Mussolini and Etiophia

[SergeNubret]

Why did Mussolini send Italian soldiers into Etiophia? Why exactly that country?
What did Italy make by this? Was Etiophian people slaves? did they get better wages than before?
Why did Mussolini want Etiophia a part of the Italian kingdom?

[Bronco]

Italy had always been interested in Ethiopa (what was then Abyssinia), I don't know a huge amount on Mussolini's invasion but 40 years earlier the Italian Prime Minister, Francesco Crispi, had attempted to colonise the country as well. Italy was still a relatively new nation then and they were starting to look to assert themselves internationally and compete with the other European powers in the 'scramble for Africa', especially while Crispi was in power (he was a source of inspiration for nationalists and imperialists), plus Imperialism provided a distraction for Italy's economic problems and it could provide a solution to their overpopulation. When Menelik II came to power in Ethiopa they signed a treaty with him which they thought guaranteed them a protectorate over the nation, but Menelik claimed there'd been a mistranslation in the treaty and Italy held no such right. Italy thus launched a military campaign in Ethiopia which ended up in their defeat, it was the first time a European power had ever been defeated by an African army and Crispi ended up resigning in disgrace.

So that's part of the reason Ethiopa held a lot of significance for Mussolini, he'd have still been very aware of the humiliation Italy had suffered a few decades earlier, and a lot of Italian Nationalists traced their roots back to that defeat, it became a convenient symbol of their 'awakening'. Plus it was one of only two African states (the other being Liberia) who were independent, not under the control of a European power, so was a logical target if they were looking to expand their empire

[Blake's Baby]

In the late 19th-early 20th centuries there were only 2 countries in Africa that were not part of a colonial empire - Abyssinia and Liberia.

Abyssinia was close to Italian possessions in Eritrea and Somalia; 'joining them up' made a certain amount of sense, especially if then Sudan could be brought into the Italian empire to link East Africa with Libya.

Liberia, on the other hand, was essentially a US protectorate. Italy probably didn't want to mess with the US.

[erupt]

In the late 19th-early 20th centuries there were only 2 countries in Africa that were not part of a colonial empire - Abyssinia and Liberia.

Abyssinia was close to Italian possessions in Eritrea and Somalia; 'joining them up' made a certain amount of sense, especially if then Sudan could be brought into the Italian empire to link East Africa with Libya.

Liberia, on the other hand, was essentially a US protectorate. Italy probably didn't want to mess with the US.

Just send ten U.S. dollars to a Liberian prince; I heard you'll make quite a profit.:laugh:

All sarcasm aside, historically, did the British or the French have more of a sphere of influence in and around Liberia? I'm just thinking of the Gold Coast, the Slave Coast, the Ivory Coast.

In other words, can someone give me a brief colonial/neo-colonial history of West African nations along the Atlantic; more or less, which imperialist powers stuck their non-calloused hands into which regions. For example, France held sphere of influence in the Ivory Coast, a.k.a. Côte d'Ivoire.

The struggles that happened and are happening in places like Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Benin, Ghana, etc., at least it seems to me, are somewhat neglected in the global socialist movement. However, I do know left-wing leaders did obtain power occasionally, like Sankara in Burkina Faso.

[Blake's Baby]

Primarily France in West Africa. Also the British in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Ghana.

[DROSL]

He basically wanted revenge, because they were the first europeans to be defeated by african forces.

[Rusty Shackleford]

J

The struggles that happened and are happening in places like Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Benin, Ghana, etc., at least it seems to me, are somewhat neglected in the global socialist movement. However, I do know left-wing leaders did obtain power occasionally, like Sankara in Burkina Faso.


I will admit right now that the only names i knew of were Amilcar Cabral and Kwame Nkrumah. I believe Ghana was one of the first African republics to actually gain independence. A lot of socialism in Africa was along the lines of Arab (Ba'ath) Socialism or like Nasser and Qaddafi's Socialism. It ws a from of non-alignment socialism that represented a left-nationalist character which placed the bourgeoisie at the head, usually in response to colonialism. It is not like Socialsim in Vietnam or Cuba which were also anti-colonial (vietnam more so). Anyways some quick wiki searches and here ya go:

Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah)

Guinea-Bissau Amilcar Cabral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%ADlcar_Cabral) PAIGC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partido_Africano_da_Independ%C3%AAncia_da_Guin%C3% A9_e_Cabo_Verde) And for a majority of the Portugese territories (like Angola): Carnation Revolution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnation_Revolution)

Benin Mathieu Kerekou (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathieu_K%C3%A9r%C3%A9kou)
Republic of Dahomey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Dahomey)

Togo Party of Togolese Unity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_of_Togolese_Unity) and Sylvanus Olympio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvanus_Olympio)

[erupt]

It ws a from of non-alignment
socialism that represented a left-nationalist character which pl


aced the bourgeoisie at the head, usually in response to colonialism.

Yeah, i think leftist leaning national liberation movements would've been more concise, but you got my point, and thank you, DROSL, and Blake's Baby for getting back to my question.

I know it's off-topic, but it's interesting to me how much colonial powers directly affected/are affecting global demographics. For example, slaves from Portuguese Africa would obviously be "exported" to Portuguese colonies, like Brazil I know it's obvious, but therefore, Brazil has African culture, and rather than speaking Spanish like the rest of South America, they have Portuguese as their official language.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah)



The episode of Adam Curtis' series "Pandora's Box" about the events in Ghana and how the country was abused by proxy after gaining nominal independence was quite interesting.

[Rusty Shackleford]

The episode of Adam Curtis' series "Pandora's Box" about the events in Ghana and how the country was abused by proxy after gaining nominal independence was quite interesting.

any text on this? im quite interested.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

any text on this? im quite interested.

You can probably find the episode rather easily. It's name is "Black Power". To cut a long story short, it involves promises of assistance and loans to get a foot in the door with the forward looking new government, and once they are in, these repugnant new masters to replace the old, they have all the foothold they need to push through whatever they want. Very tragic a story.