Emperor Haile Selassie's reign in Ethiopia has been described by the term Kleptocracy, indicating that the Emperor and his cronies plundered the country for their own benefit. Ethiopia was a poor country in any case, and it was poorer after Selassie had taken most of its wealth and left the peasants much worse off then they were when he arrived in office. Selassie was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He came to power at a time when Ethiopia had to deal with the expansionist policies of Italy prior to World War II. The world powers, especially those in the League of Nations, were not inclined to counter Italy's attack on Ethiopia in 1935. In the early years of the world war, however, Ethiopia was retaken from the Italians by the British, who would continue to dominate Ethiopian affairs after the war ended in 1945. Selassie was restored to power at that time and tried to implement reforms and modernize the state and certain sectors of the economy, but for the most part Ethiopia remained a "feudal" society (Ofcansky and Berry 4-5).
Haile Selassie was born Ras Tafari Makonnen in Ethiopia in 1892, and he died in 1975. His father was a noted general, and the boy was also the grandnephew of Emperor Menelik II. He was a brilliant student and became a favorite of Menelik, who made him a provincial governor at age 14. As a Coptic Christian, Tafari opposed Menelik's grandson and successor, who became a Muslim convert, and in 1916 compelled his deposition and established Menelik's daughter Zauditu as empress, with himself as regent. In 1928, Tafari was crowned king of Ethiopia, and in 1930, after the mysterious death of the empress, he became emperor as Haile Selassie, claiming to be a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. He tried to institute internal reforms and took great pride in the suppression of slavery. When Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935, he personally led defending troops in the field. However, ...