Editing Mengistu Haile Mariam (section)

===Embracing Marxism===
In the 1970s, Mengistu embraced the philosophy of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxism-Leninism Marxism-Leninism], which was increasingly popular among many nationalists and revolutionaries throughout Africa and much of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World Third World] at the time. Some have argued that Mengistu, whom his commanders did not consider to be an intellectual, was more of a nationalist than a convinced Marxist, but that Marxism provided the best ideology for those trying to resist the dominant world powers, a policy that had been skilfully followed by previous Ethiopian leaders not least Emperor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menelik_II_of_Ethiopia Menelik II].

In the mid-1970s, under Mengistu's leadership, the Derg regime began an aggressive program of changing Ethiopia's system from a mixed feudo-capitalist emergent economy to an eastern bloc style command economy. Shortly after coming to power, all rural land was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalization nationalized], stripping the Ethiopian Church, the Imperial family and the nobility of all their sizable estates and the bulk of their wealth. During this same period, all foreign-owned and locally owned companies were nationalized without compensation in an effort to redistribute the country's wealth. All undeveloped urban property and all rental property was also nationalized. Private businesses such as banks and insurance companies, large retail businesses, etc. were also taken over by the government. All this nationalized property was brought under the administration of large bureaucracies set up to administer them. Farmers who had once worked on land owned by absentee landlords were now compelled to join collective farms. All agricultural products were no longer to be offered on the free market, but were to be controlled and distributed by the government. Despite progressive agricultural reforms, under the Derg, agricultural output suffered due to [[Civil War|civil war]], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famines_in_Ethiopia drought] and misguided [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Ethiopia economic policies]. There was also a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983%E2%80%931985_famine_in_Ethiopia famine in 1984], which was the 10th anniversary of the Derg.
During the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogaden_War Ogaden War], learning that after the fall of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jijiga Jijiga] to units of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Somalia Somali army] (2 September 1977) Ethiopian units had started to mutiny, Mengistu flew to the front and took direct control. According to Gebru Tareke, he ordered those suspected of leading the mutiny "bayoneted as cowardly and counterrevolutionary elements", then had the soldiers regrouped and ordered to recapture Jijiga in simultaneous attacks from the west and north. The Ethiopians recaptured the city on 5 September, but Jijiga remained within range of the Somali artillery, which shelled the city the whole night long. The next day the Somalis counterattacked, "considerably strengthened and ever more determined", and before he could be encircled inside the city, Mengistu fled back to Adew on the 7th where he boarded a plane back to Addis Ababa. The Somalis broke through Ethiopian lines, recapturing Jijiga on 12 September, and managing to overrun Ethiopian positions past the Marda Pass.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam#cite_note-20 [20]]</sup>
[[File:Mengistu & Doe.jpg|thumb|Mengistu with [[Samuel Doe]] in 1980]]
He received the anti-communist dictator [[Samuel Doe]] in a friendly manner in 1980, something very ironic due to his communism.

In early 1984, under Mengistu's direction, the Marxist-Leninist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worker%27s_Party_of_Ethiopia Worker's Party of Ethiopia] (WPE) was founded as the country's ruling party, with Mengistu as general secretary. On 10 September 1987, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_Constitution_of_Ethiopia new constitution] was adopted, and the country was renamed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Democratic_Republic_of_Ethiopia People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia]. Mengistu became president, with sweeping executive and legislative powers. He and the other surviving members of the Derg all retired from the military and as civilians made up the Politburo of the WPE.

In the late 1980s, some Western critics of Mengistu, including Michael Johns of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Foundation Heritage Foundation], charged that Mengistu's economic, military and political policies, along with the Soviet Union's support for Mengistu, were key contributing factors to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983-1985_famine_in_Ethiopia Ethiopian famine], which ultimately took over a million lives.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengistu_Haile_Mariam#cite_note-21 [21]]</sup> Mengistu made seven visits to the Soviet Union between 1977 and 1984, as well as other visits to his political allies Cuba, Libya, South Yemen, and Mozambique. From 1983 to 1984 Mengistu served as head of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_African_Unity Organization of African Unity].

However, the government's military position gradually weakened. First came the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Afabet Battle of Afabet] in March 1989, which was a humiliating defeat at the hands of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrean_People%27s_Liberation_Front Eritrean People's Liberation Front], with 15,000 casualties and the loss of a great deal of equipment. This was followed up less than a year later by another crushing defeat at Shire, with over 20,000 men either killed or captured and the loss of even more equipment. Then on 16 May, while Mengistu had left for a four-day state visit to East Germany, senior military officials attempted a coup and the Minister of Defense, Haile Giyorgis Habte Mariam was killed; Mengistu returned within 24 hours and nine generals, including the air force commander and the army Chief of Staff, died as the coup was crushed.