How Abyssinia damaged the League

G3 Full History - syllabus K330, 2027

What this lesson teaches

  • I can judge which reasons mattered most for the outbreak of World War II in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific.

    Syllabus K330, War in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, Learning Outcomes. Evaluate the reasons for the outbreak of World War II in Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

Make a guess

In 1935 the League named Italy the aggressor in Abyssinia and imposed trade sanctions. What do you think happened next?

  1. Britain and France went to war with Italy to enforce the League's ruling.
  2. Italy conquered Abyssinia anyway, because oil was not banned.
  3. Italy pulled out within months to save its economy.
Show the answer

Italy conquered Abyssinia anyway, because oil was not banned.

Sanctions left out oil and the Suez Canal stayed open, so Italy kept fighting and took Addis Ababa in May 1936.

The League punished Italy with trade sanctions, but left oil out and kept the Suez Canal open, so Italy conquered Abyssinia anyway.

In October 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia, now Ethiopia, in East Africa. Both countries were League members, so this was a test of collective security: would members act together to protect a country under attack? The League named Italy as the aggressor and imposed economic sanctions, limits on trade and finance meant to pressure Italy to stop.

The pressure was weak. Oil was left out of the sanctions, so Italy could still buy fuel for its armed forces. The Suez Canal, the shipping route through Egypt between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, stayed open to Italian ships. Britain and France feared stronger action could lead to war with Italy. They also wanted Italy's help against Germany. These priorities made them unwilling to act firmly.

In December 1935, the British and French foreign ministers drew up the Hoare-Laval plan. It would have given Italy large parts of Abyssinia. Public outrage forced them to drop it, but it damaged trust that Britain and France would defend smaller countries.

Italy captured the capital, Addis Ababa, in May 1936 and annexed the country, taking it into its empire. Sanctions were later lifted. Italy's conquest, despite League action, weakened trust in collective security and showed that a powerful aggressor might face little resistance.

October 1935
Italy invades Abyssinia.
Sanctions gaps
No oil ban; Suez Canal left open.
Hoare-Laval plan
British and French plan to give Italy much of Abyssinia.

Real examples to use

Invasion, 3 October 1935

Italy attacked without declaring war. In November the League imposed sanctions, but they did not include oil.

Poison gas

Italian forces used chemical weapons against Ethiopian soldiers and civilians, yet the League did not toughen its sanctions.

Defeat and retreat, 1936

Addis Ababa fell on 5 May 1936, and the League lifted its sanctions in July 1936.

Worked example: Why sanctions did not stop Italy

League members limited some trade with Italy, but its forces kept fighting.

  1. Sanctions made the war harder, so they were a real response.
  2. But without an oil ban or a closed canal, Italy could still supply its army.
  3. Britain and France held back to avoid war and keep Italy as a friend against Germany.

Watch out for this

The League did nothing about Abyssinia.

The League did impose sanctions. They failed because they had big gaps.

Check your understanding

Why did sanctions fail to stop Italy?

  1. The League did not name Italy as the aggressor.
  2. Italy was not a League member, so sanctions did not apply.
  3. Oil was not banned and the Suez Canal stayed open.
Show the answer

Oil was not banned and the Suez Canal stayed open.

Yes. Italy could still fuel and supply its army.

Sources and context

Background reading for this chapter.

  • A public commitment to consultation

    Anglo-German declaration signed by Hitler and Chamberlain, 30 September 1938, as read in Chamberlain's House of Commons statement on 3 October. Paraphrase of the declaration, not the whole speech.

  • Chamberlain defends Munich

    Neville Chamberlain, British prime minister, addressing the House of Commons, 3 October 1938, after returning from Munich. Paraphrase of passages on the agreement, Czechoslovakia, future peace and rearmament.

  • Churchill challenges the settlement

    Winston Churchill, Conservative MP and critic of the government's appeasement policy, speaking in the House of Commons, 5 October 1938. Paraphrase of passages on deterrence and Czechoslovakia.

  • A record of Hitler's private discussion

    Colonel Friedrich Hossbach's memorandum, dated 10 November 1937, recording Hitler's meeting with senior military and foreign-policy officials on 5 November. Paraphrase of the recorded discussion; the memorandum is not a word-for-word transcript.

  • Munich Pact, 29 September 1938, clauses 1-4

    Munich Pact, dated 29 September 1938 and signed by Germany, Britain, France and Italy in the early hours of 30 September. Paraphrase of clauses 1-4; Czechoslovakia was later represented on the implementation commission.

  • a cartoon about Munich, October 1938

    An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of a British newspaper cartoon by a critic of appeasement, published in early October 1938, days after the Munich Agreement. It is not a copy of a real cartoon.

  • Munich Pact, 29 September 1938, clauses 1-4

    Extract from the agreement signed at Munich by Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, dated 29 September 1938 and signed in the early hours of 30 September. Czechoslovakia was not represented at the conference. Text from the Avalon Project (English text as published by the British government).

  • Chamberlain in the House of Commons

    Extract from Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's statement in the House of Commons, 3 October 1938, opening the debate on the Munich Agreement. Hansard, House of Commons, 3 October 1938. Parliamentary copyright, reproduced under the Open Parliament Licence.

  • Churchill in the House of Commons

    Extract from Winston Churchill's speech in the House of Commons debate on the Munich Agreement, 5 October 1938. Churchill was a Conservative MP and the best-known critic of the government's policy. Hansard, House of Commons, 5 October 1938. Parliamentary copyright, reproduced under the Open Parliament Licence.

  • a record of Hitler's secret meeting

    Extract from the memorandum by Colonel Friedrich Hossbach, Hitler's military adjutant, of a secret meeting between Hitler and his foreign minister and military chiefs on 5 November 1937, dated 10 November 1937. It was written from memory, not as a word-for-word record, and was used as evidence at the Nuremberg trials. English translation from Documents on German Foreign Policy, published by the US State Department; text from the Avalon Project.

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