Abstract:
The main objective of this thesis is to reconstruct a history of Eebantuu district, East Wallaggaa
Zone from 1974 to 1991. The 1974 is a turning point in the history of the district because of the
demise of imperial power while the year 1991 is a landmark due to the demise of the military
regime and the coming of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) to
power. The study attempts to fulfill the existing historical gaps in the district during the period
understudy. Based on relevant archival, oral, and written secondary sources, the thesis gives an
analysis of socio-economic and political developments that Eebantuu district had witnessed
during the Därg regime (1974-1991). It also offered background knowledge pertaining to the
pre-1974. The military regime’s attempts to place its power in a better position introduced
several radical measures like land reform, agricultural collectivism, resettlements, and
Villagization at a national level, which had their own negative and positive effects on the socio economic and political life of the people of Eebantu district. Besides this, the study has tried to
address the socio-cultural situation of the district and the infrastructural developments in which
the area has not made much progress. Therefore, I argued that the political, economic, and
social policies and reforms that have formulated and implemented by the Därg government
brought better changes in the life of most of the people of the Eebantuu than the previous
regimes. Generally, the findings of this research work showed the discourses between “history of
events” and “history from below.”
