Product Description

In this concise history of Ethiopia, Harold Marcus surveys the evolution of the oldest African nation from prehistory to the present. This study demonstrates that there is more to Ethiopia's existence than colonial logic. It shows how geography, economics and culture have served to unite Ethiopians against fractionalization. For the updated edition, Marcus has written a new preface, two new chapters and an epilogue, detailing the development and implications of Ethiopia as a Federal state and the war with Eritrea.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #152113 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 394 pages

Review
"With remarkable precision and a sensible balance, Marcus has described the multiple and often contradictory and intersecting forces that have molded Ethiopia's rugged history. In his ambitious attempt to give a comprehensive account, he has paid considerable attention to broader social, economic, and cultural developments.... Marcus has given us a concise yet complete overview of Ethiopia's history." - Gebru Tareke, American Historical Review "That a country with Ethiopia's historical record should have been so neglected is astonishing, and Harold Marcus is to be congratulated on taking up the challenge...this is a valuable contribution to Ethiopian historiography, which provides a useful and much-needed overview of current knowledge." - Christopher Clapham, International Journal of African Historical Studies

About the Author
Harold G. Marcus is Professor of History and African Studies at Michigan State University. He is the author of Haile Sellassie I: The Formative Years, 1892-1936 (California, 1986), Ethiopia, Great Britain, and the United States, 1941-1974: The Politics of Empire (California, 1983) and The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844-1916 (1975).

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Primer on Ethiopian History
That sums it up: this is an excellent place to start your study of Ethiopian history.

Marcus appears to specialize in Ethiopian history (he has written biographies of Emperors Haille Selassie and Menelik, both available from Amazon.com). But before reading those you might want to read his History of Ethiopia.

Marcus traces the history of this fascinating but mysterious land back to earliest times, and takes it right up to the fall of Mengistu in 1991. Perhaps someday a revision should be done to add events that took place after that, but right now it is too soon; history is still being made in Ethiopia. Most of the book deals with the period after about 1850, but as I said, if you're looking for a good general history filled with facts and details, this is it.