian civil conflict|  2018–present
Tigray war|  2020–2022

Topics

* Economic history
* Emperor
* Aristocracy
* Army of the Empire
* Territorial Army (Ethiopia)
* Ethiopian horses
* Military History
* List of conflicts in Ethiopia
* List of wars involving Ethiopia
* Expansion
* Timeline of the Ethiopian Empire
* Currency
* Aksumite
* Famines
* Ethiopian units of measurement
* Ethiopian art
* Literature
* Music
* Economy
* Economy of the Ethiopian Empire
* Land reform in Ethiopia
* Resettlement

* v
* t
* e

The Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea was a federation between the former Italian colony of Eritrea and the Ethiopian Empire. It was established as a result of the renunciation of Italy’s rights and titles to territorial possessions in Africa, inclusive of all its established territories or colonies made effective by the Treaty of Paris of 1947.[3]: 375–383  The fate of Eritrea was contingent on numerous political, social, and economic ideals of Eritreans that ranged from leftists favoring independence, conservatives favoring Ethiopian crown rule, and Eritreans who favored a political union of the two sides of the spectrum. In an attempt to provide Eritrea with ultimate autonomy under an Eritrean curated constitution and governmental elections, UN Resolution 390 (A) was devised to implement such welfare to the individuals it was to be imposed upon.

## History

[edit]

Main articles: History of Eritrea and Eritrea (1952–1962)

Eritrea was placed under the decree of the British Military Administration (BMA) in April 1941 which was soon to be called the British Administration in 1949 - continuing until the discharge of the federation on 15 September 1952, concurrent with the signing of the Termination of Powers Proclamation. Following the implementation of the Treaty of Peace with Italy which came into effect on 15 September 1947, the Four Power Commission of Investigation were tasked with making internal inquiries in Eritrea to determine the most effective method of governance following the disbandment with its Italian colonizers. The commission was devised of the major powers of the time, namely the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and France, in which if a single conclusion could not be made within the constraints of a year, the matter was to be referred elsewhere.[3]: 376  The General Assembly formulated a United Nations Commission for Eritrea for further consideration in November 1949. Using the consultation and advice of international governments regarding the status of Eritrea, the report was presented at the Fifth Session of the United Nations, of which the General Assembly favored the resolution set by the Burma and South African schools of thought in accordance to a federation between Ethiopia and Eritrea.[3]: 376–377  Following this session, a draft of the Eritrean constitution based on democratic pretensions was to be drafted and studied and adopted by the Eritrean Assembly as well as the Federal Act to be included as a sort of federal constitution. The final stage of implementation was to obtain the ratification of the Emperor of Ethiopia of both the constitution and Federal Act. The Commissioner, Mr. Eduardo Anze Matienzo, reported back to the General Assembly in its Seventh Session in December 1952, receiving a unanimous popular vote.[3]: 377–378

### Political parties' uprisings

[edit]

From 1941 until 1952, the British Administration acted as an intermediate governing appointment as the political interest and socioeconomic well-being of the Eritrean people was being assessed to form a more autonomous predication. The emergence of political parties was initiated with Haile Selassie’s return to the Ethiopian throne in May of 1941, where to immediate effect he set out on the acquisition of Eritrea and Somaliland into the Ethiopian state. This political perspective was synonymous with the organization known as 'Mahbar Feqri Hagar Eretra’ (Society for the Love of the Land of Eritrea) which would then become the Unionist Party in 1944.[4]: 261–281  Most Eritreans during this time did not favor the alignment of the Ethiopian crown and Eritrea.[4]: 281  The emanation of the Unionist Party was challenged two years later with the materialization of the Moslem League in 1946 which incurred enormous following from the mostly-Muslim western part of the country, and a small portion from the Christian Highlands. A segmentation from the Moslem League was erected in 1947 and came to be known as the National Moslem Party of Massawa. Following was another predominantly Muslim organization known as the New Eritrean Pro-Italy Party maintaining a large Italian community supporting the ideology that if Rome desired to reacquire Eritrea, Italy would assist in obtaining its independence.[4]: 262  A predominantly Christian party was also incurred in February 1948 known as the Eritrean Liberal Progressive Party, opposing any union with Ethiopia. On 25 July 1949, the Independence Bloc was devised and consisted of all major parties except the Unionist.[4]: 276  Political parties continued to branch off from their original predecessors to represent more refined interests and many secluded to form singular parties representing the dominant political aspiration. Affiliation with political parties was no more strictly determinate on religious alliance as it was with geographical locale. However, parties often shared common interests, such as regional - highland versus lowland - and faith - Muslim versus Christian.[4]: 281  Most of the parties sustained an anti-union sentiment which was met with intimidation and interference by the Ethiopian crown.

### Federation

[edit]

In March 1952, elections were conducted by secret ballot. The right to vote was limited to males over the age of twenty-one, of Eritrean descent, who had maintained residency for at least a year’s time. Conversely, Italo-Eritreans and Eritreans of mixed ethnicity were denied the vote.[citation needed] The Unionist Party won thirty-two out of sixty-eight seats of the constituency.[5]: 35  Tedla Bairu of the Unionist Party became the first Chief Executive of Eritrea along with Ali Radai of the Muslim League of the Western Province (MLWP) whom became president of the new Eritrean Assembly. The Eritrean Assembly passed constitutional amendments that instated a unicameral, four-year assembly, the granting of Eritrean citizenship to federal nationals in accordance with Eritrean laws, the denial of the Ethiopian imperial representative’s right to comment on draft legislation, the establishment of Tigrinya and Arabic, along with English, as the official languages- and the creation of an Eritrean flag.[5]: 36  These amendments came to be ratified on July 12, 1952. Taxes and custom duties were raised, and Eritreans were to procure identity cards costing an enormous sum.[5]: 36  Economic policies established after the construction of the federation immensely disadvantaged ethnic Eritreans by maintaining their economic liberalization. The leadership style of Bairu drew rising opposition from the Eritrean people and opposing political parties which forced his resignation in July 1955. In 1954, Amharanisation of the population ensued. Tigrayan and Amhara governors and other political office holders were appointed to administrative posts.[5]: 37  Freedom of the press was diminished, and central administrators sought to hire Tigrinya-speaking Christian Eritreans over Muslims, since the country was majority Christian. Asfaha Woldemicheal, whom obtained pro-unionist sentiment was elected following Bairu’s resignation. Woldemichael proposed the installation of an Eritrean administration, the adoption of the Ethiopian flag and the introduction of Ethiopian administrators and teachers in Eritrea.[5]: 39  Educated Eritreans open to mobility were incentivized to mobilize against the Ethiopian state. Eritrean students were disadvantaged by the need to learn Amharic as well as English to achieve secondary-level education, rather than Tigrinya and Arabic. In 1956, Idris Mohammed Adem, a Muslim Eritrean was elected as President of the Assembly generating confrontational Eritrean and Ethiopian relations.[5]: 40  The unwillingness of the Unionist Party and the Muslim League to compromise caused Adem to resign in the fall of 1957. As Eritrean mobilization ensued the prevalence of the Eritrean Liberation Movement (ELM) was established gaining support of Christians and Muslims alike, as well as those left behind by Ethiopia’s economic liberalization policies. By May 1960, the Eritrean flag was expelled from the Assembly and the seal and name of the government replaced by, “Eritrean Administration under Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia.[5]: 41  The judicial system formulated under central control and decisive power was granted to Addis Ababa. In the last election held in Eritrea in 1960, the Unionist Party enacted a pro-Ethiopian executive.

### Aftermath

[edit]

On 14 November 1962, the Ethiopian government breached the terms of the UN Resolution 390 (A) and of its own volition annexed Eritrea determining it a province. Protest against the Ethiopian government was imminently provoked and a movement seeking the complete and utter independence of Eritrea ensued. This movement became known as the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) founded by the exiled Idris Mohammed Adem.[5]: 42

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Ethiopia (1930-1975) – nationalanthems.info".
2. ^ a b Official languages of the Federation alongside Amharic until 1956.
3. ^ a b c d Schiller, A. Arthur (1 July 1953). "Eritrea: Constitution and Federation with Ethiopia". The American Journal of Comparative Law. 2 (3): 375–383\. doi:10.2307/837485. JSTOR 837485.
4. ^ a b c d e Ellingson, Lloyd (April 1977). "The Emergence of Political Parties in Eritrea, 1941–1950*". The Journal of African History. 18 (2): 261–281\. doi:10.1017/S0021853700015528. ISSN 1469-5138. S2CID 154808790.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Biziouras, Nikolaos (2013-01-01). "The Genesis of the Modern Eritrean Struggle (1942–1961)". The Journal of the Middle East and Africa. 4 (1): 21–46\. doi:10.1080/21520844.2013.771419. ISSN 2152-0844. S2CID 210662586.

## External links

[edit]

* 390 (V) – Eritrea: Report of the United Nations Commission for Eritrea; Report of the Interim Committee of the General Assembly on the Report of the United Nations Commission for Eritrea Archived 2020-01-12 at the Wayback Machine

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