As you have already learned, Ethiopia, along with Liberia, were the only African countries that were not colonized by Europeans. This places Ethiopia alongside China and Iran, rooted in millennia-old kingdoms. In contrast, nations like Ghana or Nigeria are diverse amalgamations.
A map of Africa in 1880, illustrating the limited colonial presence before the Berlin Conference.
Ethiopia's Resilient History
It was not that European powers were not interested in colonizing Ethiopia - they were! Ethiopia was able to resist attempts of colonization by the British and particularly by the Italians. Indeed, Italy was able to colonize a part of ancient Ethiopia, the area along the Red Sea. This was the colony, and now independent country, of Eritrea.
The Battle of Adowa
Under the leadership of Emperor Menelik, Ethiopia resisted European attempts to colonize all of Ethiopia. Ethiopia won a decisive victory over Italy at the Battle of Adowa, December 1895. Ethiopia, unique in African history, avoided colonization and stands as a civilizational state. Only eight countries were never colonized: Ethiopia, Thailand, Turkey, Japan, Iran, China, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Ethiopian forces during the Battle of Adowa.
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Ethiopia's history predates newer nation-states like Burkina Faso, which is only 63 years old.
The Battle of Adwa: The Day Ethiopia Defied Colonization
The Kingdom of Ethiopia
The Kingdom of Ethiopia, initially in Damot (modern-day Tigray and Eritrea), was the successor of the powerful Aksum Empire, renowned even by the Persians. Aksum's decline followed the loss of Red Sea access. The resurgence of Ethiopia was driven by the Amhara tribe, who established an empire, expanded borders, and implemented feudalism.
Medieval Era and Strategic Resistance
During the medieval era, Europeans used Africans for proxy conflicts. Ethiopia received support from Portugal, while the Adal Sultanate in Somalia was backed by the Ottoman Turks. Through strategic leadership, Ethiopia managed to resist Somali, Egyptian, Sudanese, British, and Italian conquest and expanded its empire.
Other Uncolonized Nations
By 1880, colonies were limited. America had Liberia, British controlled Gambia, Cape, Gold Coast, Lagos; Dutch Boers governed Orange Free State and South African Republic (Transvaal); French held Senegal, Congo, Algeria; Portuguese oversaw Angola, Guinea; Ottoman Turks ruled Egypt, Tunisia, & Libya. Also, Egypt, which was an autonomous state of the Turks, controlled modern day Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, and parts of modern day Chad, Uganda, and Central African Republic. Some places like East African-Arab, Tippu Tip, controlled a massive slave state in modern day Eastern Congo.
The Berlin Conference resembled a proto-UN, where major powers set territorial borders, abolished slavery (replaced with brutal forced labor.. marginal progress..), suppressed African piracy for trade, kicked out the Ottoman Turks from Africa, and granted King Leopold control over the "Congo Free State", a territory the size of Western Europe, as personal property.
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The Sokoto Caliphate fragmented into Northern Nigeria, German Kamerun, and French West Africa. Formerly warring empires-Toucouleur, Wassoulou, Kong-were integrated into colonies with French-defined borders: Ivory Coast, Guinea, and French Sudan (Modern day Mali).
Ethiopia was the sole nation that escaped colonialism and actually expanded its borders.
Ethiopia Today
Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation with 115 million inhabitants, is characterized by a diverse tapestry of ethnicities. Predominantly, there are the Oromo in the South, Amharic in the North West, Tigray in the far North West, the Afar in the North East, Somalis in the East, alongside various other ethnic groups.
Ethiopia stands out in Africa for its remarkable increase in agricultural yield and rapid economic growth. In just two decades, the country quintupled its per capita income, all achieved without abundant natural resources. This progress is attributed to improved farming practices and substantial capital investment through international borrowing.
It’s worth noting that just because Ethiopia was never colonized doesn’t make it the richest African country. Many African countries are richer than Ethiopia despite being former colonies: Zambia, Guinea, Tanzania, Lesotho, Benin, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Angola, Nigeria, Mauritania, Kenya, and other African nations have higher incomes per capita than Ethiopia as of 2022.
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| Country | Colonized? | Income Per Capita |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopia | No | [Insert Value] |
| Zambia | Yes | [Insert Value] |
| Nigeria | Yes | [Insert Value] |
| Kenya | Yes | [Insert Value] |
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