Peasants and Resistances against Italian Occupation in North Shewa (May 4, 1936- May 5, 1941)

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Dechasa Abebe

Abstract

North Shewa, in the Central highland of Ethiopia, was one of the centers of guerrilla fighting resistances against the Italian occupation. The rural area of the region, residenceof the peasantry was conducive for the guerrilla type of warfare. The peasants of theregion had to host the resistance groups and received destructive punishments for thatfrom the Italians and their collaborators. Therefore, this paper intends to disclose themulti-faceted challenges and causalities the peasants had been facing during the fiveyears of occupation and resistances. Historical sources contributed both from the Ethiopian and Italian sides were consulted to organize the paper. Individuals who werethe members of the resistance groups or claimed that they were the insiders produced their memoires in historical or fiction books. The battles were fought in three consecutive phases and four major ill-coordinated zones (north western- Selalie-Merhabetie, northern-Menz-Tegulet, eastern- Ankober-Yifat and South eastern-Bulga-Shenkora) of the region because of geographical and demographic reasons. Mainly, theAmhara and neighbouring Oromo peasants were the prey for the resistance groups, theItalians and the collaborators. The peasants were also under the strong pressure of malnourishments, diseases and migrants from Addis Ababa to the region particularly after the Addis Ababa massacre of February, 1937 because of geographical and historical factors. The rugged topography and geographical proximity of the region to the capitalmade it the ideal place of self exile.

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How to Cite
Abebe, D. (1). Peasants and Resistances against Italian Occupation in North Shewa (May 4, 1936- May 5, 1941). The Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies (EJSSLS), 3(2), 23-43. Retrieved from https://journals.ju.edu.et/index.php/ejssls/article/view/728
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