Purpose is to trace historically how changes in the Ethiopian educational system correspond to changes in the socioeconomic structure. The first section of this paper surveys the themes of correspondence and contradiction. Section two discusses major changes in Ethiopian socioeconomic structure from 1900. Section three presents changes in the educational system which correspond to those changes in the socio-economic structure. Section four examines the major socioeconomic changes of the fascist occupation period (1935-1941) and includes a brief discussion of the fascist educational policy. Section five presents the major socioeconomic changes during the post-independence period (1941-1947), followed by a discussion of the educational reforms that correspond to the socio-economic changes of that period. The final section outlines some of the latent and manifest contradictions as reflected in the educational system