2.3.4.

Foreign Policy during Emperor Haile Selassie I (1916-1974)

Menelik died in 1913 and it was not until 1930 that the next strong emperor Haile Selassie I,
assumed the throne. He was dedicated to the creation of a stronger, centralized and
bureaucratic
empire with unquestioned respect by the international community. This was clear as early as
1923, when as Regent to the Crown, Teferi Mekonen, facilitated Ethiopia‘s entry to the
League
of Nations. Ethiopia‘s membership in the League of Nations was clearly instigated by the
ever
present danger of invasion by Italians. When the Italian Fascists finally invade Ethiopia
between
1936 and 1941, the Emperor fled to London and established a government in exile.
From there he journeyed to Geneva, Switzerland, to make a plea before the League of
Nations
for aid in defense to the country. Although the League of Nations‘ charter stipulated that all
members were committed to protect the sovereignty of member states, through what was
known
as the collective security system, the League ultimately failed to take any substantive measure
against Italy and the plea of the King was ignored. Apparently viewing the League of
Nations‘ in
action, the King continued to believe in the ultimate value of effective diplomacy. He also
recognized Ethiopia‘s need for a powerful external patron until he could restore the
independence of his country. His diplomatic skills and Britain‘s own strategic necessities in
the
area enabled him to elicit the aid of the British in securing the liberation of Ethiopia.
In the immediate post-war period, Ethiopia was extremely dependent on British military,
economic and technical aid. At the same time, the Emperor feared that Britain might either
declare Ethiopia a protectorate or use the claim that the whole of Italian East Africa; Eritrea,
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