Transcript The Abyssinian Crisis

The Abyssinian Crisis
Italy and the League of Nations
1934 to 36
Aims of the lesson
By the end of this lesson you will learn about
• The ambitions of Mussolini
• How the League of Nations failed to stop
Italian aggression in Abyssinia
Background
• The League of Nations was a good idea
but in practise it was a failure
• Difficult to make decisions – too much self
interest
• USA, Germany and USSR were not
members
• In Manchuria the Japanese (a member of
the council) was allowed to get away with
an aggressive invasion – LoN did nothing
Mussolini
• Fascist ruler of Italy since 1922
• Wanted to build an empire in
Africa – already controlled
Libya, Somaliland and Eritrea
• Had tried to conquer Abyssinia
(Ethiopia) in 1896 and failed
• Humiliating – wanted revenge
• December 1934 – 30 soldiers
killed in a border clash. Gave
Italy the excuse to invade
The invasion
• Very successful – Abyssinian
army had spears and Italians
machine guns
• Britain and France did not
want to upset Italy in case it
made her friendly with Hitler
• April 1935 – Stresa Front.
Britain, Italy and France
agreed to join together
against Germany.
LoN inaction
• Most British people wanted her to stop the
invasion – Government not keen
• September 1935 – Samuel Hoare (GB
Foreign Secretary) called for collective
action against Italy
• Tough talk in public – but sucking up to the
Italians in private
• October 1935 – invasion succeeded
Haile Selassie
• Emperor of Abyssinia
• Appealed for help to LoN
• LoN imposed economic
sanctions – no country
allowed to trade with her
• Just bought from USA
• Britain and France allowed
Mussolini to use the Suez
Canal – breaking own
sanctions
Treachery
• Hoare and Laval (French Foreign Minister)
devised a plan to divide Abyssinia in two
• Italy to be given two thirds and rest to
Haile Selassie if Mussolini stopped fighting
• Hoare-Laval Pact – details leaked in
December 1935
• Uproar – looked like Britain and France
were putting self interest above Abyssinia
and the League of Nations
The consequences
• By May 1936 the Italian had conquered
the whole of Abyssinia
• Selaisse fled the country and went to
Geneva to address the League
• Too late – LoN was totally discredited
• Backfired in October 1936 Mussolini
signed the Berlin-Rome Axis pact with
Hitler.