1. CONTENT
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
ABYSSINIAN CRISIS
1935-1936
7

2. ITALY WAS RULED BY FASCISTS
• Fascism is a system in which the interests of a country are
more important the interests of the individuals (citizens).
• Italy was a dictatorship, with a right-wing extreme ideology,
which is a nationalistic approach.
• Mussolini is regarded as the father of fascism.

3. BENITO MUSSOLINI
• Italy was controlled by Benito Mussolini and his Fascist
Party.
• He was PM from 1922, after threating to take power by
Marching on Rome.
• He used his position to change some rules in the election
process and in 1924 the Fascists won the elections.
• In 1925 he started a dictatorship.
• Opposition parties were banned.
• He used Secret Police against his opponents.

4. ITALY – CHOOSING SIDE
• In the early 30’s, Italy was more on Britain and France
side.
• Mussolini joined them at the Stresa Conference in 1935 to
stand against a possible German invasion of Austria
(Anschluss).

5. FATAL BLOW TO THE LEAGUE
• The fatal blow to the League came when the Italian dictator
Mussolini invaded Abyssinia in 1935.
• There were both similarities with and differences from the
Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
• Like Japan, Italy was a leading member of the League. Like
Japan, Italy wanted to expand its empire.
• Unlike Manchuria, this dispute was on the League’s doorstep.
• Italy was a European power. It had a border with France.
Abyssinia bordered Sudan and the British colonies of Uganda,
Kenya and Somaliland. Unlike Manchuria, the League could
not claim that this problem was in another part of the world.

7. INVADING ABYSSINIA - REASONS
• Italy had been defeated by Abyssinia in 1896 and the
Italians wanted revenge (Reason #1).
• Abyssinia was well positioned for Italy and they wanted a
colony in Africa (Reason #2).
• Mussolini had seen Japan get away with Manchurian
invasion, despite the LON threats (Reason #3).
• Mussolini dreamed of making Italy a great empire again
(like the Roman empire) (Reason #4).

8. BACKGROUND
• The origins of this crisis lay back in the previous century.
• In 1896 Italian troops had tried to invade Abyssinia but had
been defeated by a poorly equipped army of tribesmen.
• Mussolini wanted revenge for this humiliating defeat. He
also had his eye on the fertile land and mineral wealth of
Abyssinia.
• He wanted glory and conquest. His style of leadership
needed military victories and he had often talked of restoring
the glory of the Roman Empire.

9. WHAT HAPPENED?
• In December 1934 there was a dispute between Italian and
Abyssinian soldiers at the Wal-Wal oasis – 80 km inside
Abyssinia.
• Mussolini took this as his cue and claimed this was Italian
territory. He demanded an apology and began preparing the
Italian army for an invasion of Abyssinia.
• The Abyssinian emperor Haile Selassie appealed to the
League for help.

10. PHASE 1: LON PLAYS FOR TIME
• From January 1935 to October 1935, Mussolini was
supposedly negotiating with the League to settle the
dispute.
• At the same time, he was shipping his vast army to Africa
and whipping up war fever among the Italian people.

11. STRESA PACT
• To start with, the British and the French failed to take the
situation seriously. They played for time. They were
desperate to keep good relations with Mussolini, who
seemed to be their strongest ally against Hitler.
• They signed an agreement with him early in 1935 known as
the Stresa Pact, which was a formal statement against
German REARMAMENT and a commitment to stand
united against Germany.
• At the meeting to discuss this, they did not even raise the
question of Abyssinia. Some historians suggest that
Mussolini believed that Britain and France had promised to
turn a blind eye to his exploits in Abyssinia, in return for
his joining them in the Stresa Pact.

12. TALKING AND NEGOTIATION
• There was a public outcry against Italy’s behaviour.
• A ballot was taken by the League of Nations Union in Britain
in 1934–35. It showed that majority of British people
supported the use of MILITARY FORCE to defend
Abyssinia if necessary.
• Facing an autumn election at home, British politicians now
began to ‘get tough’.
• British foreign minister, Hoare, made a grand speech about
the value of collective security, to the delight of the League’s
members and all the smaller nations.
• There was much talking and negotiating. However, the
League never actually did anything to discourage Mussolini.

13. THE LON WAS INEFFECTIVE AGAIN
• The LON reputation was damaged beyond repair.
• Italy became more confident and started making pacts with
Hitler.
• Mussolini and Hitler agreed the Rome-Berlin Axis in 1936.
• In 1937, Italy joined Japan and Germany in the Anti-
Comintern (Communist Internationale) Pact, a pact designed
to defeat communism.
• Italy also attacked Albania in 1938, and signed the Pact of
Steel with Hitler in 1939.

14. WEAKNESS
• The League was too weak and ineffective.
• The failures to protect Manchuria and Abyssinia would
have dire consequences.
• The new alliance between Mussolini and Hitler gave
Germany the extra strength it needed to bounce back after the
losses of Versailles.

15. SOURCES
A cartoon from Punch, 1935, commenting on the
Abyssinian crisis. Punch was usually very
patriotic towards Britain. It seldom criticised
British politicians over foreign policy.
Study Source 10. At what point in the crisis
do you think this might have been
published? Use the details in the source and
the text to help you decide.
Here are three possible reasons why this
cartoon was drawn:
• To inform people in Britain about British and
French policy
• To criticise British and French policy
• To change British and French policy.
Which do you think is the best explanation?

16. SOURCES
A cartoon from Punch, 1935, commenting on the
Abyssinian crisis. Punch was usually very
patriotic towards Britain. It seldom criticised
British politicians over foreign policy.
Study Source 10. At what point in the crisis
do you think this might have been
published? Use the details in the source and
the text to help you decide.
Here are three possible reasons why this
cartoon was drawn:
• To inform people in Britain about British and
French policy
• To criticise British and French policy
• To change British and French policy.