Italian colonialism

Italian colonialism was Italy’s imperial expansion and rule overseas, chiefly in Africa. It included the invasion and occupation of Ethiopia from 1935 to 1941.

Italian Eritrea: An Italian colony on the Red Sea, established in 1890 and incorporated into Italian East Africa in 1936. Eritrea was Italy’s first African colony and a base for later expansion.
Fascist Italy: The authoritarian Italian state led by Benito Mussolini from 1922 to 1943. Fascist rule intensified imperial ambitions and made conquest a regime project.
Italian unification: The political process that united most of the Italian peninsula as the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. The new kingdom pursued overseas status as a measure of national power.
Benito Mussolini: The leader of Fascist Italy and prime minister from 1922 until 1943. Mussolini ordered the invasion of Ethiopia and promoted a new empire.
Italian Empire: The collection of territories ruled by Italy overseas, especially from the late nineteenth century to 1947. The African colonies formed the empire’s largest and most consequential possessions.
Italian Somaliland: A territory in the Horn of Africa ruled by Italy as a colony and, from 1936, as part of Italian East Africa. Its shifting borders show how Italian rule changed across the region.
Italian invasion of Ethiopia: Italy’s military campaign against Ethiopia beginning in October 1935 and culminating in the occupation of Addis Ababa in May 1936. The invasion used overwhelming force to establish the occupation.
Scramble for Africa: The late nineteenth-century European partition and conquest of African territories. European competition framed Italy’s efforts to acquire African colonies.
Rodolfo Graziani: An Italian general who led campaigns in Libya and Ethiopia and served as viceroy of Italian East Africa. His command was associated with brutal repression and chemical warfare.
Italian campaign in East Africa: The East African campaign of the Second World War, in which British-led forces defeated Italy’s East African forces in 1940–1941. Its outcome ended Italy’s occupation of Ethiopia and control of its East African empire.

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