A History of Mocha Awraja, 1941-1991.
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Date
2024-11-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
For so long, studies have been made on administrative history of Ethiopia with almost exclusive
focus on the northern and central highlands of the Christian kingdom and the role of the
Orthodox Church in state administration. The administrative history of non-Christian province
of the south in general and Mocha in particular was not given the deserved attention to date.
Therefore, this thesis reconstructs the history of Mocha Awraja which would contribute to
redress the gap in Ethiopian historiography. The temporal scope of the study is from the
restoration of the Imperial administration in the country in general and the study area in
particular in 1941and the collapse of the military regime in1991. The study relied on the
analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary sources. Archival materials originating
from the imperial administration and the Derg period and pertinent academic and
institutionalliterature have been intensively collected, interpreted and integrated into the study.
Oral data collected from ex-officials of the imperial and Derg regimes and other knowledgeable
informants was used to fill missing gaps and trigulate information collected from existing
literature and vice versa. In this regard, some officials of the two regimes and knowledgeable
informants nearest to the study events were interviewed with prepared guiding questions. In
order to assure the authenticity of the research information, the sources were critically examined
through crosschecking with one another. The collected data was analyzed. The study found that
the centralization of imperial administration and subsequent changes in the administrative
structure and administrative personnel increased the burden of the local population of Mocha
Awraja in the post-liberation period. The newly appointed governors had kept the imperial
hegemony over the study area through controlling natural resources and exploited the
indigenous population. Among others, this led to mass discontent thereby contributing to the
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outbreak of the 1974 revolution. Subsequent to the demise of the regime, the land reform of the
Derg satisfied farmers with positive radical changes to the disadvantages. The research finding
reveals that against the initial popular reform, the Derg launched various unpopular programs.
Among others, the forced nature of villagization program in the Awraja raised peasant uprising
and the government reacted brutal. Gradually, the political transformation in the globe in
general and the country in particular ended the administration of the Military regime.
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A History of Mocha Awraja