other · Horn and East Africa

Eritrea (federation)

1952 CE – 1962 CE · capital Asmara

Eritrea's decade as an autonomous unit federated with Ethiopia, whose dismantling by Haile Selassie set off a 30-year war for independence.

Origins

Following a UN resolution of December 1950, Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia under the Ethiopian Crown in September 1952. It received its own constitution, an elected assembly in Asmara, an executive and official languages, Tigrinya and Arabic, while Ethiopia controlled defence, foreign affairs, currency and trade.

Rule and society

The federation was unequal from the start. Haile Selassie's representative steadily curtailed Eritrean autonomy: political parties and independent newspapers were suppressed, Amharic was imposed, and the Eritrean flag was replaced by Ethiopia's in 1958. Nationalists organised the Eritrean Liberation Movement in 1958 and the Eritrean Liberation Front in 1960, whose fighters under Hamid Idris Awate began armed struggle in September 1961.

Decline and legacy

In November 1962 the Eritrean assembly, under pressure, voted to dissolve itself, and Eritrea was annexed as a province of the Ethiopian Empire. The war that followed ended with independence as the State of Eritrea in 1993.

Lineage

British Administration of Eritrea 1941 CE – 1952 CEEritrea (federation)Ethiopian Empire 1270 CE – 1974 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Eritrea (federation). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/eritrea-federation
MLA
“Eritrea (federation).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/eritrea-federation. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Eritrea (federation).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/eritrea-federation.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Eritrea (federation)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/eritrea-federation (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻