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Second Italo-Ethiopian War

Italian invasion of Ethiopia and League of Nations crisis before World War II.

Timeline
1935-1936
Duration
2 years
Region
Horn of Africa
Record
Static archive

Historical overview

Overview adapted from a Wikipedia summary and stored locally on May 11, 2026.

The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Italy against Ethiopia, which lasted from October 1935 to May 1936. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Italian Invasion, and in Italy as the Ethiopian War. The war is regarded as the largest colonial campaign in history. Despite stiff resistance, the Ethiopian forces were overwhelmed by the technological superiority of the Italians, and the conflict ended with the fall of Addis Ababa and the formal annexation of Ethiopia into the Italian Empire.

Theater countries

EthiopiaEritreaSomalia

Actors

ItalyEthiopia

Tags

colonial-warfascist-italyethiopia

Border context

1919-1938historical border era

Interwar settlement

New states and mandates appear after World War I while revisionist border claims grow across Europe and Asia.

Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Baltic states become central to Europe's new map. Mandate borders reshape the Middle East.

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