Mussolini in Ethiopia, 1919–1935: The Origins of Fascist Italy’s African War

238 Pages·2015·12.33 MB·English

by  Robert Mallett

Mussolini in Ethiopia, 1919–1935

Mussolini in Ethiopia, 1919–1935 looks in detail at the evolution of the
Italian Fascist regime’s colonial policy within the context of European
politics and the rise to power of German National Socialism. It delves
into the tortuous nature of relations between the National Fascist Party
and the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), while
demonstrating how, ultimately, a Hitler-led Germany proved the best
mechanism for overseas Italian expansion in East Africa. The book
assesses the emergence of an ideologically driven Fascist colonial pol-
icy from 1931 onwards and how this eventually culminated in a serious
clash of interests with the British Empire. Benito Mussolini’s successful
flouting of the League of Nations’ authority heralded a new dark era
in world politics and continues to have its resonance in today’s world.
Robert Mallett is an experienced academic researcher and author of
six books on Fascist foreign and strategic policy, ideology and politi-
cal religion theory. He has researched, taught and presented papers at
the Universities of UWE Bristol, Hanyang, Seoul, Leeds, Cambridge,
Birmingham, Wisconsin Madison, CUNY, Rome La Sapienza and the
United States Naval Academy. He founded and edited the political sci-
ence journal and book series Totalitarianism Movements and Political
Religions (now Politics, Religion and Ideology) and organised major
international conferences in the United States, South Korea, Italy and
the United Kingdom. He has appeared on various radio and television
programmes.

Mussolini in Ethiopia, 1919–1935

The Origins of Fascist Italy’s African War
ROBERT MALLETT
Independent Scholar
32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473, USA
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Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781107090439
© Robert Mallett 2015
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2015
Printed in the United States of America
A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Mallett, Robert, 1961–
Mussolini in Ethiopia, 1919–1935 : the origins of Fascist Italy’s
African war / Robert Mallett.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-107-09043-9 (hardback)
1. Italo-Ethiopian War, 1935–1936–Causes. 2. Mussolini, Benito, 1883–1945.
3. Italy–Foreign relations–Ethiopia. 4. Ethiopia–Foreign relations–Italy. I. Title.
DT387.8.M3335 2015
963′.056–dc23 2015007704
ISBN 978-1-107-09043-9 Hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs
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guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
For Jo, Ruby and Eleanor

Also for Geoffrey Warner, Steven Morewood and Stanley Payne
Great empires are not maintained by timidity.
– Tacitus
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Contents

1 Post-War Realities: Italy 1919 page 1
2 A Mutilated Peace: Italy, 1919–1929 7
3 The Darkening Horizon 1929–1932 33
4 The Impending War of Revenge: Europe and Africa, 1932 52
5 Containing the Führer: 1933–1934 72
6 Achieving an Empire: 1934–1935 94
7 Darkening Waters: January–May 1935 124
8 Facing Down the British: May–July 1935 154
9 Battle Lines: August–October 1935 187
Conclusion: Mussolini’s War of Revenge 218
Index 223
vii