imperial-dreams-duce
Benito Mussolini made plans to build a great colonial empire. The Italian dictator made claims to the African possessions of Great Britain and France.
In the last decades of the nineteenth century, most of the attractive lands of Africa already had European rulers. Italians, who joined the group of colonizers only after the unification of the country, became interested in the Horn of Africa, which was not fully penetrated by Europeans. Benito Mussolini resumed colonial expansion in the region in the 30s.
The beginnings of the presence of Italians in the corner of Africa date back to 1869, when a private shipping company purchased from the local ruler the land in the Gulf of Asab on the Red Sea coast to create a port for its steamers there. There was a dispute over this with Egypt, which claimed it had rights to the area. On March 10, 1882, the port of Asab was bought by the Italian government. Three years later, the Italians took advantage of the weakening of Egypt after their defeat in the war with Abyssinia and without a fight took over the Egyptian-controlled Massawa - and then began infiltrating deep into Abyssinia, although it was slowed down by the defeat in the battle with the Abyssinians, fought on January 26, 1887 near the village of Dogali.
Extending control
Italians tried to control the territories of the Indian Ocean. In the years 1888-1889, the Italian protectorate was accepted by the rulers of the Sultanates Hobyo and Majirtin. On the Red Sea, the opportunity for expansion came in 1889, when the war for the throne broke out in the battle with the dervishes at Gallabat in Abyssinia after the death of Emperor John IV Kassa. Then the Italians proclaimed the creation of the Eritrea colony on the Red Sea. At that time, their actions had the support of the British who did not like the expansion of French Somalia (today's Djibouti). The lands on the Red Sea, previously belonging to Abyssinia, were officially ceded to the Kingdom of Italy by the later emperor Menelik II in a treaty signed on May 2, 1889 in Uccialli. The pretender to the Abyssinian throne agreed to give the colonizers the provinces of Akele Guzai, Bogos, Hamasien, Serae and part of Tigray. In return, he was promised Italian financial and military aid. This alliance, however, did not last long, because the Italians intended to control all of Abyssinia, which they proclaimed their protectorate.
In 1891, they occupied the town of Ataleh. The following year, they obtained a 25-year lease of the ports of Brava, Merca and Mogadishu from the Sultan of Zanzibar. In 1908, the Italian parliament passed a law in which all Somali possessions were merged into a single administrative structure - Italian Somaliland, which was formally established as a colony. Until 1920, however, Italians really only controlled the Somali coast.
In reaction to the fact that Italians treated Abyssinia as their protectorate, Menelik II terminated the Ucciala Treaty and at the beginning of 1895 the Italo-Abyssinian war broke out. Initially, the Italians were successful, but on December 7, 1895, the Abyssinians massacred the Italian column of 2350 soldiers at Amba Alagi. They then besieged the garrison in the city of Mekelie in mid-December. The Italians surrendered them on January 22, 1896 in exchange for free departure. The Italian dreams of conquering Abyssinia ended with the compromising defeat of their troops in the battle of Adua on March 1, 1896. From the grouping numbering 17,7 thousand. About 7 of Italians and Eritreans under the command of General Oresto Baratieri, governor of Eritrea, were killed. soldiers. Another 3-4 thousand people, many of them wounded, were taken prisoner. Abyssinians, who had about 4. killed and 8-10 thousand. wounded, captured thousands of rifles and 56 guns. The war ended with the peace treaty signed on October 23, 1896, in which Italy recognized the independence of Abyssinia.
Second war with Abyssinia
The victory ensured the Abyssinians several dozen years of relative peace, as the Italians turned their attention to the Mediterranean basin and the territories of the decaying Ottoman Empire located there. After the victory over the Turks, the Italians gained control of Libya and the Dodecanese islands; nevertheless, the question of the conquest of Ethiopia returned under Benito Mussolini.
In the early 30s, incidents on the borders of Abyssinia with the Italian colonies began to multiply. Italian troops were venturing into one of the two then independent countries in Africa. On December 5, 1934, an Italian-Abyssinian clash took place in the oasis of Ueluel; the crisis began to worsen. To avoid war, British and French politicians tried mediation, but it was to no avail as Mussolini was pushing for war.
On October 3, 1935, the Italians entered Abyssinia. The invaders had a technological advantage over the Abyssinians. Hundreds of aircraft, armored vehicles and guns were dispatched to Somalia and Eritrea before the war began. During the fights, in order to break the opponent's resistance, the Italians carried out massive bombing raids, they also used mustard gas. The decisive for the course of the war was the battle fought on March 31, 1936 at Carrot, in which the best units of Emperor Haile Selasie were defeated. On April 26, 1936, the Italian mechanized column started the so-called The March of Żelazna Wola (Marcia della Ferrea Volontà), aimed at the capital of Abyssinia - Addis Ababa. The Italians entered the city at 4:00 a.m. On May 5, 1936, the Emperor and his family went into exile, but many of his subjects continued the partisan struggle. Italian troops, on the other hand, began to use brutal pacifications to suppress any resistance. Mussolini ordered that all captured guerrillas be killed.
