💥 The excuse
In December 1934 Italian and Abyssinian soldiers clashed at the Walwal oasis. Mussolini demanded an apology and used the clash as an excuse for war. Abyssinia asked the League to step in.
The League Challenged, 1930-39 » The League Fails in Abyssinia, 1935-36
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Section B, Breadth study B5, Key topic 2
- Why Mussolini invaded Abyssinia in 1935
- How the League responded, and why its sanctions were weak
- What the Hoare-Laval Pact and Haile Selassie's appeal showed
- How the crisis damaged the League
The League of Nations was an international organisation set up in 1920 to keep peace. Its members promised in the Covenant (its rulebook) to act together against any member that attacked another. The idea was called collective security. In 1935 Italy, a Great Power and a permanent member of the League's Council, attacked another League member. This was the League's second great test of the 1930s.
Key terms:
- Abyssinia: an independent African country (now called Ethiopia), ruled by Emperor Haile Selassie and a member of the League since 1923.
- Aggressor: the country that starts a war by attacking another.
🔒 Unlock Full Course Content
Sign up to access the complete lesson and track your progress!
Unlock This CourseWhy Mussolini invaded
Benito Mussolini, Italy's dictator, wanted to build a new Italian empire. Italy already ruled Eritrea and Italian Somaliland, which bordered Abyssinia on two sides. There were other reasons too:
- Glory and revenge. Italy had been beaten by Abyssinia at the Battle of Adowa in 1896. Mussolini wanted to wipe out that shame.
- Distraction. The Great Depression had hurt Italy. Success abroad could take people's minds off hardship at home.
- Weakness of the League. Mussolini had seen Japan get away with taking Manchuria and guessed the League would do little.
The invasion, 1935-36
⚔️ The war
On 3 October 1935 Italy invaded from Eritrea without declaring war. Its modern army used aircraft, tanks and poison gas against Abyssinian soldiers who often had old rifles. In May 1936 Italian troops entered the capital, Addis Ababa, and Italy took over the country.
The League's response
The League acted faster than it had over Manchuria. Within days it named Italy as the aggressor, and most members agreed to sanctions from November 1935. Yet the sanctions were limited:
What the sanctions did and did not cover
- Banned: weapons, loans to Italy, and some goods such as rubber and certain metals.
- Not banned: oil, which Italy's tanks, planes and ships needed, and also coal and steel.
- The Suez Canal stayed open. It was run by a company controlled by Britain and France, and Italian ships carrying troops and supplies to East Africa could still use it. Closing it would have cut Italy's route.
Why so weak? Britain and France feared that an oil ban might push Mussolini into a war with them, and they were not ready to fight one. They also wanted Italy as a friend against a rearming Germany, because Hitler had come to power in 1933. The USA was not a League member and could go on selling goods to Italy. The League itself had no army to use.
The Hoare-Laval Pact, December 1935
While sanctions were in force, the British foreign secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, and the French prime minister, Pierre Laval, met in secret in Paris. They drew up a plan to end the war by handing Italy large parts of Abyssinia, leaving Haile Selassie only a smaller area. The plan leaked to the press in December 1935. There was outrage in Britain and France: it looked like rewarding the aggressor and betraying the League. Hoare resigned and the plan was dropped.
The damage was already done. It showed that Britain and France, the two leading League powers, would put their own interests first, even at the expense of a League member.
Haile Selassie's appeal
In June 1936 the emperor travelled to Geneva and spoke to the League Assembly, asking for help for his people and warning that other small countries would suffer if the League did not act. He was heard, but no help came. In July 1936 the League dropped its sanctions on Italy, which had already added Abyssinia to its empire in May. In 1937 Italy left the League.
The damage to the League
- Trust was lost. Small countries saw that the League would not protect them against a Great Power.
- Dictators were encouraged. Hitler watched, and soon began breaking the Treaty of Versailles more boldly.
- Britain and France looked weak and divided. They had angered Italy without stopping it, and Mussolini moved closer to Hitler.
- The League faded. After 1936 it played little part in keeping the peace.
Change and continuity
In the 1920s the League had settled disputes between smaller countries. In the 1930s it failed against Great Powers, first Japan and then Italy. What stayed the same was that it could act only if its leading members, Britain and France, were willing to back their words with action.
Common mistakes
- Saying oil was banned. It was not, and that is a big reason the sanctions failed.
- Saying the Hoare-Laval Pact was agreed by the League. It was a secret plan by two politicians, and it was dropped.
- Saying Britain closed the Suez Canal. It stayed open to Italian ships.
Exam-style question
Explain TWO causes of the failure of the League of Nations to stop Italy's conquest of Abyssinia (1935-36). [8 marks]
Remember: one cause on its own cannot score more than half the marks, so explain two.
Model answer
One cause was that the sanctions were too weak. The League banned arms, loans and some raw materials after Italy's invasion in October 1935, but it did not ban oil, which Italy needed to keep its tanks, planes and ships moving. The Suez Canal also stayed open, so Italian troops and supplies reached East Africa easily. Because the League did not cut off the things Italy needed most, the war went on and Italy won in 1936.
A second cause was that Britain and France put their own interests first. They did not want a war with Italy and hoped to keep Mussolini as an ally against Hitler. In December 1935 Hoare and Laval secretly agreed a plan to give Italy large parts of Abyssinia. Although it was dropped after public anger, it showed that the two strongest League members would not defend Abyssinia fully. Without their support the League had no way to force Italy to withdraw.
What lifts this to the top level: two separate causes, each backed by precise facts and a clear explanation of how it led to the failure.
Exam tip
For each cause, use the pattern "This was a cause because ..." and finish by linking back to the failure to stop Italy. Naming a cause and adding facts without that link keeps you out of the top level.
Recap
- Mussolini invaded Abyssinia on 3 October 1935 to build an empire, avenge Adowa and distract Italians from the Depression.
- The League named Italy the aggressor, but its sanctions left out oil and the Suez Canal stayed open.
- The Hoare-Laval Pact (December 1935) showed Britain and France putting their own interests first.
- Haile Selassie appealed to the League in June 1936, but sanctions were dropped in July and Italy kept Abyssinia.
- The League lost trust, the dictators grew bolder and Italy left in 1937.