The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) was the official name of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991, as established by the Communist government of Mengistu Haile Mariam and the Workers' Party of Ethiopia (WPE). Its creation led to the dissolution of the Derg, the military dictatorship formerly in charge of the country, and established a Communist one-party state with the WPE as supreme authority, though several ex-Derg officials retained posts in the new government.
The Derg had originally resisted the formation of a party, but by the end of the 1970s realized that it needed a way to control the population. After five years of preparation, a Communist regime was officially proclaimed in 1984, and the WPE was formed as the country's only legal party. It was a Marxist-Leninist vanguard party modeled on its counterparts in Europe. The PDRE officially came into existence 22 February 1987 three weeks after the national referendum which approved the 1987 constitution, although the Derg remained in power as late as September, long after the 14 June general elections which elected the membership of the Shengo.
Like most other Communist regimes, the WPE was officially granted a monopoly of power as the "leading force in the state and society." The government was highly centralized and totalitarian in nature, and for all intents and purposes acted as merely a transmission belt for the party.
Throughout its brief life, the PDRE's authority was challenged not only by an armed militants in Eritrea which had been annexed to Ethiopia several decades earlier, but also by internal resistance groups, foremost of which was the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front.
The PDRE came to an end in May 1991, when Mengistu fled Ethiopia and military units of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front entered Addis Ababa.
Read more about People's Democratic Republic Of Ethiopia: Advances, Presidents, Prime Ministers
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