Mussolini's invasion of: Abyssinia

Political motivates 🍻

Ideological motive 💥

Changing European Alignment 🚩

Economic motives 🍾

The state of Europe at the time was rather hostile, Germany was under Hilter's rule and Britain and France were the main opposition

After WW1 ended, at the Paris Peace Conference, Italy did not get all the benefits that they believed that the Big Three had promised to them. They failed to gain their colonial ambitions => resentment toward the Allied countries

Consolidate Mussolini's personal image and to gain the power to support his Fascist government.


A revenge for being defeated by the Ethiopian in 1896


Social Darwinism

  • Key point in fascism
  • Separate people into different social classes the strong (Italy) and the weak (Abyssinia)
  • Mainly about race as the strong will be the White European people such is Italy
  • Thinking that their country has more advanced technology, economy,..
  • They are the superior to the others and those that have different culture to European are considered "savage" or "uncivilized"
  • As a superior, Italy considered it was their duty to "educate" the others, by doing so the other will be grateful for them

Britain and France needed Italy to be on their side in order to keep Germany in check

Mussolini was able to use this to his advantage in negotiations how he decided to act would influence the power dynamic of Europe

When Mussolini planned to invade Abyssinia no other country opposed it as they saw no problem and needed to please Italy

When Italy did invade Abyssinia, it used mustard gas, a war crime, thus made Italy was condemned by the other nations not wanting to be associated with using poison

As a result Italy ended up going over the Germany's side as a result of being shunned by western democracies

further motives were the prospect of economic gains in the form of oil, coal and gold and of African recruits for the Italian army

Due to the failure of battle of grain, Lira and land and the great depression, the economic situation was influenced by foreign policy. Italian industry and agriculture had not fulfilled Mussolini's goal of autarky and the economy would not be able to sustain a general war.

Mussolini's thought on War

Wars makes strong country, bring the country together as one

War is nessecary for a country's growth

War would help Mussolini's reputation in Italy getting better

Bringing back the Roman Empire's greatness

During the Stresa front, Britain, France, and Italy specifically met up to discuss and agree upon stopping Hilter's foreign policy; there specifically did Italy get permission to invade Abyssinia

export market for Italian products.
jo's idea