The document summarizes Somalia's government and politics from 1960 to 1991. It discusses key problems after independence, including economic and language divides between the north and south. It also covers Somalia's relationship with the Soviet Union and Ethiopia, wars between the countries, and the rise and fall of Siad Barre's authoritarian regime. The Revolutionary Socialist Party established one-party rule and socialist policies, but clashes and clan divisions weakened the government over time.
Fostering Friendships - Enhancing Social Bonds in the Classroom
Somalia 1960 1990
1. FORM FOUR CHAPTERS REVISION
CHAPTER 6
Somalia Government from 1960
to 1991
2. 1. Identify four underlying problems of Somalia
after the independence and unification
Answer
• notably the north/south economic divide
• the Ogaden issue
• long held distrust of Ethiopia and the deeply
ingrained belief that Ogaden was rightfully
part of Somalia
• The north and south spoke different
languages (English vs Italian respectively)
• North and South had different currencies.
3. 2. Identify Pan-Somalism
Answer
Pan Somalism was and is an ideology that
advocates the unification of all ethnic Somalis
under one flag and one nation.
4. 3. Discuss the cause and effect of
Somalia-Ethiopian war in 1960-1964
Answer
Causes
• Somalia claim to Ogaden
• a series of cross border raids by Somali insurgents
• violent crackdowns by Ethiopian troops from 1960 to
1964
Effects
• Loss of life and properties
• Ethiopia and Kenya signed a mutual defense pact to
protect their newly acquired territories from the
Somalis
5. 4. Mid 1960s Somalia and Soviet Union started
relation, identify four gifts by Soviets to Somali
and one to Soviet Union
Answer
four gifts by Soviets to Somali
• provided extensive material
• training to the Somali armed forces
• Other training prpgrams
• many Somali officers gained a distinctly Marxist
worldview
One gift by Somalia to Soviet Union
• Soviet to use of the Somali naval bases
6. 5. What did China provide to Somalia
Answer
China supplied a lot of non-military industrial
funding for various projects.
7. 6. How did the relationship between Somalia
and Soviet Union effect the Italian-Somalia
relations?
Answer
The relationship between the rapidly
communizing Somali government and the
Italian government remained friendly.
8. 7. Justify the reason that Somalia democracy
began to crumble in late 1960s
Answer
Somalia democracy began to crumble in late
1960s due to a complicated web of clan
loyalties.
9. 8. Why was it a confused year for
Somalia politics in 1969?
Answer
1969 was a confused year for Somali politics
there were more party defections, collusions,
betrayals and collaborations than normal.
10. 9. Why did the army group take over the
government after the killing of president
Sharmake
Answer
The group of army officers, saw no hope for
improving the country's situation. Critics also
saw the process as extremely corrupt with
votes for the presidency after Sharmake.
11. 10. Identify three steps taken by SRC
to complete the coup
Answer
• took over strategic points in Mogadishu
• rounded up government officials and other
prominent political figures
• abolished the National Assembly
• suspended the constitution
• The country was renamed the Somali
democratic republic
12. 11. Identify the main goals of SRC
Answer
• to end tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and
misrule
• to rapid economic and social development
through "crash programs“
• To create efficient and responsive government
• To creation of a standard written form of
Somali as the country's single official
language.
13. 12. What did Law Nom 1 assigned to
the SRC
Answer
Law Number 1 assigned to the SRC all functions
previously performed by the president, the
National Assembly, and the Council of
Ministers, as well as many duties of the
courts.
14. 13. Identify CSS and their functions
Answer
the Council of the Secretaries of State (CSS) --
functioned as a cabinet and was responsible
for day-to-day government operation,
although it lacked political power.
15. 14. Name four executive posts filled by
Siad Barre
Answer
Siad Barre filled a number of executive posts:
titular head of state, chairman of the CSS (and
thereby head of government), commander in
chief of the armed forces, and president of the
SRC.
16. 15. Identify NSC and it is function
Answer
the National Security Courts (NSC), were set up
as the judicial arm of the SRC. the courts
operated outside the ordinary legal system as
watchdogs against activities considered to be
counterrevolutionary.
17. 16. Identify two reasons that SRC overhauled
the local governments and broke the old
regions in to smaller units
Answer
• to destroy the influence of the traditional clan
assemblies
• in the government's words, to bring
government "closer to the people
18. 17. Identify NSS and it is functions
Answer
• directed initially at halting the flow of
professionals and protesters out of the
country
• reducing attempts to settle disputes among
the clans by traditional means.
19. 18. Write three reasons that the
government SRC resettled the nomads
Answer
• To increase production
• To control over the nomads
• To disperse the nomads and cutting their ties
with the land to which specific clans made
collective claim
• the government may also have undercut clan
solidarity
20. 19. When did Somalia socialism
become official?
Answer
socialism became official on the first anniversary
of the military coup.
21. 20. Identify the elements of Somalia
socialism
Answer
Siad Barre explained that the official ideology
consisted of three elements:
• his own conception of community development
based on the principle of self-reliance
• a form of socialism based on Marxist principles
• Islam
These were subsumed under "scientific socialism’’
22. 21. Identify the three foreign languages widely
used in Somalia before 1972
Answer
• English
• Italian
• Arabic
23. 22. List three Scripts competed being
Somalia official scripts
Answer
• Arabic
• Latin
• various indigenous scripts
24. 23. Outline four reasons that Latin script was
preferred rather than other scripts
Answer
• It was best suited to represent the phonemic
structure of Somali and flexible enough to be
adjusted for the dialects.
• it offered obvious advantages to those who
sought higher education outside the country.
• Modern printing equipment would also be more
easily and reasonably available for Latin type.
• Existing Somali grammars prepared by foreign
scholars would give some initial advantage in the
preparation of teaching material
25. 24. When the government announced
the Somalia official script?
Answer
the government announced the Somalia official
script in 1972
26. 25. Who invented Somalia’s official
scripts
Answer
Shire Jama Ahmed invented Somalia’s official
scripts
27. 26. Explain reason that Somali Revolutionary
Socialist Party (SRSP) was established
Answer
Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP) was
established toend of military rule
28. 27. Give reason that Soviet Union transferred it
is interest from Somalia to Ethiopia in 1977
Answer
• After watching Ethiopian events in 1975-76,
the Soviet Union concluded that the
revolution would lead to the establishment of
an authentic Marxist-Leninist state
• for geopolitical purposes
29. 28. Evaluate the causes of Somalia
Ethiopian war in 1977-1978
Answer
• Somali ethnic in the Ogaden wanted to end
the Ethiopian control of the region
• Both Somalia and Ethiopia claimed Ogaden
• Somalia and Ethiopia have long historical
standing hostility
• Barre was great Somali nationalist and
wanted to unite all Somalis under one rule
30. 29. Evaluate the Effect of Somalia
Ethiopian war in 1977-1978
Answer
• The war caused heavy loss of life and property in both
countries
• Heavy Somali refugees fled from Ethiopia and
precipitated in to Somalia
• Somalia was defeated as they did not achieve it is
objectives
• Each country began to support the opposition of the
other
• Both countries became weak and collapsed in 1990s as
insurgents arose
31. 30. Identify the two groups struggled the power
after the accident of Siad Barre
Answer
• constitutional faction
• clan faction
32. 31. Identify Somalia’s party politburo
and list it is members
Answer
Somalia’s party politburo was a select committee of
the Supreme Council that was composed of five
former SRC members namely
• General Mahammad Ali Samantar
• Major General Husseen Kulmiye
• general Ahmad Sulaymaan Abdullah
• Ahmad Mahamuud Faarah
• Mahammad Siad Barre
33. 32. Evaluate the achievements of
Somali Revolutionary Council (SRC)
Answer
• Adoption of standard script of Somali language
• Building up great military power
• Increased the literacy rate
• Provided free education in the whole country
• Increased production by encouraging farming and
fishing
• Resettled 140,000 pastoralists in farming
communities and in coastal towns
• Developed the infrastructure