of that dynamic era. The book does not mention Mersha as a pioneer. However, some of the reformist intellectuals discussed had either administered the offices he helped establish or occupied the positions he held before. Neggadras Gebrehiwot Baykedagn (c.1885-1918), arguably the foremost intellectual of the time, for example, was director of the Dire Dawa customs administration. Fitawrari Tekle Hawariat Tekle-Mariam (1884–1977), who later became governor of Jigjiga; credited for founding Asebe Teferi; and is best known for playing a prominent role in the drafting of the 1931 constitution, was chief of the railway station briefly during Lij Iyasu. He was also among the first Ethiopians to travel abroad for education. As a matter of fact, shortly before the young Tekle Hawaryat departed for Russia, in 1896, Mersha gave him his blessings. We find the following interesting account in his autobiography,: ጄልዴሳ ላይ ስንደርስ አቶ መርሻ ናሁ ሰናይ ከቤታቸው ወስደው ጋበዙኝ ። ያስቀሩኛል ብዬ ፈርቼ በቶሎ ወጣሁና ወደ ሰፈሬ ሮጥኩ ። ፀሓይ እንዳይጎዳኝ አስበው አቶ መርሻ ጥላ ገዝተው ሰጡኝ ። (ከወንድሜ ከሟቹ ገብረ ጻድቅ ጋር በጣም ይፋቀሩ ነበር) (p. 78) English translation: When we arrived at Jaldessa, Ato Mersha invited me for lunch at his residence. Because I was afraid that he might not let me travel overseas, I ran away as soon as I finished. Ato Mersha, however, bought me an umbrella so I could protect myself from the scorching sun. (He and my deceased brother Gebre Tsadiq were dear friends). The last few decades of the 19th century marked the beginning of a long period of modernization in Ethiopian history in the sense that they opened the door to new ways and better conditions of life and work. Significant achievements were recorded during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie in areas such as manufacturing, transportation (e.g. aviation) and education. Trade and foreign direct investment continued to play a key role in the young economy. Despite some serious setbacks in the two decades after the 1974 popular revolution, primarily due to severe droughts and civil war but also bad policies, the country underwent a radical transformation. The revolution has ended the feudal (ባላባት) system paving the way for greater participation of people in political and economic activities. During the past several decades, Ethiopia has witnessed unprecedented economic development characterized by a strong government sector, expanding private sector and major development of critical infrastructure (e.g. roads, new Djibouti-Addis railway, etc.). Whether