Of all the major African countries, only Ethiopia successfully defeated late 19th cetury imperialism. To a considerable extent this was due to the political amd military genius of Menelik II. This study of the emperor's long reign helps to explain Ethiopia's survival, and it also reveals Menelik as the man who earned his position through programs of expansion and modernization which led to the creation of the modern Ethiopian State. This volume is the most substantial contribution so far to an inexplicably long-neglected aspect of African history.