Above: A map during Italo – Abyssinian War, showing Italian attack plans in invading Ethiopia

In 1935 there broke out a war between Italy and Ethiopia the outcome of which was Abyssinia or Ethiopia’s acceptance of Italian rule. This incident was not a minor one and has been regarded by history to be one of the thorns that led to the outbreak of World War II. It showed how ineffective the League of Nations was when the great powers chose to disregard it to suit their own interests.

Above: Italian troops deployed in Ethiopia and strengthening front line defense

Italy had tried to take over Ethiopia from 1890 but failed to do so. Thus in 1934 Abyssinia was one of the few independent states in the African continent that had not come under the colonial rule of any European power. But Italy under the dictatorship was thirsting for an excuse to annex Ethiopia. A border dispute with Somaliland (under Italian control) gave the pretext. Ignoring all pleas Italy marched into Ethiopia on 3rd October 1935.

Above: Picture of Haile Selassie

The Ethiopian army was ill equipped and hardly had any training. Under the onslaught of the Italian Generals Graziani and Badoglio they were relentlessly pushed back and suffered a heavy defeat near Lake Ashangi on 9th April 1936. The capital, Addis Ababa, fell on 5th May. Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia fled into exile. From Rome Mussolini declared Victor Emmanuel III to be the new Emperor of Abyssinia. Badoglio was to depute for him as his viceroy.

Above: National Leaders in the League of Nations

Ethiopia appealed to the League of Nations, which condemned this invasion by Italy. The League voted to impose economic sanctions on the aggressing country. But it remained only on paper because there was a general lack of support. Britain had interests in East Africa but the other major European powers were indifferent to the plight of an African nation. Italian action was not condoned but nobody was willing to do anything about it. Thus Italy and its imperialistic ambitions got encouraged and ultimately contributed to the escalation of tensions leading to the second Great War.

Below: Flag of Ethiopia (left) and flag of Italy (right)