World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseLij (Noble Child) Tafari Makonnen in the village of Ejersa Goro of Harar Province, Ethiopia (also known by its exonym "Abyssinia") to the governor Ras (Duke) Makonnen Woldemikael Gudessa and Woyzero (Lady) Yeshimebet Ali Abajifar. King of Shewa Sahle Selassie was Tafari Makonnen's Great Grandfather, and the family claimed to be the descendants of legendary figures Queen Makeda and King Solomon. He was made Dejazmatch (Count) at the age of 13, attended Menelik II School for Nobles, and later became the governor of Harar on 11 Apr 1911. He was made Inderase (Regent) in 1916, in which role he was responsible for entering Ethiopia into the League of Nations in 1923 and abolishing slavery in 1924. He was crowned Negus (King) under Empress Zewditu in 1928, and after two years of political instability he was crowned Emperor Haile Selassie I ("Might of the Trinity") of Ethiopia on 2 Nov 1930. His coronation ceremony was attended by high profile European figures such as Prince Henry of Britain, Duke of Gloucester of Britain, Marshal Franchet d'Esperey of France, and Prince of Udine of Italy. On 16 Jul 1931, Emperor Haile Selassie introduced the nation's first constitution.

ww2dbaseOn 3 Oct 1935, Haile Selassie's nation was invaded by Italian troops on two fronts after more than a year of border violations by Italy. Haile Selassie personally directed campaigns against the Italian troops in northern Ethiopia, but the better equipped Italian troops, coupled with the willingness to deploy chemical weapons, frustrated the Ethiopian Emperor. After a series of defeats, Haile Selassie fled from the capital of Addis Ababa on 2 May 1936 to neighboring Djibouti, from which he boarded a British ship for Palestine. Later in that year, he addressed the League of Nations, successful in convincing the League of Nations, which already accused Italy as the aggressor in the conflict, to impose sanctions on Italy. "What answer shall I take back to my people?" He asked the League of Nations during his speech. "It is us today, it will be you tomorrow", he predicted if the League of Nations permits Italian aggression. The sanctions imposed by the League of Nations, however, was partial and rather ineffective in deterring Italian aggression. For one, oil did not appear in the list of boycotted items. Despite of his failure to gather international support for his country at the League of Nations, he became a symbol of anti-Facism in Africa, and became Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" for 1936.

ww2dbaseBetween 1936 and 1941 Haile Selassie was in exile in Bath, Britain, powerless as he received news of his family in Ethiopia persecuted by the Italians. In 1941, following Britain's successful efforts to liberate Ethiopia, Haile Selassie returned to his country. Despite his earlier failures at the League of Nations to gather support, he continued to place his faith in international organizations; in 1945 he secured a seat at the United Nations for Ethiopia. In 1951, with UN support, Eritrea was admitted into the Empire of Ethiopia as a federated state. In 1955, he introduced a democratically elected lower house of parliament. His policies were considered by most as conservative, but he aligned his nation closer to the European powers than the rest of Africa.

ww2dbaseSince 1930, Haile Selassie had been viewed as a deity to the followers of the Rastafari movement in Jamaica, although the devout Orthodox Christian Emperor denied such belief. Although he was friendly toward the Rastafari, he also expressed concern that its followers were misguided.

ww2dbaseIn Sep 1974, a Marxist uprising resulted in Emperor Haile Selassie I's house arrest. A year later in Aug 1975, he died from what the new government reported as post-operation complications, but his doctors denied such claims. It was wide believed that the former Emperor was assassinated in his sleep. His remains were hastily buried beneath the president's personal office in 1975; on 5 Nov 2000 he was given a new burial by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Haile Selassie I Interactive Map

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Haile Selassie I Timeline

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