reports indicate that students, workers, and even some peasants are still engiged in action in support of their demands.
This continued unrest-which is revolutionary elements" within the armed forces-clearly shows that last month's upsurge was no mere flash In the pan.
off then-when a series of strikes and student demonstrations wore followed on 26 February by a revolt by troops in Ethiopia's socond largest city. Asmara, leading to the downfall of the cabinet two days latera have shown just how unstable the present. social structures have become.
FEUDAL SYSTEM
At the toot of the problem lies the survival of a feudal system of ananovals in a country wace economy is based on agriculture and where the peasantry form 90% of the population. Small tenants, for tion (the Church and Emperor Halle What this means is that agricultural production is highly inefficient, and that there is no real incentive towards modernisation. Moreover, since the also reflected in further agitation by economy is based almost entirely on апоштага producton tor охроті. crops such as coffee-which accounts for around 60% of the total revenue derived from exports are cultivated On the contrary, the events sparked at the expense of subsistence food crops.
A further consequence of the survival of these feudal relations is that the limited cconomic development which has taken place has been financed largely through taxationa burden which, needless to say, falls mainly on the peasantry and working masses tather than on the feudal landowncran Egs nas turtner cur away at the already narrow social hase of the present ruling elite, FAMINE Over the last year, two developments have accelerated the effects of Selassie being the biggest landowners), the corruption and mismanagement of dissent.
taxi drivers in the capital, Addis which broke out at the end of last month.
the form of a general strike called by the Confederation of Ethiopian the Government, although on the was only conceded 'in principle", with a figure to be set after a twomonth 'cooling off period".
However, the decision by the a large scale drift to the towns, but which characterised the official relief operation did much to fan the fames This situation was worsened as inflation began to hite-indeed, it was a strike against rising fuel prices by Ababa, which was the signal for the flood of strikes and demonstrations At its height, the movement took Labour Unions for 7 March in support of demands for higher wages, the right plant. to strike, health benefits, the extension of free education, and nationwido price controls. The strike ended four days later after major concessions by question of higher wages the demand CELU to call off the general strike was opposed by some workers, who carried on with their action ibdependently. Most of the schools and colleges remained closed, as teachers- controls, land reform with land to backed up, and indeed spurred on, by their students-stayed out on strike, Airline workers had hardly gone back to work before they too walked out again in protest at the arrest of 46 of their number for distributing leaflets during the general strike, And new groups were also involved in the strike movement -2,000 workers at the povernment-owned Imperial Tobacco factory, for instance, Maki, 60 miles south of Addis Ababa, as well as workers at the Fiat car At the same time, while Government concessions soon swung the army present upsurge is unclear. At the leaders firmly hehind the regime again, agitation in the units has continued to spread. This has taken quite radical TorEs in some instances-leaflets dropped by an air force belicopter over Addis Ababa, for example, demanded freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, release of political tion.
'Socialist Hungary Recent changes introduced by the praioners, the right to form political parties, liberalisation of labour legislation, free and universal education, wage increases, imposition of price the tillers', trial of the previous cabinet minsters for corruption, and the formation of joint committees of soldiers and civilians.
Moreover, reports indicate that at least isolated peasact uprisings have taken place in some areas. The Paris daily Le Monde reported on 22 March that loyal troops had been despatched and it was believed that this had resulted in a number of deaths.
As yet the final outcome to the moment the strike movement seems to be dying down, and the teachers Jave mostly returned to work althougl the student mobilisations continue. However, one small spark could yet ignite further explosions in what remains a highly inflammable situa ducation about the family