ITALIAN

INVASION
OF
ABYSSINIA
(1935-

ITALY INVADES
ABYSSINIA IN
OCTOBER 1935

WHY DID MUSSOLINI INVADE

ABYSSINIA?

Conveniently located next to 2 existing Italian

colonies: Eritrea and Somaliland.
Place of humiliating event in Italian history. In
1896 its army defeated an Italian invasion at the battle
of Adowa.

Impact of GD
aggressive foreign policy to get raw materials, markets
and territory for the growing population.
A tactic to distract his people from the impact of the GD

Mussolini wanted GLORY and CONQUEST. This was

part of the national strength and pride of the Fascist
ideology.

MUSSOLI
NI

HAILE
SELASSI
E

THE INVASION

1934, Italian troops provoked a clash at

the Wal Wal oasis near the Abyssinian
border with Italian Somaliland.
October 1935: ITALIAN TROOPS
INVADED ABYSSINIA.
The Italians used modern weapons,
including tanks, planes and poison gas.
The Abyssinians did not have weapons
like these.
HAILE SELASSIE appealed to the

HE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
This was clearly a case of the
strong invading the weak. The
League should have defended
Abyssinia.
THE LEAGUE DECLARED
MUSSOLINI AN AGGRESSOR

ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS
The sale of weapons and some goods to Italy

was banned.
No League member was to buy Italian goods or
lend Italy money.

BUT
took too long to be implemented
they excluded valuable goods such as coal, oil
and steel
Not all countries respected them and continued
trade with Italy. Jap, Ger, USA ignored them
Italian ships were still allowed to use the Suez
Canal. Mussolinis main supply route to Abyssinia.

THE HOARE LAVAL

PACT
Meanwhile, the British and

French ministers drew up a plan

to end the war. They suggested
that Abyssinia should be split into
two.

The plan was leaked to the press

and there was a huge outcry. Britain
and France were clearly putting their
interests ahead of the interests of
the League, Hoare and Laval were
forced to resign. This damaged the

MILITARY SANCTIONS?

The Italians continued fighting in

Abyssinia. In May 1936, they captured
the capital city, Addis Ababa.

Haile Selaisse managed to escape to

Geneva and appealed to the League for
more help.

The next step for the League would be to

gather an army to turn Mussolini out of
Abyssinia. The League did nothing.

The LON admitted failure

in the dispute in April
1936. In May Victor
Emanuel II (King of Italy)
was proclaimed Emperor
of Abyssinia. The LON
abandoned economic
sanctions.

WHY DID THE LEAGUE FAIL?

SANCTIONS
BRITAIN AND
FRANCE
MUSSOLINI

SANCTIONS: took too long to be implemented +

not respected by all countries + excluded valuable
goods + Suez Canal was kept open.
BRITAIN + FRANCE: put their interests ahead of
the interests of the LON
1. did not want to lose Mussolini as an ally against
Hitler
2. they feared Muss would want to go to war if her
economy was affected by sanctions: public opinion
was against war + they were economically
unprepared for war.
Mussolini considered it was unfair that sanctions
were applied to Italy after the Japanese had not
been punished. Aware of how important Italy had
become to the Allies since Hitlers rise and was
prepared to use that in his favour.

EFFECTS OF ABYSSINIAN CRISIS

Disaster for the LON: a leading member had

again successfully ignored the LON.
Demonstrated ineffectiveness of collective
security. It sent a clear signal that the LON no
longer played an important role in world
affairs.
It revealed that the leading powers of the
LON were unwilling to apply collective
security if their interests were not directly
threatened.
Italy moved closer to Nazi Germany:
approached Germany, signed the Rome-Berlin
Axis (1936) and abandoned the LON (1937)

with With Ethiopia we have been patient for

forty years! It is time to say enough! In the
League of Nations there is talk of sanctions
instead of recognition of our rights.
I shall refuse to believe that the real and
generous people of France can support
sanctions against Italy....
I refuse to believe that the real people of
Great Britain, who have never had discords
with Italy, are prepared to run the risk of
hurling Europe along the road to catastrophe
for the sake of defending an African country
universally branded as a country without the
slightest shadow of civilization.
FROM A SPEECH BY BENITO MUSSOLINI, 1935, .

WHAT WERE THE REASONS FOR THE

LEAGUE OF NATIONS FAILURES DURING
THE 1930S?
Self-interest
We have
our own
problems!

Absence of
Lack of Troops
important
need
to know
countries

You
how each of these
contributed towards
TOV it was meant
Decisions were
Sanctions were
the Leagues
failures
to protect was
unfair

slow

ineffective