Contrary to popular belief, African populations have been able to force,
through social protest, numerous changes in their societies. One such example is
Ethiopia, where its last emperor, Haile Selassie I (1930-1974), faced fierce opposition
in the streets during his reign, specially the one boosted by students. This study focuses
on how student protests in the country have evolved since 1960, what were the causes
of their development and what impact they had on the government of the Ethiopian
negus. Finally, it will be analysed whether the protests against the emperor were
connected with the 1974 Revolution and the military coup that provoked the coming
to power of the Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia, popularly known
as Derg. In order to carry out this research, a detailed review of the bibliography has
been conducted as well as an analysis of the period's newspaper and graphic material
related to student protests.
