Mussolini's Conquest of Ethiopia By Max Foote
The Start of the War
The Italian-Ethiopian War began on October 3, 1935. Dictator Benito Mussolini ordered 100,000 Italian and Eritrean troops across the Mareb River separating Italian Eritrea from Ethiopia. Mussolini ordered the invasion to consolidate Italy’s empire in the Horn of Africa and to "avenge the humiliating defeat of an earlier Italian invasion force at Adowa (March 1, 1896)." The Italians and Mussolini expected the war to be very short, because his forces were far better trained and equipped than the opposing Ethiopian armies under Emperor Haile Selassie. Although the Italians had many advantages their hopes were not for-fulled and it took seven months to complete their invasion with the conquest of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, in May 1936. Rome’s control over Ethiopia only lasted a total of 5 years until May 1941 when the British army drove the Italians out and restored Haile Selassie to his throne and people.[1]
As early as December 1934, Italy occupied a territory fallen within the Ethiopian side of the borderline between Ethiopia and Italian Somalia. This event, known as the “Walwal incident,” is considered the starting point of the Italo-Ethiopian war and occurred with the consent and Knowledge of France and Britain. In autumn 1935, military operations were carried out in northeast and southern Ethiopia. "On May 5, 1936, Italian troops entered Addis Ababa, thanks to their superior numbers, to a widespread use of mustard-gas, which had been banned in 1925 by the Geneva Convention of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and to the weak policy of the League of Nations. In May 1936 the Ethiopian emperor, Haile Sellasie, chose exile in Bath, England." Their were World wide Reactions, from African countries to Europe. Among international public opinion, Ethiopia was seen as the only independent African country and became the symbol of the "Pan-African movement.”[2]
Image- Mussolini Preparations for the Invasion
His Attempts for Success
While other European countries such as Britain, France, and Germany built or expanded empires and also enjoyed industrial growth, Italy remained a poor agricultural community with few resources. It also had little luck in their attempts to try and gain resources in futile expeditions against African nations like Ethiopia. Class struggles within Italy did nothing to promote progress, and a frustrated nation looked for answers. Many followed or were forced to follow Mussolini and his military efforts to try and fix his struggling nation.[3]
Image- Prince of Ethiopia visited Mussolini
Calling himself “II Duce” (the Leader), Mussolini used a growing military to maintain himself in power and crush opposition. He seemed to the outside world to have positive outcomes for the good of Italy. The economy improved and unemployment was low, but at a cost of freedom. As he promised, at the time it started to look like he was fixing many of the problems Italy was facing before his rule. He looked more like a savior many people forgot how brutal his efforts to gain Ethiopia and the war that he lead.[4]
Image- Cartoon of Italian officer tells Mussolini that everything is going well Ethiopia
Mussolini's Downfall
“As the last effort by a European power to build a colonial empire in the Third World, Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia was one of the most brutal campaigns in the history of modern warfare. Frustrated by the slow pace of the invasion, Italian forces resorted to terror tactics, including the bombing of undefended villages and the widespread use of poison gas." The war also had great political consequences. It showed the weakness and the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations, which responded weakly to the appeal of Ethiopia. Around this time Geneva imposed on Rome repelling Mussolini from Britain and France and pushed him toward his fateful alliance with Nazi Germany. "This bloody colonial conflict was therefore an important milestone on the road leading toward World War II."[5]
The only way Italy could control Ethiopia was through constant violence. Widespread Ethiopian resistance countiniously frustrated the Italian soldiers. Fear and “shame” of the possibility of losing Ethiopia was to such an extent that Mussolini ordered Graziani, the viceroy, to establishing a “regime of absolute dread.” That year (1937) was one of the most difficult and violent years for the Italian army in Ethiopia.”[6]
Image- Propaganda poster used to make Italians view Ethiopians as the enemy
Furthermore, many partisans' heads and corpses were publicly displayed in order to terrify the population. It has been calculated that in "three days approximately 3,000 to 6,000 people were killed in Addis Ababa alone." The attempt on multiple Italian officer lifes, this marked the beginning of a stronger and more organized guerrilla warfare, mostly "concentrated in the regions of Shawa, Gojjam, and Bagemder and armed mainly with ammunition captured from the enemy and provided by deserters." An interesting fact was the participation of Ethiopian women in the resistance formed from their reactions to the fact that the rape of women and girls was a usual policy for the fascist army.[7]
Image- News paper of America's reaction to the War
Mussolini's final defeat in Ethiopia
“It was Italy's role in World War II, and Mussolini's continuing attempts to gain territory for his empire, that brought about his downfall. Mussolini ordered the invasion of Greece and Egypt, but had to beg Hitler for assistance when his armies were defeated in both arenas. Mussolini, the senior dictator, became the alliance's junior partner once the war started. He watched his troops do little more than support German armies in North Africa and then in Sicily. When the Allied forces captured Sicily in August 1943, Mussolini's days were numbered.” Mussolini became a puppet in Hitler's army.[8]
