All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement
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All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement
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| Founded | 1968 |
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Communism Marxism-Leninism |
The All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement (Amharic: ሁሉም - ኢትዮጵያ ሶሻሊስት ንቅናቄ?: Mela Ethiopia Sosialist Niqinaqē, MEISON) is a political party in Ethiopia. A Marxist-Leninist organization, MEISON played an active role in Ethiopian politics during the 1970s. Both it and the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) were enthusiastic supporters of the revolution that toppled Emperor Haile Selassie. However, as Mengistu Haile Mariam rose to power as chairman of the ruling Derg government, conflict began to develop between the two groups, with MEISON aligning itself with Mengistu.
MEISON was formed as a clandestine organization during the 8th ESUE (Ethiopian Student Union in Europe) congress in August 1968 by some of the most senior of the exiled radical Ethiopian students. Prominent founders include: Worku Ferede (elected chairman at meeting), Kebede Mengesha, Negede Gobeze, Andargachew Assegid, Fikre Merid, Hagos Gebreyesus, and Haile Fida (future chairman and an Oromo from Welega). Other early prominent members included Andreas Eshete, Haile Menkerios, Alem Habtu, and Dessalegn Rahmato.
Limited free expression was permitted following the 1974 revolution that installed the Derg as the state's authority, and politics became dominated by members of the radical Left who had previously opposed Haile Selassie at home and abroad. MEISON and the EPRP quickly grew to be the two dominant Marxist parties, and their leadership & members across Europe, North America, and the Middle East quickly returned home to take part in the revolution.
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