Why Do Men Not Rebel? : Explaining rebellion and the absence thereof among the Oromo people in Ethiopia

Abstract: The objective of this thesis is to help explain why the Oromo people do not rebel against the current government in Ethiopia as they rebelled and ousted the Derg in 1991. The theory deployed, which seems to be of particular relevance when seeking an answer to absence of rebellion, is the Why Men Rebel model by Ted Gurr (1970; 2000). The findings indicate that seven out of 16 variables presented in the theory, have changed in their variety of presence. Six variables have changed in variety to be dependent, a lesser risk to rebellion, and one to be dependent, a greater risk of rebellion in 2013 compared to in 1991. Altogether, Gurr’s theory on Why Men Rebel helps to explain why the Oromo people do not rebel in Ethiopia, and it also seems to be a suitable use, not only for quantitative studies but for in-depth qualitative research as well.