IB History International Response to Italian Aggression Notes

The International Response to Italian Aggression (1935-1936)

Background: Italy's Imperial Ambitions

1. Before the invasion, Italy held Libya, Eritrea, and Italian Somaliland, all poor territories that added little to Italy's prestige or economy.
2. Abyssinia (Ethiopia) was one of only two independent African nations (alongside Liberia), and was conveniently located between Italy's existing East African colonies.
3. Mussolini wanted to build a new Roman Empire, making Italy a Great Power like Britain and France.
4. There were economic reasons for wanting empire, but Mussolini's primary motivation was national prestige and Fascist ideology, which glorified war and expansion.
5. Italy's defeat at the Battle of Adwa (1896) remained a deep national humiliation that Mussolini was determined to avenge.
6. Mussolini was completely uninterested in Abyssinia's economic potential and disregarded the fact that Italy's economy was totally unprepared to finance a war.

The Wal Wal Incident and Road to War

1. In December 1934, Italian and Abyssinian troops clashed at the small oasis of Wal Wal, 80 km (50 miles) inside the Abyssinian side of the border with Italian Somaliland.
2. At least two Italian soldiers and over 100 Abyssinian troops were killed.
3. Italy demanded $100,000 in compensation and an official apology, knowing Abyssinia would refuse.
4. Abyssinia appealed to the League for arbitration; a committee was established and announced in September 1935 that neither country was at fault.
5. However, Mussolini had already directed the Italian army in December 1934 to begin preparing for a full-scale invasion.
6. Britain and France were well aware of Italy's plans but were unwilling to jeopardise their relationship with Mussolini.

The Italian Invasion of Abyssinia

1. In October 1935, Italy launched its long-expected invasion with around 400,000 troops from Eritrea and Italian Somaliland.
2. The modern Italian forces annihilated the Abyssinian armies, which relied largely on rifles, swords, and cavalry.
3. Italy used aerial bombing and the liberal use of poison gas (mustard gas) over large areas, violating the 1925 Geneva Protocol.
4. Chemical weapons killed hundreds of thousands of men, women, children, and livestock, poisoned water supplies, and destroyed crops.
5. Over 750,000 Abyssinians were killed during the war, compared to roughly 10,000 Italian casualties.
6. By May 1936, Italian forces captured the capital Addis Ababa; Mussolini declared the creation of Italian East Africa.
7. Eritrea, Italian Somaliland, and Abyssinia were merged into one large colony; the King of Italy was retitled Emperor of Ethiopia.

The League of Nations' Response

1. In October 1935, the League, led by Britain and France, condemned the invasion and voted for a gradually escalating programme of economic sanctions.
2. This was the first time sanctions had been applied against a major power under Article 16 of the Covenant.
3. Other than ignoring the issue outright, this was the least the League could do.
4. The League placed no embargo on oil exports to Italy, which would have brought the Italian economy to a halt quickly.
5. Britain refused to close the Suez Canal to Italian shipping, arguing this might lead to war in the Mediterranean.
6. Britain did not threaten Italy with war or even consider military intervention as an option.
7. A divided French government did not act either; France's main concern was Germany, not a distant African territory.
8. The sanctions imposed (arms embargo, ban on loans, some import restrictions) were delayed and poorly enforced.
9. The lack of an oil embargo and continued use of the Suez Canal condemned Abyssinia to defeat, accomplished by May 1936.