History of Wars Summary 7 - Second Italo-Ethiopian War 1: Italy's Invasion and the League of Nations' Response

In October 1935, when the Italian army invaded Ethiopia, forces led by Emilio De Bono advanced south from Eritrea in the north, while Rodolfo Graziani pushed forward from Somaliland in the south. Italy deployed modern weaponry on a large scale, including tanks, aircraft, and heavy artillery, to pressure the Ethiopian army's defensive lines. Although the Ethiopian army was substantial in terms of troop numbers, they lacked sufficient weapons, ammunition, and communication equipment, and their command structure was not fully unified. The League of Nations designated Italy's invasion as an act of aggression and decided on economic sanctions, but these had limitations in effectiveness, such as excluding oil from the sanctions list. Britain and France, also concerned about worsening relations with Italy, did not take strong military action. As the war progressed, Italy expanded its attacks simultaneously from the north and south, and the Ethiopian army gradually faced difficulties in defense. The larger the scale of the war became, the more pronounced the difference in military power between the two nations became.