The Abyssinian Crisis Flashcards
What is the Background of the Abyssinian crisis?
Abyssinia is approximately where Ethiopia is today
WolWol is the place that triggered the Italian invasion.
Abyssinia was the last place in Africa that was not invaded.
All the countries around Abyssinia were conquered by England.
Italy had three colonies in eastern Africa: Libya, Eritrea, and Italian Somaliland.
What happened in 1896?
The defeat of Italy against the Abyssinians. Defeated by tribesmen in Adowa which was a great embarrassment.
What gains did Italy hope were promised after the first world war?
Italy had joined the Allies against Germany and had been promised gains at the end of the war:
Italy had hoped for land along the coast of Yugoslavia and some German and Turkish colonies but received none of these.
This was another embarrassment for Italy as they wanted to be a part of the big three but received none of the respect that they felt they deserved.
What is the context for Britain and France relying on Italy?
In July 1934, Austrian Nazis murder the Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss. Hitler attempted to union with Austria but backed down when Mussolini sent Italian troops to the border with Austria. Mussolini saw this as a threat to Italy’s territory and his army was stronger. In the eyes of Britain and France, Mussolini was a hero and an Ally.
What began the Wal-Wal dispute in December 1934?
Wal-Wal border dispute- Italy claims that Italian soldiers were attacked. Haile Selassie appeals to the League for help.
What were Italy’s problems in 1932?
Italy was on the edge of havoc and there were constant strikes happening in the country. Along with other problems like land seizing and the government seemed powerless to stop it. Italy did not come out of the First World War very well and their unemployment rates were very high.
What was Mussolini’s party called? What was its political perspective?
Mussolini’s party was a right-wing Nationalist party called the Fascists.
How did Mussolini come to power?
Mussolini ordered his followers to march in a general strike as a March on Rome. The king of Italy was afraid of a civil war so he asked Mussolini to form a government.
What did Mussolini do after coming to power?
He shut down any political opposition and assumed the role of a dictator in his country. Mussolini provided massive works of public employment and transformed Italy’s infrastructure which made him very popular. To do this however Italy went into debt. He rid the country of corruption and their arms were built up.
What was Mussolini’s impact internationally?
Mussolini launched a powerful navy in the Mediterranean bigger than both the British and the French. He became a symbol of inspiration internationally after the Depression hit when Italy seemed to be doing a lot better than everyone else. Germany’s Hilter saw the Fascists as role models for the kind of government he wanted.
What was Mussolini’s goal for Italy?
He wanted to build up the Roman empire and bring it back up to what it was before.
What are some details of the Italian invasion?
The Italians used terror tactics against the Abyssinians. 600,000 Italians invaded Abyssinians and bombed innocent civilians. They also bombed red cross hospitals and there were terrible chemical attacks that destroyed their skin. The chemicals also poisoned all of the water and a quarter of a million Abyssinians died.
What was the Hoare-Laval pact?
The Hoare-Laval Pact was a secret deal between Britain and France. In December of 1935 while the economic sanctions were ongoing the two foreign ministers Hoare and Laval were making a deal about Abyssinia. I the hope to keep Mussolini on their side, the deal was to give Italy ⅔ of Abyssinia. The plan was proposed to Mussolini before Haile Selassie or the League of Nations took a look at it. The Foreign Minister of Britain, Laval, told Britain that if they did not agree to this then Britain would lift economic sanctions against Italy. In the end, the details of the plan were leaked to the press which caused outrage among the public. Due to these actions, both Hoare and Laval got fired, the plan was discontinued, and had to claim Italy as the aggressor.
What were the two broad reasons why Mussolini invaded Abyssinia?
Boost his popularity
Embarrassment
Why did Mussolini want to boost his popularity?
At this point in Italy, the country was going into an economic recession, and to distract his people from this fact Mussolini invaded Abyssinia. This gave Italy something to be proud of and increased National pride. War with Abyssinia looked like a low-risk way of achieving this goal. There was no way Abyssinia could really fight back against Italy who had highly mechanized weapons like tanks, planes, and poison gas.
