Appeasement and the Road To War

1
Appeasement and the Road To War

• The Abyssinian Affair 1934-1935

2
Introduction

• On 3rd December 1935 Italy invaded the small
  African country of Abyssinia (modern day
  Ethiopia).
• Some historians would argue that this was the
  final nail in the coffin for the League of
  Nations.
• Before we look at what actually happened we need
  to look at the man who played a key role in all
  of this the Italian leader, Benito Mussolini.

3
Benito Mussolini

• Born in north-east Italy on July 29th 1883
• His father was a staunch socialist and his mother
  deeply religious.
• Qualified as a teacher in 1901.
• He fled to Switzerland to avoid military service.
• Fought in the Italian army during World War One.

4
Benito Mussolini

• After the war he became heavily involved in
  politics and formed the Fascist party.
• In 1922, Mussolinis Facist party was asked to
  form a government.
• Within a couple of years he established an
  authoritarian government e.g. opposition groups
  closed down, newspapers censored.
• Mussolini became known as Il Duce The Leader.

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Il Duce Video

• This video was produced in 1934 as a
• report on the Italian leader Mussolini
• and his relationship with the German
• leader, Hitler. It provides a useful
• insight into how Mussolini governed
• Italy

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Il Duce Video

• In what ways does Mussolini come across as a
  powerful leader?
• Make a list of Mussolinis achievements while in
  power.
• What were the disadvantages of living in Fascist
  Italy?
• What opinion do other world leaders have of
  Mussolini?
• Who appears to be more powerful Mussolini or
  Hitler? Give reasons for your answer.

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Aims

• To draw up a timeline of events.
• To understand the key political figures who were
  involved in the Abyssinian Affair.
• To understand the concerns of the British
  government by 1935

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Background to the Abyssinian Affair

• Between 1850-1900 the scramble for Africa took
  place.
• Britain and France acquired the most profitable
  colonies.
• Italy did not have much of an empire apart from a
  tiny part of Eritrea and Somali.
• 1896 the Italians were defeated at Adowa when the
  attempted to take over Abyssinian.
• In years prior to 1934 Italy had helped Abyssinia
  to join the League and signed a friendship treaty.

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Timeline of Events

• December 1934 Wal Wal Incident
• June 1935 Arbitration by the League blames
  neither side.
• July 1935 Mussolini rejects Edens offer of
  Ogaden Desert
• 3rd October 1935 Italy invades Abyssinia.

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Key Figures

• Stanley Baldwin
• British Prime Minister
• Anthony Eden
• Minister for League Affairs
• Benito Mussolini
• Italian leader

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German Rearmament

• On 7th March 1935 Germany
• announced the reintroduction of
• conscription and that she had an
• army of 550,000. Germany also
• admitted the existence of the
• Luftwaffe.
• Why would Britain, France and Italy
• be concerned about this?

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Aims

• To identify the main terms of the Hoare-Laval
  Pact.
• To understand reaction to the Hoare-Laval Pact
  and the long-term consequences for the League.

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Reaction To The Hoare-Laval Pact

• Sir Samuel Hoare said in the House of
• Commons
• ..the threat of war and the outbreak of war has
  raised very difficult questions between ourselves
  and France. It must have been obvious to every
  Hon. Member that a great body of opinion in
  France was intensely nervous of anything likely
  to weaken French defence. I did everything in my
  power to make a settlement possiblewhile loyally
  continuing a policy of sanction and coercive
  action.

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Reaction To The Hoare-Laval Pact

• Duff Cooper, Secretary of State For
• War later wrote
• ..The British people were very angry with
• Mussolini and very sorry for the Emperor of
• Abyssinia, but they were not willing to give
• grounds for war to the former or effective
• help to the latter. Sir Samuel Hoare and
• Monsieur Pierre Laval sought to give shape
• to these sentiments by an agreement which
• while handing over the substance of
• Abyssinia to Italy would have left a shadowy
• remnant to the Emperor.

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Reaction To The Hoare-Laval Pact

• Duff Cooper also wrote
• we had little to fear. Italy had no
• Allies. Germany would not and could not
• have raised a finger to assist her. All the
• smaller powers that were members of the
• League were pledged to aid us, and
• between them they controlled the whole of
• the Mediterranean seaboard that was not
• actually in Italian hands. Can we believe
• that the mad dog would have been mad
• enough to go to war against such odds?

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Reaction To The Hoare-Laval Pact

• Can we doubt that had he done so he
• would have been muzzled for life? It would
• have been the end of Mussolini and the end
• of Fascism, a triumph for the League and a
• warning to the Nazis. If there had been a
• great leader in a high position at the time
• he might have rallied the country to the
• support of such a policy, and if Great Britain
• had lead, the smaller nations would have
• followed.

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Homework Exercise

• Imagine you are a delegate at the
• League of Nations. Write a brief
• speech criticising Britains policy on
• the Abyssinian Affair.
• Your speech should be 1-2 pages of
• A4. The deadline is Friday 1st
• September.

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Homework Exercise

• Points to Consider
• The situation an act of aggression by one
  League member to another.
• Britains attitude towards Abyssinia and Italy.
• The failure of economic sanctions.
• The failure to take military action.
• The consequences for Abyssinia and the League of
  Nations.
• Implications for the future e.g. will appeasement
  encourage other aggressors?? Peace in Europe??