The beginning of World War II or an armed conflict?
I will not reveal the secrets that the official beginning of the Second World War was September 1, 1939. Not all historians agree with this. When is the war officially started then? By whom and by what principles was it announced? September 1, 1939 is considered by many Eurocentric historians as the war’s beginning. And our Russian historians agreed with this proposal in the 50th, despite the fact that perhaps it was not in our interests.
However, fascists Italy began rehearsing the world massacre in Africa much earlier. Colonial ambitions in relation to Ethiopia did not leave Italy since the end of the 19th century when Italian troops suffered a shameful defeat. From that time, even after several decades Italy did not abandon the idea of expanding its colonial possessions in Africa at the expense of the only non-colonized country.
Was it diplomatic miscalculation or a well-planned action?
We will try to briefly and simply say about this complex and lengthy process. For several years, Mussolini was preparing for the war with Ethiopia. He ran an information campaign against Ethiopia, accusing the negus (emperor) Haile Selassie I of the slave trade and suggested that the international community hands over the power to Italy to “restore order in Abyssinia.”
He was literally agreeing with Great Britain if it will be against his invasion of Ethiopia. None of the countries of the future anti-fascist coalition said a word against the invasion.
In turn, Haile Selassie, realising the inevitability of a war with Italy, tried to negotiate with the future aggressor. A couple of months prior to the start of the war, he turned to the League of Nations (where both, Ethiopia and Italy were members) asking to take international measures to prevent the war. Let’s just say that the leading member countries of the League of Nations gave up Ethiopia to be torn to pieces by Italy. Not only did they not sanction the aggressor, but they also did not give Ethiopia the opportunity to improve its military armaments.
Have England and France then understood that they, through their own actions, destroyed the principles of collective security? If they would have had acted differently, perhaps they could have avoided the Second World War.
Italian-Ethiopian War
I don’t know what the Italians think in this respect, but modern Ethiopians whom I know personally consider this war a frank genocide of the Ethiopian people, for which no one has yet been accounted responsible. During the war, not to mention the advantage of the Italian side in the technical means and armaments, they gladly used mustard gas. This is the chemical weapon that was used during the First World War and was then banned by the Geneva Convention for use during military operations. You will not believe it, but war has also its own rules. And for their violations, the perpetrators must be punished. Tens of thousands of Ethiopian civilians died from gas attacks.
For those Ethiopians who know history, it was especially shocking that the brotherly Christian people (even if they were Catholic) received a blessing from the Pope for this holy war against the Orthodox Christian people. When the message of the victory of Italians reached Italy, jubilant, triumphant citizens gathered on the streets of large cities celebrating the fall of Addis Abeba.
The war began in 1935, and a year later Italy announced the creation of Italian East Africa. Interestingly, the Negus Haile Selassie received asylum in Great Britain, with whose tacit consent the Italian aggression took place in the first place and who also recognised the annexation of Ethiopia by Italy in 1938.
Yes, Addis Ababa fell, Ethiopia was defeated against a well-trained and well-armed adversary. Its commander in chief left the country, but this did not mean that the Ethiopian state ceased to exist and the war ended. The interim government brought the war into an underground phase. Indeed, the partisan movement successfully resisted the invaders until May 5, 1941, when the offensive of the British-Ethiopian forces forced Italians to leave the country. Let’s not flatter ourselves at the expense of the British; it is not because of humanitarian reasons why they did this. This happened immediately as soon as Mussolini officially became Hitler’s ally, only then Great Britain represented by Winston Churchill declared the capture of Ethiopia illegal and declared itself an ally in 1940.
Support by the Soviet Union
Only the USSR morally and psych ologically supported Ethiopia. So, the representatives of the Ethiopian government started seeking the Soviet support in practical way along with the possibility to re-establish the diplomatic relations. The Soviet Union was the only country who expressed fiercely disagreement with the European leaders at the meeting of League of the Nations in September 1935. The same September the delegate from the Emperor Haile Selassie, Martin Worknech, visited the representative bureau of the Soviet Union in London. He transmitted the gratitude of the Ethiopian government for the support by Soviets at the League of the Nations.
The European leaders didn’t want the rapprochement between two countries. Despite this fact in March 1936 David Halla, the personal representative of the Ethiopian Emperor came to Moscow for negotiations. At that time he was the chief of Bureau on Army supply.
The negotiations demonstrated the good intentions from both sides to re-establish the diplomatic links. But unfortunately, in a couple of months the Italian troops took over Addis-Ababa and this discussion was postponed for an uncertain time.
In the Soviet Union people deeply sympathized the Ethiopian folk who suffered from the Italian aggression. The topic of war was widely covered in the newspapers and journals. Two cameramen spent few months in Ethiopia to film the Italian crimes against humanity. The collected financial aid was sent to Ethiopia via the International Red Cross.
The pro-Ethiopian position of the Soviet Union was the serious moral political support for Ethiopia. This fact was reflected in “Ethiopia Herald” in 1944.
Conclusion
Thus, on May 5, Ethiopia celebrates Victory Day over fascism. As a result of the Italian occupation, approximately 800,000 Ethiopians died. A huge amount of toxic substances was brought into the country. In 2001, Ethiopia requested Italy for the whereabouts of these substances, but received no response.
Will history teach the world’s powerful states to act wise and transparent? I doubt it. And what about you?
Each of us had its own Patriotic War. The Russian people send the congratulations to the Ethiopian brothers with the Day of Patriots and let’s never forget our common enemy- fascism.
The Ethiopian Herald May 21/2020
BY TATYANA JOLIVET
