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Italy Invades Ethiopia

Definition

This refers to the military invasion of Ethiopia (also known as Abyssinia) by Fascist Italy in 1935. It was a significant event leading up to World War II, demonstrating the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations.

Analogy

Imagine you're playing a game where everyone agrees not to steal each other's pieces. But then one player, Italy, decides to take another player's piece, Ethiopia. The rest of the players (League of Nations) don't do anything about it, showing that their agreement isn't really effective.

Related terms

Fascism: A political ideology that emerged in early 20th-century Europe which seeks to create a centralized autocratic government led by a dictatorial leader and emphasizes aggressive nationalism and often racism.

League of Nations: An international organization established after World War I with the goal of maintaining world peace. Its inability to prevent aggression by Fascist powers is seen as one reason for the outbreak of World War II.

Benito Mussolini: The fascist dictator who ruled Italy from 1922 until his ousting in 1943. He led Italy into three wars, including the invasion on Ethiopia.