ethiopian invasion
On October 3rd, 1935, Mussolini gave the orders to invade Ethiopia after a dispute at the Italian Somaliland-Ethiopian border, his excuse for invading. Italy had tried to seize Ethiopia in the 1890's, but was unable. In 1934, Ethiopia was one of the few independent states in European run Africa. The capital, Addis Ababa, was seized on May 5th, 1936. After Ethiopia's emperor fled into exile, Mussolini appointed King Emmauel III of Italy as Ethiopia's new emperor.
This incident is often referred to when talking about the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations. Because no allied powers, besides Great Britain, who had money in East Africa, supported stopping this invasion, the League of Nations basically turned a blind eye and let it happen, after trying to impose economic sanctions that had no effect.
"Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-36)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297461/Italo-Ethiopian-War>.
This incident is often referred to when talking about the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations. Because no allied powers, besides Great Britain, who had money in East Africa, supported stopping this invasion, the League of Nations basically turned a blind eye and let it happen, after trying to impose economic sanctions that had no effect.
"Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-36)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297461/Italo-Ethiopian-War>.