The 1984-85 Ethiopian famine was characterized by war and drought. It was an emergency with ethical and political dilemmas, bringing about operational and political division within the international community. Aid was misdirected and too little was done too late. Ultimately, more people were harmed than should have been. Responsibility lies with Ethiopia's revolutionary government, abused NGOs, the reluctant U.S. government, and a neglecting UN. This emergency was never fully resolved amidst a mix of success and mostly failure, leaving lasting impressions on the West.
             Periodic droughts, overpopulation, and governmental destabilization have caused such famines throughout the 20th and into the early 21st centuries (Varnis 44). Under severe famine and labor, student, and military discontent, Emperor Haile Selassie's government was deposed in 1974. The armed forces dissolved the parliament and established the communist Provisional Military Administrative Council, the "Derg". December 1974, the Derg announced its plan for a state controlled economy; all major companies and land were nationalized in 1975. Long-standing rebellion by the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF) and a new revolt by the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) further complicated distaste of policy by rural areas. The Workers' Party of Ethiopia was established in 1984, with Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam as Chairman. The Government embarked on programs of "villagization" and resettlement from the highlands into lowland areas; some 3 million peasants were forced to abandon their lands under the supervision of militiamen as part of villagization and 600,000 starving people were forcibly transferred, before the policy was abandoned in 1986 (Jean, par. 17). The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was founded, with Mengistu as President, just as the EPLF achieved major successes against government forces in late 1987. In 1989 the TPLF removed g...