Title: The Abyssinian Crisis Aim: To find out how the League dealt with the Italian invasion of Abyssinia This cartoon of 1933, by the British cartoonist David Low, is entitled: 'The Doormat'.   It shows a Japanese soldier trampling all over the League, whilst League officials bow down before him and the British Foreign Secretary John Simon powders the League's nose using a 'Face-saving kit'.   What is the cartoonist suggesting about the League...   the Japanese Army... John Simon and the other western diplomats?

Watch the clip and answer the Questions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwx78c10kp0 Why did Italy want to invade Abyssinia? What was Britain and France’s attitude before the invasion? When did Italy invade Ethiopia (Abyssinia)? What did the League do? How successful was the League? What state do you think this left the League in?

Background Abyssinia was an African country that had not yet been made a European colony. It had good farmland and many minerals. It was surrounded by European colonies, including Eritrea and Somaliland, both Italian. In 1896, Italian troops invaded Abyssinia, but were beaten at the Battle of Adowa. In 1928, Italy signed a treaty of friendship with Abyssinia. In the 1930s, it became clear that the Italian dictator, Mussolini, was preparing to go to war to take Abyssinia.

Mussolini and the League of Nations, January – October 1935 The League did not want a clash with Mussolini. Britain and France wanted him to be their ally against Hitler in Germany. Mussolini decided that neither the League nor Britain and France would act if he took Abyssinia. Mussolini

Italy attacks Abyssinia, October 1935 In October 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia. The Italians used modern weapons, including tanks, planes and poison gas. The Abyssinians did not have weapons like these. The only hope for their Emperor. Haile Selassie, lay in the size of the country, the poor state of the roads and an appeal to the League of Nations.

The League’s response This was clearly a case of the strong invading the weak. The League should have defended Abyssinia. The first step, according to the League’s Covenant, was economic sanctions. The League set up a committee to decide on sanctions For them to be effective they had to act quickly- every delay meant the less effect they would have By December 1935 decisions were still taking place And in Feb 1936 they were still stuck on whether to ban oil.

What did the League decide to do? The sale of weapons and some goods to Italy was banned. No League member was to buy Italian goods or lend Italy money. But: Vital oil and coal were still sold to Italy, to protect US and British trade (sanctions had been undermined again) Italian ships were still allowed to use the Suez Canal, Mussolini’s main supply route to Abyssinia. This was owned by Britain and France. If it had been closed, they would have withdrawn from Abyssinia very quickly.

What does this cartoon suggest about the Britain and France’s attitude? Title: the Awful warning Britain and France together sing ‘We don’t want you to fight, but, by jingo if you do, we shall probably issue a joint memorandum suggesting a mild disapproval of you’

The Hoare – Laval Pact Meanwhile, the British and French foreign ministers, Hoare and Laval, drew up a plan to end the war. They suggested that Abyssinia should be split into two. Italy would get the best area for farming and minerals. Haile Selassie would get the poor, mountainous land. 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 League’s reputation.

What is the message of this cartoon? What has Mussolini let out? What does it suggest for the future?

Mussolini triumphs 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 end of the League of Nations In March 1936, the German dictator, Hitler, sent troops into the Rhineland, breaking the Treaty of Versailles. The League had done nothing. This meant that France were even keener to keep Italy on side against the Germans. It’s failure to act in Abyssinia marked the end of the League’s influence, even though it was not formally broken up until 1946. In October 1936, Hitler and Mussolini made the Rome-Berlin Axis agreement. Another world war was looming.

Why did the League fail? Decision making was ineffective: The League did not meet often, decisions had to be agreed by every member-this made it difficult for it to make quick decisions. The USA was not a member. The USSR did not join until 1934. Germany and Japan left in 1933. Italy left in 1937. this limited the effectiveness of their sanctions and their influence over countries Sanctions, especially economic without US support, did not work. The League was powerless really to force countries to do as they asked. The League had no army, did not want to fight and had trouble with raising an army from its members. The League was supposed to uphold the peace treaties of 1919-20. these were now seen as unfair. Its members (Britain and France) had put their interests before that of the League- weakened the League’s reaction and powers to influence countries.

What were the implications of the League’s failure? Japan, Italy and Germany all broke League rules and kept the land they invaded. The only action they faced was the disapproval of other countries. The only way the League could save itself from failure was by rapid action. It was not set up to act quickly. It was not able to agree to raise an army to defend its weaker members. This showed that the League could not make collective security work. Weak nations realised they could not rely on the League to protect them. Britain and France saw the League did not work against dictators. They began to build up their armies.

Create definitions of the following Abyssinia Hoare-Laval Pact Suez canal Rome-Berlin axis Haile Selassie

Task: You need to create a newspaper report on the crisis in Abyssinia You need to comment on and expose the League’s failure and what this now means for Europe and the world. The story- what happened The failures of the League- problems with the sanctions, the Hoare-Laval Pact Why the League failed and what this now means for the world