Which Ethiopian leader established a Marxist-Leninist government in the 1970s?

Which Ethiopian leader established a Marxist-Leninist government in the 1970s?

• A. Mengistu Haile Mariam
• B. Haile Selassie
• C. Meles Zenawi
• D. Isaias Afwerki

Answer: (A)

The focus here is identifying who established a Marxist-Leninist government in Ethiopia during the 1970s. Mengistu Haile Mariam led the Derg, the military junta that seized power after overthrowing Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974. Under Mengistu, Ethiopia moved toward a socialist framework aligned with Marxist-Leninist ideals, nationalizing land and major industries and eventually forming a one-party state under the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. This makes him the correct figure for that decade and ideological shift. Haile Selassie was the monarch overthrown in 1974, so he doesn’t fit the Marxist-Leninist government role. Meles Zenawi came to power in 1991 with a developmental-state approach rather than a 1970s Marxist-Leninist regime. Isaias Afwerki leads Eritrea, not Ethiopia, and his rise comes later.

The focus here is identifying who established a Marxist-Leninist government in Ethiopia during the 1970s. Mengistu Haile Mariam led the Derg, the military junta that seized power after overthrowing Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974. Under Mengistu, Ethiopia moved toward a socialist framework aligned with Marxist-Leninist ideals, nationalizing land and major industries and eventually forming a one-party state under the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. This makes him the correct figure for that decade and ideological shift. Haile Selassie was the monarch overthrown in 1974, so he doesn’t fit the Marxist-Leninist government role. Meles Zenawi came to power in 1991 with a developmental-state approach rather than a 1970s Marxist-Leninist regime. Isaias Afwerki leads Eritrea, not Ethiopia, and his rise comes later.