In 1935 the Italian army invaded Abyssinia. Abyssinia (otherwise known as Ethiopia) was the only independent African country to have resisted European conquest and was ruled by an emperor, Haile Selassie. The Italians were ruled by Benito Mussolini, an authoritarian fascist, who saw opportunities for glory in the conquest of new territories in Africa.
The invasion of Abyssinia was not a random act. Italy’s other colonies, Libya and Italian Somaliland, were close by. The Italians had suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Battle of Adowa in March 1896 when they had last attempted to colonise Abyssinia. They also believed there was the possibility of mineral and oil wealth in the independent nation.
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