A history of wanchi district from 1941-1991

Abstract

This thesis was geared to conduct a study on Wancii District so as to present historical facts about social, economic, political and cultural aspects of the people of the District and change and continuity happened on the aforementioned issues of the people of the study area.Moreover, the thesis researched the detail of the district’s socio-cultiral and economic changes through time and endeavored to identify the major threats of life, the major features of relation beatween Wanchi District and neighbouring districts, how did the changes bring impacts on the culture of the district’s and changes, and continuities in the District in areas of social services and facilities during the period under study.The thesis employed diferent methods of gathering data such as primary and secondry sources.The first category of sources included both archival documents and oral traditions, collected from the deliberately selected people, who have a good memory on the past events in the study area.The secondry category of sources utilized to the maximum were both published and unpublished documents, which were available in Wancii Warada, South West Shawa Zone, Addis Ababa University, Institute of Ethiopian Studies and Welde Meskel Tariku’s Archival Center.The thesis was presented using qualitative-narrative method. The study also covered from the period of Italian occupation of 1936-1941 and its impacts on national level as well as on the study area. Moreover, the thesis investigated the formation of Waincii District and administrative reforms, the imperial taxation system applied on the District and the reform that opened the door for corruption of government officials and local bäläbat, who exploited the resources of peasants, the form of land ownership and its burden on the life of tenants in the District. The study included the down fall of Emperor Haile Selassie’s government and the new military regime’s first radical measurement of the February 1975 land reform which abolished tenancy and land lordism.These reforms like other parts of the country eagerly awaited and warmly accepted by local people of the District. Some of the reforms of the military regime were like the establishment of PAs so as to strengthen its power and local people by using different institutions to control the rural society. However, the Darg reforms were not accepted all in all by the District’s people as the government plan, especially, among its reforms, the villagazation program was opposed by the people for its policy exploited the peasants more