The Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie was a native of the Solomon dynasty that ruled Ethiopia from the 13th century, and which according to tradition comes from King Solomon and the queen of Sheba. The name Haile Selassie means "Power of the Trinity", and it is the ruling name of the emperor. The name under which he was born was Tafari Makonnen, and when he was given the noble title of Ras he became known as Ras Tafari Makonnen. The Rastafarians, named after him, considered Haile Selassie to be the Messiah and the incarnate god. However, Selassie was not a Rastafarian, but an Ethiopian Orthodox, which is the traditional religion of his dynasty.
On November 2, 1930, he succeeded Empress Zaudita I to the throne, after her death. and ruled Ethiopia until 1974 when he was overthrown by the Derg military regime.
Throughout his active involvement in politics, he carried out important reforms aimed at modernizing Ethiopia; agrarian, political and judicial. Even while he was regent of Empress Zaudita I (1916-1930), he abolished slavery and introduced Ethiopia to the League of Nations. He established a parliament and a judicial system, but everything was actually formal because the real power remained with the ruler.
1935 on the eve of II. During World War II, Italy invaded Ethiopia and Selasia went into exile in England in May 1936 in an attempt to oppose it.
There he helped the British plan a campaign that led to the liberation of Ethiopia and his return to power in 1942.
The then Italian King Victor Emmanuel III. he was proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia, although the world powers did not recognize that title. Haile Selassie returned five years later (1941) from exile and re-ruled Ethiopia after the expulsion of the Italians. He then ruled until he was overthrown by political opponents in a 1974 coup.
When he returned to power, he began to rebuild his war-torn homeland. His greatest achievements were agrarian reform, the emancipation of slaves, and the establishment of parliament.
In 1955, it issued a revised Constitution, trying to move the state into the 20th century. Parliament was given certain but again limited powers, and the people felt that this was not enough, and in 1960, after a failed attempt to overthrow the throne, Selassie promised to increase efforts in economic development and social reform.
During the 1960s Selassie became increasingly preoccupied with foreign affairs. In 1963, he played a major role in the founding of the Organization of African Unity, and in the dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia that had turned into armed conflict. A truce was agreed in March 1964. In the early 1970s, he was a mediator in the dispute between Senegal and Guinea, Tanzania and Uganda, and South and North Sudan.
Dealing with the problems of other countries, he ignored the problems of his own state: great inequality in the distribution of goods, rural underdevelopment, flourishing corruption at all levels of government, rising inflation, unemployment and severe drought and famine that hit the north (1972-1975); they brought the earth to great earthquakes.
In the 1960s, growing unrest against imperial rule flourished, and disappointed students and the lower classes began to side with communism. The Great Famine in Wollo Province in 1972 and the oil crisis the following year were the drops that spilled over the glass. The emperor was overthrown on September 12, 1974 in a military coup that enjoyed great support among the wider classes. Communists led by Mengitsu Haile Mariam came to power. The emperor was placed in custody and died the following year after prostate surgery. Some believe he was killed or that he was deliberately not given adequate help. In March 1975, the monarchy was abolished and Ethiopia became a republic.
