The Bureaucratic Empire: Serving Emperor Haile Selassie

Dr. Seyoum has done a formidable job in documenting in detail the administrative and legislative effort exerted to reform the government of Ethiopia during 1957-1974 and the resistance faced every step of the way. He provides an insider s view of what was happening within the Prime Minister s of­fice and the highest echelons of government when the government was going through turbulent times. Akllilou Habtewold, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet of Ministers efforts were sti ed by resistance from the aristocracy. Failure to bring peaceful reform resulted in the violent revolution and bloodshed. The book will be an important, if not the only dependable insider s view on the Haile Selassie government by one of the main actors. It will be indispensable source in academic and research institutions as well as for general reading. Ethiopia and Haile Selassie s government have been the subjects of many books, mostly written by foreigners. Dr. Seyoum provides the experiences of someone who lived it. The Bureaucratic Empire is a legacy that will be cherished by generations to come and bears testimonial to the contribution that the author and people around him made under daunting circumstances. -Berhe Habte-Giorgis, Professor, Rowan University