Causes of the Italo-Ethiopian crisis of 1935-1941

The Italo-Ethiopian crisis of 1935-1941 was driven by several key factors:

1. Italian Imperialism:

• Desire for Expansion: Italy, under Benito Mussolini, sought to expand its empire and avenge its defeat by Ethiopian forces at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.
• Colonial Ambitions: Italy aimed to create a larger Italian East Africa by linking its colonies in Eritrea and Somalia with the conquest of Ethiopia.
• Ethiopia was see as threat: Mussolini regard Ethiopia as a threat to her colonies in Somali land and had to attack it.
• Mussolini and his party fascism: Mussolini and his party were violet and believed in expansionism and this compelled them to attack Ethiopia.
• Border Incident: The conflict began with a border incident between Italian Somaliland and Ethiopia in December 1934.

2. Revenge for Past Defeat:

• Adwa Defeat: The defeat at Adwa left a lasting impact on Italian national pride, and Mussolini wanted to restore Italy’s military reputation and humiliate the Ethiopians.
• Fascist Ideology: Mussolini’s fascist ideology promoted the idea of expanding stronger races at the expense of weaker ones, legitimizing imperial conquest.

3. Weakness of the League of Nations:

• Ineffective Sanctions: The League of Nations condemned the invasion and imposed economic sanctions on Italy, but these were largely ineffective due to lack of support from major powers. Attempt to put arm embargo on Italy were fruitless since it was already armed.
• Appeasement: Britain and France, preoccupied with their own security concerns, chose to appease Italy to avoid driving Mussolini into an alliance with Nazi Germany.

4. Strategic and Economic Interests:

• Strategic Location: Ethiopia’s location in East Africa made it a valuable addition to Italy’s colonial empire.
• Economic Resources: Ethiopia’s fertile land and resources were attractive to Italy, which sought to exploit these for economic gain.

5. International Tensions:

• Preparation for WWII: The crisis contributed to international tensions and demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations, setting the stage for World War II.
• Rallying Point for Nationalism: The invasion served as a rallying point for African nationalist movements, inspiring future struggles for independence.

6. Alliance of dictatorial states: Italy, German and Japan formed the alliance known as “Rome Berlin Tokyo Axis” and promised to assist one another to safeguard their interests. This alliance made Italy confident to attack Ethiopia.

7. Internal is unity in Ethiopia: Internal disunity due to Emperor Haile Sselasie’s discriminative policies and religious conflicts partly contributed to the Italian attack. For instance, he favored the Amharic and made their language official and also made Christianity the official religion.

8. Italian desire constructs a railway line from Somali land through Ethiopia to Eretria. Since negotiations with Ethiopia would be impossible, Italy thus, chose the military means to affect its scheme.

These factors combined to create a volatile situation that ultimately led to the invasion of Ethiopia and the subsequent crisis.

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Thanks

Dr. Bbosa Science