Failure Of The Leaque Of Nations

9 Pages 2253 Words

s failure to take proper action upon Italy’s invasion of its fellow League member, Ethiopia.
The origins of Italian aggression in Ethiopia stem back to Italy’s humiliating defeat by the Ethiopians at the Battle of Adowa in 1896, when the Ethiopian army was able to successfully thwart the attempts of the Italians to take over their country.3 In the decades following WWI, fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini wanted to expand Italy’s influence in Africa and in the Mediterranean, and, because Italy had not yet forgotten their defeat, they sought to expand by connecting their two colonies of Eritrea and Somalia by taking Ethiopia.4 Mussolini’s own brilliant military skill manifested clearly in the way he prepared and timed this invasion. First, in 1923, Italy championed Ethiopia’s membership in the League of Nations once he saw that he could not block it. Secondly, he timed his invasion to take place at a time when Europe was noticing the rise of Hitler in Germany, and when he knew that other foreign powers would not want to risk antagonizing Italy for fear of losing it as an ally against the Nazi power.5 It was during this precarious time in Europe that Italy began preparations for a full-scale military invasion--one which would use phosgene and mustard gas, both of which had been outlawed by the decree of the League.6 Mussolini had planned his military invasion early, and planned to put it into execution in the autumn of 1935. He assumed the support of Britain and France due to their own colonies in the area, and because he noted that the League had not imposed sanctions on the Japanese following their war in Manchuria, he had little fear that his campaign in Ethiopia would not be successful.7
On December 5, 1934, a clash broke out between Italian and Ethiopian soldiers at Wal-Wal, a spot near the border of Italian Somaliland, which was the spark that Mussolini was waiting for to launch his full scale military take over....