A History of Ethiopia

by Harold G. Marcus

In this eminently readable, concise history of Ethiopia, Harold Marcus surveys the evolution of the oldest African nation from prehistory to the present. 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.

Genres: History, Africa, Ethiopia, Nonfiction, Academic, Historical

394 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 1994

Reviews

[Marit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I waver between two and one stars for this book. I chose this book as one of the more highly rated thorough histories of Ethiopia but the writing style and content were often disappointing. While I do feel I learned a lot about the modern history of Ethiopia, since the 1800's, I learned next to nothing about culture, except obtusely through politics, about lifestyles, and not all that much about pre-1600 Ethiopia. Marcus chose to skim over "early" history of Ethiopia by rattling off names of emperors and who they conquered or what territories they lost. Stories took on a bit more liveliness in the more modern era but I did not get a strong sense of people. Only their political actions. Major shifts like religious changes, connections to the Western world, socialism that toppled the monarchy, etc. seemed to pop into being and their origin, their meaning within Ethiopia borders and to Ethiopian peoples, went largely unexplained.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended to me by a friend as a good place to start re: Ethiopian history- I can't speak much to the historical content but a couple of thoughts

-this took me months and months to read, surprisingly dense but I suppose that makes sense since it starts with Lucy and goes to 2000
-this was last updated like 20 years ago and kind of reads like an older book
-as others have said it is more of a political history than a cultural/social one, you will need to read other sources for that
-the author synthesizes info in an interesting way, I could see how some people would find the writing style off-putting but I liked how the narration was pretty grounded
-it definitely picks up once you get to like 1900
-altogether very educational and informative, a good read even though it was a little bit of work

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you grew up in the 1980s, your first association with the word 'Ethiopia' is probably a needle-limbed child starving to death in the desert while the shrill demoness Sally Struthers solicited money from your parents that meant, nope, you're not getting that Thundercats temple base for Christmas. Mumm-Raaa!
Reading this book is not dissimilar from listening to Sally Struthers (really, couldn't they find someone a little less nose-bleed inducing?). It is pinched, high-pitched, and often wince-inducing. This is largely due to the dense compacting of tons of names, dates, and information into a fairly short space without any real sense of the moments in question, their context, or any attempt at historical analysis. Impenetrable name after impenetrable name obscure the larger currents embroiling Ethiopia, often omitting them completely! For example, the coastal areas that became Eritrea and Somalia aren't inserted until it's too late and their relevance, once Selassie really gets going after WWII, gets buried under other issues.
As with many histories, the last few decades get the shaft and a rushed ending. Too much of a focus on internal politics not balanced with external issues, and way too much name-dropping.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly dry, but I'm glad I read it. Learned something about the cultural mentality of Ethiopians. Would be interesting to get a more human, less academic perspective to complement this which was pretty academic.

[Kade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, readable overview of Ethiopian history from ancient times through the early 90s. Obviously written in the early 90s with all of the weaknesses that entails. Still a worthwhile read overall if you want an overview of Ethiopian history.

[Jw]

Admittedly I skipped the modern stuff since I was mostly interested in ancient and medieval Ethiopia, having read about Haile Selassie and the Derg elsewhere. The parts I did read in this book were excellent though!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harold G. Marcus did a good job succinctly presenting the long and complicated history of Ethiopia. There were times where it was a bit challenging to keep up with the time skips between paragraphs, but it was an enjoyable read overall. I imagine that this book would be a bit difficult to get into for anyone not already vaguely familiar with Ethiopia’s history and culture. Speaking of culture, if you are looking to learn about Ethiopian culture through its history, this book is not for you. It is primarily about Ethiopia’s political and economic history than anything else. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll find this book to be just what you needed.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very comprehensive and helpful background for some of the work I have done in country. The strong focus on military campaigns is, however, a bit dry and limiting, though I do understand how interwoven that is with the political and ethnic context.

[Norman Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The recent history of Ethiopia is bewildering, but Marcus does a very job of shedding light on the main trends. Or, at least it seems that way to me, but I am so uninformed on conditions in Ethiopia that I am basically taking his word for it. Nonetheless, his text is relatively lucid and consistent, so it seems credible.

One of the challenges of writing a history of Ethiopia is that it is very fractured among a variety of ethnic groups and religions and, in recent years, political philosophies (e.g., centralization versus federalism, free market-ish economy versus command economy, urban versus rural, and others). Marcus brings some order to this. The years from the overthrow of Haile Selassie in 1974 to 2000, at which point this edition of the book ends, was a vast confusion of competing factions, all with their abbreviations.

In looking at the situation in Ethiopia, I am reminded of the situation in Afghanistan where a strong, legitimate, democratic central government seems unable to develop.

I would have liked more to be included about the history of Ethiopia in early periods, but this book was designed to be compact, so I believe that Marcus included only what he thought would be needed to illuminate the current situation.

That said, the book does start 4 million years in the past with Lucy, the Australopithecus afarensis, so that is probably more "past" than I am ever going to see in another history!

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first-time student of African history, Harold G. Marcus' "A History of Ethiopia" is a decent introduction to one of the most ancient civilizations of the continent. It contains a solid overview of events in the 19th and 20th centuries. I would, however, encourage the reader to have a browser tab or another book open to reference names and places; it's easy to lose track without such a resource, as they're thrown at you rather fast. I was disappointed to find that the history of the region before 1800, and particularly the ancient history of Ethiopia, was somewhat glossed over, or at least does not take up as large a portion of the book as I expected. This title is good at the introductory level, but for those with a more dedicated interest in the subject, I would suggest casting your net wider.

[Leol Fetahanegest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good genereal overview

The book is a good general overview, beginning from Lucy (being a creationist I have a problem with that) until the end of the Ethio-Eritrean border war. I got many insights which I didn't have before, especially about the end of the Haile Selassie regime. Imagine what Ethiopia would have been today if Ras Bitwoded Endalkachew Mekonnen would have got a chance to implement his liberal ideas! So I recommend this book, but of course such a long period always must pick and choose what to include.

[Tom Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much an old school account of political history, and given the region, much military history. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who knows nothing about Ethiopia, currently or historically. It filled in some blanks for me in terms of the very complicated relationships between the power players, and it is definitely stronger when it gets to the 19th century (or "modern" era).

[Magnus Stanke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly readable, compact volume on the history of one of the most complex countries I can think of. The author leads us, the reader, through over 2 thousand years of events, people and places after which I feel I'm as capable of seeing the bigger picture as I ever was.

[Eyoel · Rating 3 out of 5]

"People in the Horn of Africa find it difficult, often almost impossible, to compromise, and it is only through accommodation and peace that development will be able to relieve the suffering of the broad masses." - Marcus

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Briskly written.

[Nigatu Aklilu · Rating 5 out of 5]

My name is Harold.G Marcus and I am from Ethiopia

[Neba27 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very concise book about the history of the Most ancient Country. The book is just a walk through along the major turning points of the country's history.

[Bobbsjejrng · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers. Great pacing and interesting overview into Ethiopian history and politics.

[JL · Rating 3 out of 5]

After 25 years, Markus’s concise history is still the definitive English language treatment of Ethiopia’s long and turbulent history. Not a quick or easy read by any stretch, it remains a valuable resource, though Markus’s staid narration tends to downplay the horror and violence of much of the country’s recent history.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was worried this book would be overly dense or full of jargon. However, the book is well written and moves quickly. For someone with little prior knowledge of Ethiopia I found it fascinating. I had no idea an ancient Ethiopian empire ruled part of Yemen or that Ethiopia served as a battle ground in the fight between Portugal and the Ottomans. The names of places and people are difficult because they are so foreign. Unfortunately, on the kindle its difficult to refer to the maps while you're reading. However, to get an overview of the history of Africa's second most populous and perhaps its most unique country it would be hard to do better than this book.

[Amaha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-written and very readable synopsis of Ethiopian history. Marcus is opinionated to the point of being tendentious- any given reader will disagree with some of his assertions- and he isn't interested in teasing out the nuances of historical developments or meticulously documenting the sources of his conclusions. But his very argumentativeness is part of what makes this such a brisk read on such a broad topic. I found it a very good intro to the topic, though worth balancing with other sources.

[N.W. Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly readable survey of Ethiopian history. You must remember Marcus is one of those historians trying to tell a story that funnels into and connects with the historical facts that the stories are based. This is why much of his history comes from the oral stories (much like most of our information on early greek history) that are still breathing on Ethiopia. So far, so good... Though, as this book is a survey, it is definitely not comprehensive. It is a good introduction to those who are unaware of Ethiopia's estranged religious past.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating country with a very long history. It's an entirely different take on Africa than all the post-colonial states. The book is a bit too concise in some areas. I mean, the reign of Haile Selassie takes up a third of the book yet he doesn't even say when or how he died after he was captured by rebels. Many other oversights like this. But if you want a history of Ethiopia you have to take what you can get.

[Nathan Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hoped there would be some cultural history of the various ethnic groups of Ethiopia and Eritrea, but other than that hope, the book was very informative. Perhaps a bit alphabet soupy for those not accustomed to political histories, the book was very detailed. I can appreciate more the history behind all the conflict in this part of the horn after this read. I recommend it.

[JEAN-PHILIPPE PEROL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un livre dont le premier et le plus grand mérite est d'exister, l Ethiopien ayant malheureusement pas suscité suffisemment de vocations malgré Raimbaud et Ruffin...Sur une trame de faits très inégalement rapportés, avec des périodes historiques ( et en particulier les origines) trop sommairement tracées, il manque par ailleurs d'analyses et de synthèses...

[Daniel Belay · Rating 4 out of 5]

After quickly discussing Solomonic Dynasties for fifty pages, Marcus spends the great majority of the book on historical figures of Modern Ethiopia: Emperor Tewodros II, Menelik II, Haile Selassie I, Mengistu Haile Mariam etc. Overall this book does an excellent job of balancing context, analysis, and story--resulting in a readily accessible modern history of Ethiopia.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, if underwhelming.

[Matthew de Gale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does what its says on the box...

[Nathan Douthit · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent summary of Ethiopia's history. Concise, a bit editorial, but definitely a good starter to whet the appetite.

[Kevin Pedersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good resource, and a solid overview of literally thousands of years of history (focused on the more recent stuff of course), but reading this never stopped feeling like homework.