I am pleased to share the following book review from a veteran of the 1970s struggle. Ordering information for my book follows afterwards. I am available for telephone or zoom interviews...leave a comment to inquire.—ISH
LIKE HO CHI MINH! LIKE CHE GUEVARA!
THE REVOLUTIONARY LEFT IN
ETHIOPIA, 1969-1979
Foreign Languages Press, Paris, 2020, by Ian Scott Horst
Book Review by Tariku Debretsion
I am a veteran of the Ethiopian Student Movement (ESM) and the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Party (EPRP), and I find this book to be a comprehensive documentary analysis of the Ethiopian Revolution of 1974. With 502 pages and 889 extensive citations, the book is an essential contribution to the study of the Yekatit Revolution.
The
book is unique in that instead of writing his own narrative or
analysis, the writer chose to present the complex development of the
revolution through the participants’ own narratives, thoughts, and
analysis. For this, he used massive documents published by the Ethiopian
Student Unions over the 25 years that preceded the revolution and a
decade of the Ethiopian left parties’ and their antagonist the Derg’s
publications. Vivid testimonies of the individuals who participated or
were caught in the revolutionary tempest are extensively cited. Even
secret documents from the CIA and KGB are uncovered to present the
assessment and involvement of the superpowers.
The Yekatit 1974 Ethiopian Revolution was a classical revolution in
the spirit of the French and the Russian revolutions.
The writer has succeeded in presenting a very incisive and
comprehensive picture of this epochal, albeit tragic, revolution: the
gallant struggle of the Ethiopian Student Movement over two and half
decades; the frantic effort of the leftist parties that morphed from ESM
to play a vanguard role to the revolution and their fatal internecine
fights; the treachery of the fascist Derg faction led by Mengistu
Hailemariam in hijacking the revolution; the intervention of soviet
imperialism that sealed the fate of the revolution; and the orgy of
violence that was the devastating massacre of a generation of the
country’s educated Youth.
Ian Scott Horst, as a true revolutionary, has been able to grasp that
the Yekatit revolution is part of the international struggle for the
emancipation of the oppressed and exploited classes. As Ethiopian
revolutionaries extensively studied international revolutions to guide
them in their struggle, they in turn have--through their successes and
shortcomings--contributed worthwhile experiences that need to be studied
and examined by all internationalists. Inter alia: how the first
socialist revolution ends up landing the crushing blow to a popular
revolution; how Marxism/Leninism can end up as a cover ideology to a
fascist military regime; the fate of international solidarity in the
present era; the role of armed struggle in modern age social revolutions
and more.
After the Soviet revolution and the rise of Stalin, Marxism changed
from an instrument of revolution into a canonized dogma. This splintered
the leftist forces into followers of Stalinism, Trotskyism, Maoism,
Enver Hoxha, etc., and expended much of their energy in squabbling among
themselves. Unfortunately, this was the reality of European and
American revolutionaries in the 70s as well.
I was a student activist
in the early 70s in Germany and had strong relationships with many
leftist organizations. Mostly they were student revolutionaries like
the Ethiopians. The Ethiopian students used to watch with bemusement how
much time and energy these groups spent manifesting their ideological
purity and superiority versus other groups and by their propensity to
splintering. This was a manifestation of their alienation from the
working classes which they aspired to lead.
The
experience in the ESM was different in that Marxism-Leninism was
regarded as an instrument to study and analyze the actual situation and a
guide for action. The Ethiopian students were voracious readers of
revolutionary literature and most of their writings were supported with
heavy doses of quotations from the Masters. However, the focus was on
the actual situations on the ground and actual courses of actions to
take. As a result, there was minimal splintering in the movement, and
those that occurred were based on the assessment of the existing
situation in Ethiopia rather than on ideological interpretations.
Current Ethiopian activists, regardless of their political ideals,
need to study this book as a comprehensive guide to the revolution for
two main reasons. First, because the current conflicts are a
continuation of the unresolved revolution. One cannot understand
properly the current struggle without studying its roots. Secondly, when
current activists look back to this time it is too often to assign
blame and settle scores rather than gain insight. Name-calling and
finger-pointing are not a substitute for knowledge to be gained from the
introspective study of past experiences
Ian didn’t try to tell us what the revolution was about or what it
should be, rather he lets the protagonists tell their own stories and
readers derive their own conclusions.
—*—
Like Ho Chi Minh! Like Che Guevara! is available from the Foreign Languages Press storefront. The cover price is low and the shipping from France is reasonably priced and inexpensive. Order here!
