The Abyssinia Crisis was a pre-WW2 diplomatic crisis originating in the conflict between Italy and Ethiopia (then called Abyssinia by the British). Its effects were to undermine the credibility of the League of Nations and to encourage Italy to ally with Germany. Combatants Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total... An international crisis is a crisis between nations. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference, 1919. ...

Both Italy and Ethiopia were members of the League of Nations, which had rules forbidding aggression. After their border clash at Walwal in 1934, Ethiopia appealed to the League for arbitration, but the response was dull and sluggish. 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In actuality, many nations were working independently of the League in order to keep Italy as an ally. Shortly after the initial appeal, Pierre Laval of France met with Benito Mussolini in Rome and they created the Franco–Italian Agreement. This treaty gave Italy parts of French Somaliland (now Djibouti), redefined the official status of Italians in French-held Tunisia, and essentially gave the Italians a free hand in dealing with Ethiopia. In exchange for this, France hoped for Italian support against German aggression. Pierre Laval, prime minister of Vichy France Pierre Laval (28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician and four times Prime Minister of France, the final time being under the Vichy government. ... Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945) was the prime minister and dictator of Italy from 1922 until 1943, when he was overthrown. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... On January 7th, 1935, the French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval and Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini signed the Italo-French agreements in Rome. ... The Republic of Djibouti (جيبوتي) is a country in eastern Africa, located in the Horn of Africa. ...

There was little international protest to Mussolini when he then sent large numbers of troops to Eritrea and Italian Somaliland, two colonies of Italy that bordered Ethiopia on the North and Southeast respectively. Italian Somaliland was an Italian colony that lasted, apart from a brief interlude of British rule, from the late 19th century until 1960 in the territory of the modern-day East African nation of Somalia. ...

Britain did attempt to alleviate the situation at one point, sending Anthony Eden to broker peace. It was a failed mission though, as Mussolini was bent on conquest. Following that, Britain then declared an arms embargo on both Italy and Ethiopia. Many believe that this was a direct result of Italy's decree that supplying Ethiopia would be perceived as an act of unfriendliness. Britain also cleared its warships from the Mediterranean, further allowing Italy unhindered access. Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC (June 12, 1897– January 14, 1977), British politician, was Foreign Secretary for three periods between 1935 and 1955, including World War II and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1957. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ...

Shortly after the League exonerated both parties in the Walwal incident, Italy attacked, resulting in the Second Italo–Abyssinian War. The League responded by condemning the attack and imposing economic sanctions on Italy. However the sanctions excluded vital materials such as oil, and were not carried out by all members of the League. The United Kingdom and France did not take any serious action against Italy (such as blocking Italian access to the Suez Canal). Combatants Italy Ethiopia Strength 800,000 (only ~330,000 mobilized) 100,000 (some ill-equipped) Casualties 15,000 16,000 The Second Italo–Abyssinian War, also called the Rape of Ethiopia, lasted seven months in 1935–1936. ... Economic sanctions are economic penalties applied by one country (or group of countries) on another for a variety of reasons. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Ships moored at El Ballah during transit Egypt: Site of Suez Canal (top). ...

Even actions such as the use of chemical weapons and the massacre of civilians did little to change the League's passive approach to the situation.

In December 1935 Samuel Hoare of Britain and Pierre Laval of France proposed the secret Hoare-Laval Plan which would end the war but allow Italy to control large areas of Ethiopia. Mussolini agreed to the plan, but it caused an outcry in Britain and France when the plan was leaked to the media. Hoare and Laval were accused of betraying the Abyssinians, and both resigned. The plan was dropped, but the perception spread that Britain and France were not serious about the principles of the League. After the plan was dropped, the war continued and Mussolini turned to Adolf Hitler for alliance. Samuel John Gurney Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood (1880-1959), more commonly known as Sir Samuel Hoare, was a British Conservative politician who served in various capacities in the Conservative and National governments of the 1920s and 1930s. ... Pierre Laval, prime minister of Vichy France Pierre Laval (28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician and four times Prime Minister of France, the final time being under the Vichy government. ... The Hoare-Laval Pact was a plan concocted by Samuel Hoare and Pierre Laval in December 1935 for the partitioning of Ethiopia, as a means of ending the Italo-Ethiopian War. ... Hitler redirects here. ...

Soon following the Italian capture of the capital, Addis Ababa, and merging Ethiopia with its other colonies (creating Italian East Africa), all sanctions placed by the League were dropped. Addis Ababa cityscape Addis Ababa (sometimes spelled Addis Abeba, the spelling used officially by the Ethiopian Mapping Institute; Amharic አዲስ አበባ, Āddīs Ābebā new flower; Oromo Finfinne) is the capital city of Ethiopia and the African Union, as well as its predecessor, the OAU. As a chartered city (ras gez astedader... Italian East Africa (Italian: Africa Orientale Italiana) was an Italian colony in Africa. ...

See also

• Timeline of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War

What follows is a timeline. ...

External link

• Ethiopia 1935 to 1936