Derg

The Derg or Dergue (, ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), and also often simply known as Socialist Ethiopia, was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when they formally "civilianized" the administration, though remaining in power until 1991.

The Derg was established on 21 June 1974 as the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police and Territorial Army, by junior and mid level officers of the Imperial Ethiopian Army and members of the police. The officers decided everything collectively at first, and selected Mengistu Haile Mariam to chair the proceedings. On 12 September 1974, the Derg overthrew the government of the Ethiopian Empire and Emperor Haile Selassie during nationwide mass protests, and three days later formally renamed itself the Provisional Military Administrative Council. In March 1975 the Derg abolished the monarchy and established Ethiopia as a communist state under a military-led provisional government embarking on a national democratic revolution. The abolition of feudalism, increased literacy, nationalization, and sweeping land reform including the resettlement and villagization from the Ethiopian Highlands became priorities. Mengistu became chairman in 1977, launching the Red Terror (Qey Shibir) political repression campaign to eliminate political opponents, with tens of thousands imprisoned and executed without trial.During the time of the Derg, it operated under a unitary form of government.