A History of the Betii Rist (Private Domain) Office of Emperor Haile Selassie I: A Study in Royal Property Management, 1941-1975.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2016-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This thesis is an institutional histOlY of the Beld Rist Office established in 1941 by Haile Selassie
for the management of his property. This dissertation is, therefore, a study of the history of royal
property administration and spans the years from 1941 to 19741'75. With the help mainly of
archival materials 1 have tried to examine the following major themes of historical significance
within the context of Ihe Betd Rist Office: a) establishment and structure of the Office; b) the
property of the monarch and the several mechanisms of acquiring them; c) the kind of economic
investment that the Office made; d) land grants and land sales together with the concomitant
income that the Office generated out of it: e) the nature of royal tenancy and the ways in which
the Office handled the cases of tenants as compared, and in contrast, to previous assumptions On
landlord-tenant relationships: j) the kind of social investment that the monarch made especially
on the care for and rehabilitation of the aged, the blind, the olphaned, the oulcasts as well as
destitute people in general. An at/empt is also made to examine the extent to which the Emperor
was ready to use some of his wealth for the promotion of public health and higher educational
institutions. The Beld Rist had its Head Office in Addis Ababa and branch offices in the
provinces. It represented a highly organized end centrally directed property management
institution that exhibited a strict financial control system. This was particularly true to the period
./i'om 1949 to 1972 during which it registered much success. The major economic sectors in
which the Ofjke expended substantial alllount of money are partially mechanized farming;
development of real estate; and the manufacturing sector. In the social sphere, the Emperor
demonstrated great concern for the rehabilitation of the aged, disabled, orphaned, and other
people who suffered from health disorders. The role that the Emperor played in rehabilitation
and in the promotion of public health and higher educational institutions is best revealed in
connection with the history of the management system. Around 19611 '62, however, the Emperor
decided to close it for he gave out huge amount of land which was under the administration of
the Betd Rist to his children. But the fact that he still possessed property both in urban and rural
areas ensured the continuation of the office until the collapse of the regime in 1974. The
nationalization of the property in 1975 by the military regime formally marked the end of the
institution.
Description
Keywords
History of the Betii Rist, Private Domain, Office of Emperor Haile Selassie