Warm Up HW: Practice Paper 1

What were the causes and effects of the Abyssinian War? L/O – To identify and examine the causes, key features and impact of the Abyssinian War

Significance of the Conflict The invasion of Abyssinia in October 1935 was a turning point in Italian foreign policy and Italy’s relations with other European powers. The invasion led to conflict with Britain and France, exposed the weakness of collective security and the League of Nations, and led to Italy moving closer to Nazi Germany. Yet the invasion was no surprise to many. It was a logical next step for Mussolini, whose stated goals were to build national prestige (and domestic support) by establishing a large overseas empire.

General Long-term Reasons International A long-held nationalist dream To avenge the 1896 Adowa defeat To consolidate Italy’s position in East Africa To show Italy as an imperial power like UK To increase Italian prestige Political To develop the cult of the Duce To keep Fascism on the boil, ready to act To have a war to foster excitement To rally support at home Economic To develop emigration and export markets To find oil

Immediate Reasons To divert attention from the economic failings of the Corporate State, and the Depression To exploit the favourable international situation To show Hitler Italy’s power, and to get war over before Germany got too strong At Stresa in April 1934, and on other occasions, Mussolini gained the impression that the British and French would have no objection to Italy making gains in Abyssinia.

What happened? Despite the fact that Italy and Abyssinia were both members of the League of Nations, and both had signed the Italo-Ethiopian Treaty of Friendship in 1928, Italy launched its invasion on 3rd October 1935. The invasion was proceeded by border clashes between the two in December 1934. Mussolini was preparing for invasion whilst Haile Selassie appealed to the League of Nations to arbitrate. It refused!

What happened? Instead, the League agreed to implement an arms embargo on both sides. This harmed Abyssinia more as Italy was able to produce its own weapons. With the invasion commencing on 3rd October 1935, Italian forced poured into Abyssinia with the latest weapons including tanks, aerial bombing, and chemical weapons. Despite this, it still took Italy until May 1936 before they captured Addis Ababa and formally annexed the territory. Haile Selassie was forced to flee to Britain.

Warm Up HW: Complete Origins Graphic Organizer. Due next class.

Economic Sanctions Immediately after the invasion in October, the League declared Mussolini to be an aggressor and imposed economic sanctions on him. However the sanctions failed to have any effect: they did not include coal, oil, and steel; took a month to implement; and Britain failed to close the Suez Canal. Non-member countries like the USA, Japan, and Germany could also still trade with Italy – economic sanctions were therefore useless and stopped in July 1936.

Diplomatic Negotiations Britain and France decided to act independently of the League of Nations, which discredited and destroyed the whole idea of collective security and the post-war order. The issue was that Italy had become too strategically important an ally to offend. Both nations were more worried about Germany, which reintroduced conscription in 1935 and remilitarised the Rhineland in 1936.

Diplomatic Negotiations In the event of war, Italy’s geographical position in relation to Germany made it an ideal partner for Britain and France, just like in WW1. British and French public opinion was also against going to war over Abyssinia – it was too far removed from everyday life! In December 1935, Britain and France drew up the secret ‘Hoare-Laval Pact’, which proposed to give Mussolini 2/3 of Abyssinia in return for peace. Details however were leaked, forcing Hoare to resign and the deal failing.

Impact on Abyssinia The invasion forced Haile Selassie to flee to Britain, and Abyssinia was formally annexed, becoming part of Italian East Africa. Many civilians were killed in the war and in the guerrilla campaign of resistance that followed. It only ended in 1941 when Britain invaded. Italian rule became increasingly harsh, with concentration camps opened and racial segregation introduced.

Impact on Italy For Mussolini, the invasion was a great victory and his popularity peaked. He had consolidated his empire, avenged Adowa, united the nation, and even the Church praised his ‘civilising’ mission. Yet the invasion drained resources – budget deficit rose from 2.5 billion to 16 billion lire. 250,000 occupying troops were tied down and reliant on supplies 2,000 miles away from Rome. By 1939, only 2% of Italian trade was with its colonies! Italy soon gained a reputation for brutality and victory bred complacency in Mussolini, boosting his already inflated ego.

Warm Up

Impact on International Relations The post-war international order based on collective security in the League of Nations, already damaged by inaction during the 1931 Manchurian Crisis, was dead! Mussolini had ignored the League, and Britain and France had side-stepped it with the Hoare-Laval proposal. Sanctions had only encouraged Italy to trade with Germany, and the weakness of the League merely encouraged Hitler to remilitarise the Rhineland.

Impact on International Relations Britain and France could no longer accept Mussolini as someone they could trust, temporarily isolating Italy internationally. Yet this isolation only served to push Italy into a closer relationship with Germany. In October 1936 the Rome-Berlin Axis was signed in Rome. The same year, both sides intervened in the Spanish Civil War. Europe was rapidly dividing into two opposing camps.

Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue= 59&v=op-dD3oUMh0