republic · Horn and East Africa
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Origins
A new constitution, approved by referendum in February 1987, turned the military government of the Derg into the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in September 1987. Mengistu Haile Mariam became president, and the Workers' Party of Ethiopia was proclaimed the leading force of state and society.
Rule and society
The PDRE was a one-party Marxist-Leninist state on the Soviet model, with collective farms, forced villagisation and resettlement of northerners to the south and west. Its army, among Africa's largest, was badly overstretched by wars with the Eritrean People's Liberation Front and the Tigrayan-led EPRDF, and suffered a heavy defeat at Afabet in 1988. Soviet aid dwindled as the Cold War ended.
Decline and legacy
Rebels captured Massawa in 1990 and advanced on the capital. Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe on 21 May 1991, and the EPRDF entered Addis Ababa on 28 May, forming the Transitional Government of Ethiopia, while the EPLF took Asmara.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/peoples-democratic-republic-of-ethiopia
- MLA
- “People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/peoples-democratic-republic-of-ethiopia. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/peoples-democratic-republic-of-ethiopia.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/peoples-democratic-republic-of-ethiopia (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻