Concessions and concession-hunters in post-Adwa Ethiopia: the case of Arnold Holz

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Periodical article

Title:	Concessions and concession-hunters in post-Adwa Ethiopia: the case of Arnold Holz
Author:	Zewde, Bahru
Year:	1990
Periodical:	Africa: rivista trimestrale di studi e documentazione
Volume:	45
Issue:	3
Pages:	365-383
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Ethiopia
Subjects:	minority groups tenancy
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/40760536
Abstract:	The Adwa victory of 1896 was a turning point in Ethiopia's modern history. The Ethiopian victory sealed the fate of European colonialism and forced upon the imperialist powers a semicolonial option, emphasizing the economic penetration of the country. The numerous concessions the Ethiopian rulers gave to expatriate individuals and groups were an aspect of this economic penetration. Although concessions ideally represented a clever formula for imperialist penetration, in reality they rarely achieved the declared objective of exploiting the country's allegedly rich resources. The credulous investor was caught between the anvil of the wary Ethiopian authorities and the hammer of sly concession hunters. This paper focuses on the activities of one concession hunter, the German Arnold Holz, who arrived in Ethiopia in 1902 and stayed for some twenty years. Notes, ref., sum. in French and Italian.