Ethiopia Pt.2: Haile Selassie, King of Kings

After a short emergency interlude into Syria, Conflicted Season 5
returns to our exploration of the fascinating land of Ethiopia.
Moving now to the 20th century, where one man dominated the
country: Emperor Haile Selassie, King of Kings. Haile Selassie is a
name synonymous with a few things: Ethiopia’s age of regal power in
the 20th century; being the only African monarch to withstand
Western colonialism; and, of course, the religion in Jamaica which
reveres him as a god, Rastafarianism. But Haile Selassie himself
was actually much more human, more mortal, than all this implies –
to look at his life is to understand how the modern Ethiopian state
came to be formed, or rather, failed to be formed… In this episode,
Thomas and Aimen give us an in depth look at Ethiopia in the 20th
century, from Haile Selassie’s prophesied birth, to the political
machinations that brought him to power, and how he cemented it in
this tumultuous time for his country. The wider geopolitics of his
reign were fascinating too, which saw Mussolini’s fascist Italians
invade, Western powers joining to expel them in World War 2, and a
period of rule afterwards where Selassie preached African unity
while himself conquering neighbouring lands. We’ll talk about
Selassie in Bath, his resplendent tours throughout Europe,
thrilling visits to the League of Nations, and yes, the religion
set up in his name to revere him, Rastafarianism. New Conflicted
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