Adane Kassie

The Geo-political History of Dejen Woreda,1941-1991: the Strategic Importance of Dejen Woreda for the Political Economy of Gojjam Adane Kassie

Reconstructing the Geo- political history of Dejen Woreda (district) from 1941-1991 is the focus of this book. The study covers the period from the restoration of Emperor Haile Selassie I to power in 1941 till the downfall of the military regime in 1991, during which the people of the Woreda, like other rural populations of Gojjam, experienced major socio-economic and political transformations. The book deals, among other things, with local traditions about Dejen as a name for the Woreda, its physical and cultural setup and local patriotic struggle against Fascist Italian administration. On the other hand, tremendous efforts have been made to assess the strategic importance of Dejen Woreda as an inlet and outlet to-and-from the entire northwestern region in general and to-and-from Gojjam in particular. In fact, Dejen has been strategically very significant for the development of Gojjam?s political economy since the early 20th century just serving as the only direct way to Addis Ababa.