Workers' Party of Ethiopia
Encyclopedia
The Workers' Party of Ethiopia is a Communist party
in Ethiopia
that was, from 1984 to 1990, the only legal political party
in the country.
began to pressure the Derg
to create a civilian
-based vanguard party
. Mengistu Haile Mariam
, leader of the Derg and head of state of Ethiopia, argued against such a party, stating that the revolution had succeeded without one and that there was no need. However, by the late 1970s, in the face of increasing armed opposition to the Derg's rule, it became increasingly apparent that a civilian party would be required to gain any measure of control over the population. In December 1979, Mengistu announced the creation of the Commission to Organize the Party of the Workers of Ethiopia (COPWE).
A number of mass organisations, such as the Revolutionary Ethiopia Youth Association, were also established. It was hoped that these organisations would help lead to a unified party that would eliminate sectarianism
and be based on broad (yet clearly defined) class
interests. The organisations were also to act as the political
consciousness of Ethiopia at a more personal level by not only representing Ethiopians at congress
es, but also in the workplace and in education
al institutes. Membership in multiple mass organisations was encouraged.
The COPWE held three congresses for the mass organisations it had set up, and despite the best efforts of the government to encourage diversity, more than one third of those present at the first congress, in 1980, were either soldiers or Addis Ababa
residents.
The 1980 congress unveiled the membership of the COPWE's Central Committee
and Secretariat. The Secretariat, which controlled the more day to day aspects of the Central Committee business and was supervised by the top Derg leadership, was composed of mainly civilian ideologues. Regional branches of the Secretariat coordinated by army officers helped complement the COPWE's central leadership. The organisation became more powerful in 1981 with the creation of separate offices for administrator and COPWE representative in each region.
By 1983, there were about 50,000 COPWE members and approximately 6,500 party cells. Despite Mengistu's earlier calls for ideological purity and the need for "committed communists", ideology soon became a simple façade for the Derg's efforts to eliminate its political opponents regardless of actual political beliefs, and loyalty to the Derg was preferred over dedication to Marxism-Leninism
in considerations for party membership. By this time, the military and police
had also become the majority in the membership of the Central Committee, with 79 of its 123 members being soldiers, twenty of whom were also Derg members.
.
The WPE's Politburo
, which replaced the COPWE's Executive Committee
as Ethiopia's chief decision making body, had eleven members, seven of whom were drawn from the Derg and the remaining four being civilian ideologues and technocrat
s. Generally, Mengistu's wishes prevailed over any opposition. The nepotism
involved in the selection of Politburo members meant that opposition to Mengistu was usually marginal anyway, making the entire council more of a mouthpiece for Mengistu's wishes than a legitimate government body.
At a national level, membership of the WPE was heavily slanted towards soldiers and members of certain ethnic group
s that had, historically, endorsed the concept of a unified "greater Ethiopia", such as the Tigray
and Amhara. However, at regional and local levels, ethnicity and military service became less relevant, with large numbers of civilians and members of various ethnicities in positions of power.
The WPE's position as "formulator of the country's development process and the leading force of the state and in society" was enshrined into law by the 1987 Ethiopian constitution, which also dissolved the Derg and renamed the country the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
. The constitution gave the party more political power than the government itself, with local party leaders given almost free rein provided their policies did not conflict with Addis Ababa's.
. Mengistu fled the country and the rebels took power in 1991. The new government disbanded the WPE and most of its leaders were put in prison for the crimes they allegedly committed during the party's rule.
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
that was, from 1984 to 1990, the only legal political party
Single-party state
A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...
in the country.
The Commission to Organize the Party of the Workers of Ethiopia
Following the 1974 revolution that led to Haile Selassie's ouster and eventual death in prison, the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
began to pressure the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
to create a civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
-based vanguard party
Vanguard party
A vanguard party is a political party at the forefront of a mass action, movement, or revolution. The idea of a vanguard party has its origins in the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
. Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam is a politician who was formerly the most prominent officer of the Derg, the Communist military junta that governed Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and the President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991...
, leader of the Derg and head of state of Ethiopia, argued against such a party, stating that the revolution had succeeded without one and that there was no need. However, by the late 1970s, in the face of increasing armed opposition to the Derg's rule, it became increasingly apparent that a civilian party would be required to gain any measure of control over the population. In December 1979, Mengistu announced the creation of the Commission to Organize the Party of the Workers of Ethiopia (COPWE).
A number of mass organisations, such as the Revolutionary Ethiopia Youth Association, were also established. It was hoped that these organisations would help lead to a unified party that would eliminate sectarianism
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
and be based on broad (yet clearly defined) class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
interests. The organisations were also to act as the political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
consciousness of Ethiopia at a more personal level by not only representing Ethiopians at congress
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations , or groups....
es, but also in the workplace and in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al institutes. Membership in multiple mass organisations was encouraged.
The COPWE held three congresses for the mass organisations it had set up, and despite the best efforts of the government to encourage diversity, more than one third of those present at the first congress, in 1980, were either soldiers or Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
residents.
The 1980 congress unveiled the membership of the COPWE's Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
and Secretariat. The Secretariat, which controlled the more day to day aspects of the Central Committee business and was supervised by the top Derg leadership, was composed of mainly civilian ideologues. Regional branches of the Secretariat coordinated by army officers helped complement the COPWE's central leadership. The organisation became more powerful in 1981 with the creation of separate offices for administrator and COPWE representative in each region.
By 1983, there were about 50,000 COPWE members and approximately 6,500 party cells. Despite Mengistu's earlier calls for ideological purity and the need for "committed communists", ideology soon became a simple façade for the Derg's efforts to eliminate its political opponents regardless of actual political beliefs, and loyalty to the Derg was preferred over dedication to Marxism-Leninism
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
in considerations for party membership. By this time, the military and police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
had also become the majority in the membership of the Central Committee, with 79 of its 123 members being soldiers, twenty of whom were also Derg members.
The formation of the vanguard party
The Workers' Party of Ethiopia was finally established on September 12, 1984, to mark the tenth anniversary of the revolution. The COPWE was dissolved and the WPE took its place. The Central Committee was expanded to 183 members, with party congresses every five years. Mengistu became general secretaryGeneral secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
.
The WPE's Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
, which replaced the COPWE's Executive Committee
Executive Committee
Executive Committee may refer to:* The Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland, a government body in the United Kingdom 1921–1972* The Northern Ireland Executive, a government body in the United Kingdom...
as Ethiopia's chief decision making body, had eleven members, seven of whom were drawn from the Derg and the remaining four being civilian ideologues and technocrat
Technocracy (bureaucratic)
Technocracy is a form of government where technical experts are in control of decision making in their respective fields. Economists, engineers, scientists, health professionals, and those who have knowledge, expertise or skills would compose the governing body...
s. Generally, Mengistu's wishes prevailed over any opposition. The nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
involved in the selection of Politburo members meant that opposition to Mengistu was usually marginal anyway, making the entire council more of a mouthpiece for Mengistu's wishes than a legitimate government body.
At a national level, membership of the WPE was heavily slanted towards soldiers and members of certain ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s that had, historically, endorsed the concept of a unified "greater Ethiopia", such as the Tigray
Tigray Province
Tigray was a province of Ethiopia. The Tigray Region superseded the province with the adoption of the new constitution in 1995. The province of Tigre merged with its neighboring provinces, including Semien, Tembien, Agame and the prominent Enderta province and towards the end of 19th century it...
and Amhara. However, at regional and local levels, ethnicity and military service became less relevant, with large numbers of civilians and members of various ethnicities in positions of power.
The WPE's position as "formulator of the country's development process and the leading force of the state and in society" was enshrined into law by the 1987 Ethiopian constitution, which also dissolved the Derg and renamed the country the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was the official name of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991, as established by the Communist government of Mengistu Haile Mariam and the Workers' Party of Ethiopia...
. The constitution gave the party more political power than the government itself, with local party leaders given almost free rein provided their policies did not conflict with Addis Ababa's.
Demise
Amidst an armed insurrection, the end of Soviet support in 1990, and a concurrent move towards multi-party politics across Africa, the WPE's power began to unravel, and the party officially renounced Marxism and declared itself in favor of a mixed economyMixed economy
Mixed economy is an economic system in which both the state and private sector direct the economy, reflecting characteristics of both market economies and planned economies. Most mixed economies can be described as market economies with strong regulatory oversight, in addition to having a variety...
. Mengistu fled the country and the rebels took power in 1991. The new government disbanded the WPE and most of its leaders were put in prison for the crimes they allegedly committed during the party's rule.