Transcript What on earth`s happening nin Abyssinia

What on earth was happening
in Abyssinia ?
A newsroom simulation from the
standpoint of March 1936
NB This is not a presentation to be shown to the class
as it is; rather the slides are to be printed off as
described in the task outline and given to different
groups to work on collaboratively.
In your editorial teams you have to a 2 minute
broadcast to camera in which you explain what has
happened in Abyssinia. Your broadcast takes place
in March 1936. You have been given one of 5
different expert roles
1. Experts on Abyssinia as a place inc. maps, history
before 1935
2. Experts on details of events of the invasion itself
3. Experts on background to the crisis and reasons
for the invasion
4. Experts on the reactions of Britain and France
5. Experts on Abyssinian reaction and the fate of
Haile Selassie
You can present as you wish
You can have close ups of maps as visual
aids
You can have interviews ( e.g. with France
and Britain), reporters talking to camera
Be imaginative, but you will have only 2
minutes remember
Background about Abyssinia
Abyssinia was an African
country that had not yet been
made a European colony. It had
good farmland and many
minerals. It was surrounded by
European colonies, including
Eritrea and Somaliland, both
Italian.
In 1896, Italian troops invaded
Abyssinia, but were beaten at
the Battle of Adowa.
In 1928, Italy signed a treaty of
friendship with Abyssinia.
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/heroesvillains/g3/cs1/g3cs1s4.htm
Extent of Roman Empire
Background causes of the war
Background causes 1/5
Benito Mussolini had long held a desire for a new Italian Empire.
Reminiscent of the Roman Empire, Mussolini's new empire was to
rule over the Mediterranean and North Africa. Rome had once led
an empire that dominated the world. But that was long ago and now
other European powers had empires (Britain, France) or wanted
them. Hitler came to power in 1933, begun to rearm Germany and
looked to re-unite Germany with Austria. Mussolini looked for a way
to show Italy’s strength to the rest of Europe.
His new empire would also avenge past Italian defeats. Chief
among these defeats was the Battle of Adowa which took place in
Ethiopia on March 1, 1896. Mussolini promised the Italian people "a
place in the sun", matching the extensive colonial empires of the
United Kingdom and France.
Background causes 2/5
Ethiopia was a prime candidate of this
expansionist goal for several reasons.
Following the Scramble for Africa by the
European imperialists it was one of the
few remaining independent African
nations, and it would serve to unify the
Italian-held Eritrea to the northwest and
Italian Somaliland to the east. It was
considered to be militarily weak, and rich
in resources.
Background causes 3/5
Speech from Mussolini 1932
Background causes 4/5
Italy had 2 east African colonies which
bordered Abyssinia
In 1896 Italy had tried to take Abyssinia
but had been defeated at Adowa
In 1930s Italy was going through an
economic depression . Mussolini needed a
successful war to strengthen his position.
He wanted to restore the glory of the
Roman Empire
Background causes 5/5
Italians also felt that they didn’t get their
fair share of territory after World War I
when the Treaty of Versailles (1919) made
peace and decided who would rule
Germany’s former colonies. The invasion
of Abyssinia would make up for these
disappointments. Abyssinia and the
territories Italy already held in East Africa
would join together to make a new Italian
empire in the region.
News bulletin -1/4
December 1934 Dispute at Wal-Wal between
Italians and Abyssinians
April 1935 Stresa Pact signed between Britain,
France and Italy, uniting them against German
rearmament
October 1935 On October 3, 1935, Marshal
Emilio De Bono advanced into Ethiopia from
Eritrea without declaration of War. De Bono had
a force of 100,000 Italian soldiers and 25,000
Eritrean soldiers under his command. Adowa
taken after 2 days of bombing, with only one
Italian casualty.
New bulletin-2/4
On October 7, the League of Nations
declared Italy the aggressor and started
the slow process of imposing sanctions.
However, these sanctions did not extend
to several vital materials, such as oil.
News bulletin- 3/4
November 1935 Southern Abyssinian
leader, Afework, killed
December 1935 Italians use mustard gas
in victory at Dolo. Abyssinians counterattack and Italians retreat 12 miles. Hoare
and Laval prepare the Hoare-Laval Plan,
giving Mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia
January 1936 Italians use mustard gas at
the battle of Tembien
News bulletins -4/4
March 1936 Last major Abyssinian army defeated. Haile
Selassie's personal army defeated and survivors trapped
by a lake and attacked with gas and bombs. Meanwhile,
Hitler reoccupies the Rhineland
April 1936 Italian tanks and armoured cars take control
over more Abyssinian regions without opposition
May 1936 Haile Selassie flees Abyssinia. Italian troops
enter Addis Ababa. Victor Emanuel, the King of Italy,
declared the new Emperor of Abyssinia
What did the Abyssinians do?
In October 1935, Italy
invaded Abyssinia. The
Italians used modern
weapons, including tanks,
planes and poison gas.
The Abyssinians did not
have weapons like these.
The only hope for their
Emperor, Haile Selassie,
lay in the size of the
country, the poor state of
the roads and an appeal
to the League of Nations.
What did the Abyssinians do?-2
With an attack appearing inevitable,
Emperor Haile Selassie ordered a general
mobilization. His new recruits consisted of
around 500,000 men, many of whom were
armed with nothing more than spears and
bows. Other soldiers carried more modern
weapons, including rifles, but many of
these were from before 1900 and were
badly outdated.
What did the Abyssinians do?-3
In general, the Abyssinian armies were
poorly equipped. They had about 200
antiquated pieces of artillery mounted on
rigid gun carriages. There were also about
50 light and heavy anti-aircraft guns (20
mm Oerlikons, 75 mm Schneiders, and
Vickers). The Abyssinians even had some
Ford truck-based armored cars and a
small number of Fiat 3000 World War I-era
tanks.
French and British reaction 1/5
Italy was able to launch its invasion
without interference primarily due to the
United Kingdom and France placing a high
priority on retaining Italy as an ally in case
hostilities broke out with Germany. To this
end, on January 7, 1935, France signed
an agreement with Italy giving them
essentially a free hand in Africa to secure
Italian co-operation.
French and British reaction 2/5
Next, in April, Italy was further
emboldened by being a member of the
Stresa Front, an agreement to curb
German expansionism. In June 1935, noninterference was further assured by a
political rift that had developed between
the United Kingdom and France following
the Anglo-German Naval Agreement.
British and French reaction 3/5
When the League thought of introducing
sanctions, the British and French argued
that if they refused to sell oil to the Italians,
the Italians would then simply get it from
the United States, which was not a
member of the League .The British and
French wanted to keep Mussolini on side
in the event of war with Germany, which
by 1935 was looking like a distinct
possibility.
See if you can work out French attitudes from this
document from the National Archives
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/heroesvillains/g3/cs3/g3cs3s5a.htm
And the British, also from the National Archives
British and French reaction 4/5
In an effort to find compromise, the HoareLaval Plan was drafted (which essentially
handed 3/5ths of Ethiopia to the Italians
without Ethiopia's consent on the condition
the war ended immediately), but when
news of the deal was leaked public
outrage was such that the British and
French governments were forced to wash
their hands of the whole affair.
French and British reaction 5/5
After the failure of the Hoare-Laval pact
Britain and France took a tougher line
against Italy.
In March they finally decided to ban the
sale of oil and petrol to Italy but it was too
late. Italy had won the war by May 1936
You can see ORIGINAL documents relating to the Hoare
Laval pact from the National Archives site
http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/heroesvillains/g3/cs3/g3
cs3s3.htm