According to historians, the Adwa victory necessitated the establishment of modern state structure and in 1901 the emperor established his own cabinet and consolidated his political power by appointing regional governors.
The Adwa victory made Ethiopia the only country never colonized in Africa and helped to aspire to develop its economy independently without the intervention of the colonial powers.
In fact as mentioned above the advent of colonialism had been to exploit natural resources and cheap labor in the colonized countries and to obtain market for products produced in their local industries.
Europeans who colonized Africa and Asian countries forcefully structured the economy to be a feeder of the colonizers economy at home and denied regional trade integration. They made that all mining and agricultural products find their way to the European markets to be utilized as input in their industries. They constructed roads and railways to connect mining and plantation farms with ports and to be easily exported to European markets. They did not construct intercontinental roads and railways which enable to integrate countries in trade and economy.
As the result, they systematically made the African economy to be dependent on the European economy and such circumstances left the countries to be recipient of aid and loan to the former colonial powers to date. Even some Politicians claim that unless Africans build their own independent economy their political freedom remains only on flag.
Unlike other African countries, Ethiopia escaped the colonially structured economy because of the victory of Adwa. The Italian capital intended to be invested here was denied by the Adwa victory.
It should be understood that the Adwa victory brought and boosted territorial nationalism but Ethiopians failed to change this nationalism in to citizenship nationalism through establishing political system by consensus marked by periodical election, respect to the rule of law and developing viable economy by eradicating poverty.
The Ethiopian economy is characterized by its freedom from footage of colonialism. Ethiopians developed independent identity, which can propel economic growth but not used effectively because of various reasons.
In the dawn of the 20th century the building of modern economy started by the emperor Menelik continued by Emperor Haile Selassie I. In fact, during the 5 years Italian occupation from 1936 to 41 some infrastructures had been constructed including roads, hospitals and buildings used as government institutions.
From 1941 to 1974 modernizing the nation’s economy was consolidated and boosted and it is believed to have laid ground for improving the nation political economy.
The Ethiopian Airlines, Telecom, Commercial and National Banks were established with the help of USA and till now they played pivotal role in advancing the nation’s economy. Economists suggested the free mentality of colonialism obtained by the Adwa victory had its own motivation for the obtained progress.
BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 2 MARCH 2025
