Red Terror Thesis
I.Thesis
Thesis Statement: In response to the many protests of the Ethiopian people to remove the Derg party from the Ethiopian Government, Mengistu,chairman of the Derg political party, started the Red Terror, which was a genocide of Ethiopian citizens who opposed the Derg. As a result of Mengistu's Red Terror Movement, Ethiopia had suffered irreversible damage to its economy, experienced a country wide famine, and thousands of its citizens had been slaughtered. Mengistu's terror was primarily shaped by Communism; Mengistu's socialist ideas, alliances with the Soviet Union, and radical principles gave the Ethiopian Red Terror a Soviet character that made Ethiopia a figurative part of the Communist bloc.
II. Background
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Mengistu treated all his victims based on their political beliefs, and not on by their race, religion, or ethnicity. One notable thing that Mengistu did believe in was the communist and socialist ideas that the Soviet Union were using, as Mengistu idolized their principles.
IV. Causes
-A major cause would be Emperor Haile Selassie being overthrown leaving the government of Ethiopia extremely weak. Haile Selassie ruled Ethiopia for around 50 years, and everyone who owned land was a feudal lord under him. Because Haile Selassie had ruled for so long, new radical groups that were comprised of educated students, protested that Haile Selassie should be overthrown, so that the land owned by the feudal lords could disperse to the Ethiopian citizens.
-The Ethiopian Famine
Many Ethiopians formed opposition groups such as Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF), Ethiopian People's' Revolutionary Party (EPRP), Eritrean Peoples' Liberation Front (EPLF), Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU), and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). These groups, made up of civilians, became the victims of the Derg; many Ethiopians fled the country for peace and freedom. This later formed mass killings of Ethiopians who opposed Mengistu’s rule and more conflicts amongst the opposition
Thesis Statement: In response to the many protests of the Ethiopian people to remove the Derg party from the Ethiopian Government, Mengistu,chairman of the Derg political party, started the Red Terror, which was a genocide of Ethiopian citizens who opposed the Derg. As a result of Mengistu's Red Terror Movement, Ethiopia had suffered irreversible damage to its economy, experienced a country wide famine, and thousands of its citizens had been slaughtered. Mengistu's terror was primarily shaped by Communism; Mengistu's socialist ideas, alliances with the Soviet Union, and radical principles gave the Ethiopian Red Terror a Soviet character that made Ethiopia a figurative part of the Communist bloc.
II. Background
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Mengistu treated all his victims based on their political beliefs, and not on by their race, religion, or ethnicity. One notable thing that Mengistu did believe in was the communist and socialist ideas that the Soviet Union were using, as Mengistu idolized their principles.
IV. Causes
-A major cause would be Emperor Haile Selassie being overthrown leaving the government of Ethiopia extremely weak. Haile Selassie ruled Ethiopia for around 50 years, and everyone who owned land was a feudal lord under him. Because Haile Selassie had ruled for so long, new radical groups that were comprised of educated students, protested that Haile Selassie should be overthrown, so that the land owned by the feudal lords could disperse to the Ethiopian citizens.
-The Ethiopian Famine
Many Ethiopians formed opposition groups such as Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF), Ethiopian People's' Revolutionary Party (EPRP), Eritrean Peoples' Liberation Front (EPLF), Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU), and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). These groups, made up of civilians, became the victims of the Derg; many Ethiopians fled the country for peace and freedom. This later formed mass killings of Ethiopians who opposed Mengistu’s rule and more conflicts amongst the opposition