Abstract:
It was in December 1960, individuals like Brigudier General Mengistu Neway from Imperial
Bodyguard, his brother, Germame Neway and other attempted the coup when the emperor was in
the official visit. The coup failed ultimately, due to lack of organization by the leaders and secondly
by lack of support from the grass – roots of the city; However, it had great sway on the politics of
the country, until the overthrow of the emperor. The attempted coup initiated peoples of the country
for the improvement of the country in all aspects; especially the educated elites and students, the
desire of this group for the change influenced the grass – roots of the city for the need of the change
in the administration. On the dawn of the revolution, all the groups including the grass – roots of
the city rose against the state officials of the emperor; finally the movement for the change was
seized by the men in uniform. After the military regime controlled the power of the country, the
desire of the grass – roots for both the change and improvement was reduced highly. Without such
strongly expressed oppositions the grass – roots of the city spent the military regime, furthermore
the political consciousness of the grass – roots in the city reduced in this period highly and finally
the military regime was toppled by the military groups called Ethiopian Peoples’ Democratic
Revolutionary Front in 1991. One of the new founding of the study is about how grass – roots of
the city were the second reason for the failure of the aborted coup of 1960.
