On Stability and Continuity II

G. E. Gorfu

In our last article we saw how Cromwell dissolved Parliament and became a dictator. During his short period as Chancellor, he became one of the most hated people in Britain. A Puritan Protestant, he passed many laws to impose strict religious rules on the land. When he died, he was buried in Westminster Abbey, but Charles II as one of his first orders of duty, had Cromwell’s body exhumed and put on trial for killing his father, Charles I. He was found guilty and the body hanged on the gallows at Tyburn, near Hyde Park, London. It is also said that afterwards, they took his body down from the gallows and threw it in a bone fire. Finally, they took the skull and put it on a stake and posted it at one of The Towers of London. It was displayed there for many, many years.

Why are most dictators hated? In our own history we have Atse Tewodros who defeated all his contemporary Rases and Kings, wiped out the entire Gondar dynasty, and became a dictator. He also traveled to various parts of the country fighting and defeating many contenders to the throne who had lineage to Menelik I, and Queen Sheba. So, already, he had made many enemies even before he ascended to the throne.

Though many Ethiopians may love and think very highly of Tewodros today, from the history and folklore that still survives, he was one of the most hated men of his time. He was seen as an upstart, the son of “?? ???” single mother. Furthermore, he continued to kill many more people after ascending to the throne, witch made matters only worse.

The problem was Tewodres’ lack of legitimacy in the eyes of the nobility and most people. Had he been the son of Ras Ali, or one closely allied with the nobility – any nobility, (Showa, Tigray, Wollo, Godjam… etc.) without a doubt, Tewodros’ history would have been very different. His legitimacy was further undermined when he tried to modernize the Orthodox Church and forced it to accept some structural changes. On one occasion he even had to put a gun to the head of the Patriarch to have his way.

Tewodros’ era saw neither stability, nor continuity. It was beleaguered with rebellions, campaigns, and wars, ceaselessly until his final stand at Mekdela, where his enemies had surrounded him, and literally delivered him to British forces. By most estimates, he was left with a dwindling army of less than ten thousand men. Compare that with Menelik II who marched to meet the enemy at Adwa with an army of well over a hundred thousand, of every ethnicity in Ethiopia. That is the difference between dictatorship and legitimacy.

Just like Tewodros, most dictators not only are they hated, but also fail to achieve any stability or continuity. Once gone, most of their legacy may be gone with them, and soon forgotten. Stability and continuity are not so easy to achieve, as these often require establishing durable systems and traditions that can withstand the test of time.

Our next article will look at Mengistu’s “Communist” regime. We will examine how the regime’s lack of legitimacy prevented it from stability or continuity. Once Mengistu fled, the entire structure he left behind collapsed within days. Dictators labor in vain!

To be continued…