People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

A long time ago, Ethiopia had a new government.

A leader named Mengistu ran the land. His group helped many people learn to read. They taught people in many ways to talk.

But life was very hard for many. The land was very dry. There was not enough food for everyone. This was a sad time for the people.

Groups of people fought for control. They wanted to change how things worked. Soon, the old leaders had to leave. A new group took over the land.

From 1987 to 1991, Ethiopia was a communist state.

This state was called the PDRE. A leader named Mengistu Haile Mariam held most of the power. He led a group called the Workers' Party of Ethiopia.

The government tried to help people learn to read. They taught lessons in fifteen different languages. This helped many people in the country.

However, life was very difficult for many. There were many long droughts. This meant there was not enough rain for crops. Because of this, many people did not have enough food. This was a very sad and hard time.

At the same time, there was a civil war. Different groups fought the government for control. In 1991, Mengistu fled the country. Soon after, rebel groups took the capital city, Addis Ababa. The PDRE ended, and a new government began. This changed how the country was run.

The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, or PDRE, was a communist state. It lasted from 1987 to 1991. This government ruled over Ethiopia and what is now Eritrea.

The PDRE was a unitary state. This means the central government held most of the power. It was led by a group called the Derg. The Derg had been a military group ruling since 1974. They wanted to move toward a civilian government. They planned this change for five years.

The government worked in a very centralized way. This means decisions came from the top. A group called the Workers' Party of Ethiopia led the country. The party was led by Mengistu Haile Mariam. He was the President and the party leader.

A group called the National Shengo was the legislature. This group was supposed to be the highest power. In reality, the party leaders made the big choices. The Shengo mostly just approved what the party decided. This system is often called democratic centralism. The constitution promised personal freedoms to all citizens. However, the government did not always follow these rules.

There were many attempts to improve life through education. The government started a national literacy campaign. Before this, less than 10 percent of people could read. By 1984, the rate grew to about 63 percent.

They taught people in many different languages. They started with five languages like Amharic and Somali. Later, they used fifteen languages to reach more people. This helped cover about 93 percent of the population. Primary school enrollment also grew very quickly. It went from about 957,300 students to nearly 2,450,000 by 1986. More girls also started going to school during this time.

Life was also very hard because of nature and war. Ethiopia faced many long droughts. A drought began in 1969 and lasted for a long time. In the early 1980s, the lack of rain caused a great famine. By 1985, about 7.7 million people lacked enough food. Many people were at risk of starving.

The government also faced a civil war. Groups in the north fought for control. The Soviet Union stopped helping the PDRE in 1990. This made the government's situation even more difficult. Other countries like Cuba sent medical help. About 300 Cuban medical workers helped with health problems.

The end of the PDRE came quickly in 1991. The Ethiopian Civil War and the war for Eritrean independence continued. These conflicts challenged the power of the Workers' Party. In May 1991, Mengistu Haile Mariam fled the country.

After he left, the government lasted only one more week. Rebel groups moved into the capital city, Addis Ababa. The PDRE was dissolved. A new group called the Transitional Government of Ethiopia took over. This marked the end of a very intense era in history.

The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, often called the PDRE, was a unitary communist state. It existed from 1987 to 1991. During this time, the government ruled over Ethiopia and present-day Eritrea.

A unitary state is one where the central government holds most of the authority. The PDRE was established in February 1987. This happened after the adoption of a new constitution. The constitution followed a national referendum held three weeks earlier. This state replaced the rule of a military group known as the Derg.

The transition to this new state was a long process. The Derg had ruled as a provisional government since 1974. They planned a transition to civilian rule for five years. In 1984, they proclaimed a people's democratic state. That same year, they founded the Workers' Party of Ethiopia, or WPE. This was a vanguard party, which means it was designed to lead the nation. Mengistu Haile Mariam led the WPE as its chairman. When the PDRE was proclaimed, the Derg was officially dissolved. However, the Derg members continued to hold power until September 1987.

The government structure was highly centralized. Power was concentrated in a few hands. The legislature was called the National Shengo. Nominally, the Shengo was the supreme organ of state power. In practice, the country used a system called democratic centralism. This meant the Shengo mostly approved decisions made by the WPE and its Politburo. The President served as both the head of state and head of government. Mengistu Haile Mariam held both the presidency and the position of General Secretary of the WPE. Because of this, he acted as a virtual dictator.

Despite the strict political control, there were significant changes in education. The government launched a national literacy campaign. In the previous imperial regime, the literacy rate was under 10 percent. By 1984, this rate grew to about 63 percent. Officials conducted training in many languages. They started with five: Amharic, Oromo, Tigrinya, Wolaytta, and Somali. They later expanded this to fifteen languages. This allowed them to reach about 93 percent of the population. Primary school enrollment also rose sharply. It grew from 957,300 students in 1974/75 to nearly 2,450,000 by 1985/86.

Education reforms also changed how schools were distributed. Before the revolution, most senior secondary schools were in urban areas. In 1974/75, about 55 percent were in Eritrea and Shewa. By 1985/86, that number dropped to 40 percent. The number of senior secondary schools almost doubled during this era. There were fourfold increases in regions like Arsi, Bale, Gojjam, Gondar, and Wollo. Gender gaps also shifted. While fewer girls were in secondary school, the total female proportion in the school system rose. It went from 32 percent in 1974/75 to 39 percent in 1985/86.

However, the PDRE faced massive challenges from nature and war. A long cycle of droughts affected East Africa. In the early 1980s, these droughts led to a devastating famine. By early 1985, approximately 7.7 million people suffered from food shortages. About 2.5 million people were at immediate risk of starving. The government also faced internal conflict. The Ethiopian Civil War and the Eritrean War of Independence challenged the WPE. The Soviet Union ended its support for the PDRE in 1990. This loss of support made the government's position much weaker.

Human rights issues and government policies also impacted the famine. The government used a counter-insurgency strategy during the conflict. Some reports suggest this economic war against peasants caused the famine to spread. This policy may have caused between 225,000 and 317,000 extra deaths. The regime also faced criticism for forced resettlements of people into lowlands. Despite these struggles, some international aid arrived. Cuba sent nearly 300 medical technicians to help with public health. The UN and the World Bank also provided various forms of assistance.

The end of the PDRE arrived very quickly in 1991. In May, Mengistu Haile Mariam fled into exile. The government lasted only one more week after his departure. Rebel forces began closing in on the capital, Addis Ababa.

On May 28, the rebels took control of the city. The PDRE was dissolved. It was replaced by the Transitional Government of Ethiopia. This marked the conclusion of the communist era in Ethiopia.