Collision of empires : Italy's invasion of Ethiopia and its international impact / edited by G. Bruce Strang.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Strang, G. Bruce, 1963-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Italo-Ethiopian War, 1935-1936.

Italo-Ethiopian War, 1935-1936--Diplomatic history.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (398 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Farnham, Surrey, U.K. ; Burlington, Vt. : Ashgate, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 marked a turning point in interwar Europe. The last great European colonial conquest in Africa, the conflict represented an enormous gamble for the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. He faced a challenge not only from a stout Ethiopian defence, but also from difficult logistics made worse by the League of Nations' half-hearted sanctions. Mussolini faced down this opposition, and Italian troops, aided by air superiority and liberal use of yprite gas, conquered Addis Ababa within eight months, a victory that shocked many military observers of the time with its speed and suddenness. The invasion had enormous repercussions on European international relations. In the midst of a national election campaign, the British National Government had felt constrained to support the League, despite fears that sanctions through the League could lead to war with Italy. The concentration of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean Sea alienated Mussolini and placed the French government on the horns of dilemma; should France support its military partner, Italy, or its more important potential ally, Great Britain? French attempts to mark out a middle ground did little to placate the Duce, and the crisis seemed to develop a deep rift between Fascist Italy and the Anglo-French democracies, while at the same time creating a crisis in Anglo-French relations. Mussolini turned towards Nazi Germany in an attempt to end his diplomatic isolation during the sanctions episode, although Hitler considered the Duce's friendship a mixed blessing. The question of American adherence to sanctions increased ill will between British politicians and the Roosevelt administration in Washington, as each tended to blame the other for the failure of oil sanctions and the collapse of collective security. The international crisis posed similarly thorny

problems for the smaller powers of Europe, and for Japan and the Soviet Union. The crisis impeded common defence against Fascist expansionism while giving impetus to claims of the revisionist powers. Despite the tremendous importance of the international crisis, however, little new work on the subject has appeared in recent decades. In this volume, an international cast of contributors take a fresh look at the crisis through the lens of new evidence and new approaches to international relations history to provide the most comprehensive coverage of the crisis currently possible, and their work provides new frames of reference for exploring imperialism, collective security and genocide.

Contents:

Places in the African sun : social darwinism, demographics, and the Italian invasion of Ethiopia / G. Bruce Strang

The Ethiopian crisis and the emergence of Ethiopia in a changing state system / Ian S. Spears

Philip Noel-Baker, the League of Nations and the Abyssinian crisis, 1935-1936 / Gaynor Johnson

This silly African business : the military dimension of Britain's response to the Abyssinian crisis / Steven Morewood

France and the Ethiopian crisis, 1935-36 : security dilemmas and adjustable interests / Martin Thomas

A sad commentary on world ethics : Italy and the United States during the Ethiopian crisis / G. Bruce Strang

The last ditch defender of national sovereignty at Geneva : the realities behind Canadian diplomacy during the Ethiopian crisis / Francine McKenzie

The paradox of peaceful co-existence : British dominions' response to the Italo-Abyssinian crisis 1935-36 / W. Neville Sloane

Schreck and Schadenfreude : Hitler, German alliance priorities and the Abyssinian crisis, 1935-6 / Geoffrey Waddington

An alliance of the coloured peoples : Ethiopia and Japan / J. Calvitt Clarke III

Soviet appeasement, collective security, and the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935 and 1936 / J. Calvitt Clarke

A way out of isolation : fascist Italy's relationship with the Vatican during the Ethiopian crisis / Nicolas G. Virtue

The former European neutrals, the Ethiopian crisis, and its aftermath, 1935-1938 / Remco van Diepen.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-315-57272-9

1-317-16417-2

1-138-70443-1

1-317-16416-4

1-4094-3010-3

9781315572727

OCLC:

857811417