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The Second Italo–Abyssinian War lasted seven months in 1935–1936. Along with the Mukden Incident in 1931, in which three northeastern Chinese provinces were annexed by Japan, it is often seen as a precursor to World War II, and a demonstration of the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations. It is also called the Italo–Ethiopian War, or the Abyssinian Crisis.
Background
Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy, had long held a desire for an Italian Empire to rule over the Mediterranean. Britain and France both had large empires at the time and most other European countries had colonial possessions.
Abyssinia was a prime candidate of this expansionist goal for several reasons. It was one of the few African nations that wasn't a European colony, and it would serve to unify the Italian-held Eritrea to the north-west and Italian Somaliland to the east. It was considered to be militarily weak, and rich in resources. It has been suggested that the Italians attacked Abyssinia to "reclaim" the country and to avenge their defeat during the First Italo–Abyssinian War in 1896.
Italian incursion
The Italo–Ethiopian Treaty of 1928 that delimited the border between Italian Somaliland and Abyssinia stated the border was 21 leagues parallel to the Benadir coast. The Italians re-interpreted this to mean 21 nautical leagues, as opposed to 21 standard leagues, which then gave them greater territory. Acting on this, they built a fort at the Walwal oasis in the Ogaden desert in 1930, disregarding the treaty. By 1932, the advance from Italian Somaliland was noticeable, as roads were being built well within what was considered Abyssinian territory.
In November of 1934, Abyssinian territorial troops, accompanied by the Anglo-Ethiopian boundary commission, protested Italy's incursion. The British members of the commission soon withdrew to avoid an international incident. In early December, the tensions mounted to a clash that left 150 Abyssinian and 50 Italian casualties. This resulted in the Abyssinia Crisis at the League of Nations.
The League of Nations exonerated both parties for the Walwal incident in September 1935. Italy soon began to build its forces on the borders of Abyssinia in Eritrea and Italian Somaliland.
With an attack appearing to be inevitable, the Emperor Haile Selassie ordered a general mobilization. His new recruits consisted of around 500,000 men, many of whom were armed with primitive weapons such as spears and bows. Others were equipped with more modern weapons, including rifles, but many of these tended to date from the late 19th century, and as such were often outdated.
Italian invasion
On October 3, 1935, 100,000 Italian soldiers and a sizable number of Askari commanded by Marshal Emilio De Bono attacked from Eritrea without declaration of War. A smaller contingent, commanded by General Rodolfo Graziani, attacked from Italian Somaliland. By October 6, Adwa, the site of Italian defeat in the first war, was captured. By October 15, the holy capital of Axum followed, from which an obelisk was looted.
The League of Nations declared Italy the aggressor on October 7, and started the slow process of imposing sanctions. These did not extend to several vital materials, such as oil. The British and French argued that if they refused to sell oil to the Italians, they would then simply get it from the United States, which was not a member of the League. In an effort to find compromise, the Hoare-Laval Plan was drafted, but it was highly favourable to the Italians, and therefore rejected by the Abyssinians.
By mid-December, De Bono was replaced by General Pietro Badoglio because of the slow, cautious nature of his advance. Haile Sellassie decided to test this new general with an attack, but his forces were repelled due to the Italians' superiority in heavy weapons like machine guns and artillery.
On January 20, 1936, the Italians resumed the offensive at the first battle of Tembien between the Warieu Pass and Mek'ele. The fighting proved inconclusive and ended in a draw on January 24.
In addition to conventional weaponry, Badoglio's troops also made substantial use of mustard gas, in both artillery and aerial bombardments. In total, the Italians deployed between 300 and 500 tonnes of mustard gas during the war, despite having signed the 1925 Geneva Protocol. The deployment of gas was not restricted to the battlefield, however, as civilians were also targeted by the Italians, as part of their attempt to terrorise the local population. Furthermore, the Italians carried out gas attacks on Red Cross camps and ambulances.*
On March 29, Graziani's forces firebombed the city of Harar. Two days later, the Italians won the last major battle of the war, the Battle of Maychew. Haile Selassie fled into exile on May 2, and Badoglio's forces took the capital, Addis Ababa, on May 5.
Italy annexed the country on May 7, and the Italian king, Victor Emmanuel III, was proclaimed emperor on May 9. Italy merged Eritrea, Abyssinia and Somaliland into a single state known as Italian East Africa.
Aftermath
When victory was announced on 9 May 1936 from the balcony of Palazzo Venezia, the Italian population (who had not been informed of the use of mustard gas by their troops) was jubilant. The Italian King Victor Emmanuel III was anointed Emperor of Ethiopia, and personalities such as Pope Pius XI and Winston Churchill displayed their admiration for Mussolini's conquest of Ethiopia. On 30 June 1936, Emperor Haile Selassie gave a stirring speech before the League of Nations denouncing Italy's actions and criticizing the world community for standing by. He warned that "It is us today. It will be you tomorrow". As a result of the League's condemnation of Italy, Mussolini declared the country's withdrawal from the organisation. The occupation was marked by recurring guerilla campaigns against the Italians, and reprisals which included mustard gas attacks against rebels and the murder of prisoners.
Conclusion
This was a short lived state, however, as Abyssinia was liberated from Italian control in the subsequent East African Campaign.
Seen as the last relic of the Italo-Abyssinian wars, the Obelisk of Axum stood until very recently in Rome. After numerous attempts to get it back, the Obelisk was finally dismantled and returned to Ethiopia in 2005.
See also
Notes
Further reading
- Graziani, R. Fronte di Sud, Milano 1938
External links
- A report by the International Committee of the Red Cross on the use of mustard gas by Italian forces.
- Mussolini's Invasion and the Italian Occupation
- Mussolini's Ethiopia Campaign
- OnWar: Second Italo–Abyssinian War 1935–1936
- Haile Selassie I, Part 2
- OneWorld Magazine: Hailé Selassié VS. Mussolini
Invasions | Wars of Italy | Wars of Ethiopia
Italienisch-Äthiopischer Krieg | Invasión de Etiopía | Seconda guerra italo-abissina | המלחמה האיטלקית-אתיופית השנייה | Inval in Abessinië | 第二次エチオピア戦争 | Wojna włosko-abisyńska 1935-1936 | Druga italijansko-abesinska vojna | Други италијанско-абесински рат
"Second Italo-Abyssinian War"