Appeasement and the Road To War The Abyssinian Affair

Introduction  On 3 rd October 1935 Italy invaded the small African country of Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia).  Some historians would argue that this was the final nail in the coffin for the League of Nations.  Before we look at what actually happened we need to look at the man who played a key role in all of this – the Italian leader, Benito Mussolini.

Benito Mussolini  Born in north-east Italy on July 29th 1883  His father was a staunch socialist and his mother deeply religious.  Qualified as a teacher in  He fled to Switzerland to avoid military service.  Fought in the Italian army during World War One.

Benito Mussolini  After the war he became heavily involved in politics and formed the Fascist party.  In 1922, Mussolini’s Fascist party was asked to form a government.  Within a couple of years he established an authoritarian government e.g. opposition groups closed down, newspapers censored.  Mussolini became known as ‘Il Duce’ – The Leader.

Il Duce Video This video was produced in 1934 as a report on the Italian leader Mussolini and his relationship with the German leader, Hitler. It provides a useful insight into how Mussolini governed Italy

Il Duce Video 1. In what ways does Mussolini come across as a powerful leader? 2. Make a list of Mussolini’s achievements while in power. 3. What were the disadvantages of living in Fascist Italy? 4. What opinion do other world leaders have of Mussolini? 5. Who appears to be more powerful – Mussolini or Hitler? Give reasons for your answer.

Aims:  To draw up a timeline of events.  To identify the key political figures at the time.  To understand the concerns of the British government by 1935

South Tyrol

German Rearmament On 7 th March 1935 Germany announced the reintroduction of conscription and that she had an army of 550,000. Germany also admitted the existence of the Luftwaffe. Why would Britain, France and Italy be concerned about this?

Background to the Abyssinian Affair  Between the ‘scramble for Africa’ took place.  Britain and France acquired the most profitable colonies.  Italy did not have much of an empire apart from a tiny part of Eritrea and Somali.  1896 the Italians were defeated at Adowa when they attempted to take over Abyssinia.  In years prior to 1934 Italy had helped Abyssinia to join the League and signed a friendship treaty.

Timeline of Events December 1934Wal Wal Incident June 1935Arbitration by the League blames neither side. July 1935Mussolini rejects Eden’s offer of Ogaden Desert 3 rd October 1935Italy invades Abyssinia.

Key Figures Stanley Baldwin British Prime Minister Anthony Eden Minister for League Affairs Benito Mussolini Italian leader

Italy’s Interest in Abyssinia  Enlarge the small Italian Empire  Revenge for Italy’s defeat at Adowa in  Market for Italian goods.  A place to settle Italy’s surplus population.  War would distract attention from the Italian economy.

Reaction of the League of Nations  Within 5 days the League had announced economic sanctions.  Member states were forbidden to trade with Italy in arms and war materials. Loans were forbidden to.  Member states were also forbidden to trade with Abyssinia.  Sanctions were half-hearted. Some countries continued to trade with Italy. No attempt was made to prevent Italy from buying oil or using the Suez Canal.  The next step should have been military sanctions.

The Hoare-Laval Pact Aims:  To identify the main terms of the Hoare-Laval Pact.  To understand reaction to the Hoare-Laval Pact and the long-term consequences for the League.

The Hoare-Laval Pact Sir Samuel Hoare British Foreign Secretary Pierre Laval French Foreign Minister

The Hoare-Laval Pact The Italians would be bought off by offering them part of Abyssinia. Territory in the north and south would be allocated to Italy. The rest of the country, the most fertile part would remain independent. Abyssinia was not consulted about the proposals. There was a huge public outcry when proposals were leaked to the press. In 1935 the Peace Ballot had taken place – the British public firmly supported and believed in the League of Nations.

Reaction To The Hoare-Laval Pact Sir Samuel Hoare said in the House of Commons ‘..the threat of war and the outbreak of war has raised very difficult questions between ourselves and France. It must have been obvious to every Hon. Member that a great body of opinion in France was intensely nervous of anything likely to weaken French defence…. I did everything in my power to make a settlement possible…while loyally continuing a policy of sanction and coercive action.’

Reaction To The Hoare-Laval Pact Duff Cooper, Secretary of State For War later wrote ‘..The British people were very angry with Mussolini and very sorry for the Emperor of Abyssinia, but they were not willing to give grounds for war to the former or effective help to the latter. Sir Samuel Hoare and Monsieur Pierre Laval sought to give shape to these sentiments by an agreement which while handing over the substance of Abyssinia to Italy would have left a shadowy remnant to the Emperor.’

Reaction To The Hoare-Laval Pact Duff Cooper also wrote… ‘… we had little to fear. Italy had no Allies. Germany would not and could not have raised a finger to assist her. All the smaller powers that were members of the League were pledged to aid us, and between them they controlled the whole of the Mediterranean seaboard that was not actually in Italian hands. Can we believe that the mad dog would have been mad enough to go to war against such odds?’

Reaction To The Hoare-Laval Pact ‘Can we doubt that had he done so he would have been muzzled for life? It would have been the end of Mussolini and the end of Fascism, a triumph for the League and a warning to the Nazis. If there had been a great leader in a high position at the time he might have rallied the country to the support of such a policy, and if Great Britain had led, the smaller nations would have followed.

The Abyssinian Reaction ‘Today it is us, tomorrow it will be you’. Emperor Haile Selassie to the League of Nations in 1936

The Outcome  Britain and France had effectively bypassed the League of Nations.  Smaller nations lost faith in the League.  Italy and Germany became closer – in 1936 they promised to preserve the independence of Austria.  If the League could not deal with threats to peace, another approach needed to be found – Appeasement.

Homework Exercise Imagine you are a delegate at the League of Nations. Write a brief speech criticising Britain’s policy on the Abyssinian Affair. Your speech should be 1-2 pages of A4. The deadline is Friday 1 st September.

Homework Exercise Points to Consider: The situation – an act of aggression by one League member to another. Britain’s attitude towards Abyssinia and Italy. The failure of economic sanctions. The failure to take military action. The consequences for Abyssinia and the League of Nations. Implications for the future e.g. will appeasement encourage other aggressors?? Peace in Europe??