A History of Eebantuu District, East Wallaggaa Zone: 1974-1991

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.”