Explain why the British government opposed the Italian invasion of Abyssinia?
One reason for why the British government opposed the Italian invasion of Abyssinia was largely a result of British self interest. Britain had become increasingly worried over Mussolini’s ambitions to create an Italian empire, and feared that Abyssinia would become the epicentre for further expansion. Abyssinia shared borders with Uganda and Kenya both of which were British colonies, they felt that if Mussolini’s meet no resistance while attempting to take over Abyssinia, it would give Mussolini the confidence to further expand here and even into the Mare nostrum.
More worrying for Britain was ensuring the protection of its strategic bases in Malta and Gibraltar which gave Britain access to the Suez Canal. Ensuring it protection was of the upmost importance to Britain as 2/3 of Britain oil came from the Suez Canal which also gave them direct access to India, the jewel of the British Empire. For these reasons the British government opposed the Italian invasion of Abyssinia as it acted in their self interest.
Furthermore, perhaps the most important reason for why the British Government opposed the Italian invasion of Abyssinia was in response to the British Public opinion who at the time fully supported the League of Nations and with it the concept of collective Security. This was further proved through the results of the Peace ballot put forward by the League of Nations Union, of the 11,500,000 people that vote in the ballot, 95% supported the League of Nations; this was a key reason for why the British Government opposed the Italian invasion of Abyssinia. As, with a general election in the offing the Government could not afford to ignore the views of the British public.
Moreover, as a member of the League of Nations, and a key council member the British government were inclined to take a moral stance on the Italian invasion which clearly broke the terms set by the Geneva convention. Italy’s invasion of Abyssinia was brutal. Bombs were indiscriminately dropped on the Abyssinians who fought against the Italian air forces, tanks and flame throwers with outdated ww1 riffles, camels and war drums. To add to this in its invasion of Abyssinia many Red Cross hospitals and ambulances were also bombed. These atrocities were seen by the British public in the cinema during new reels which further fuelled public outrage. The British government opposed the Italian invasion of Abyssinia as it ………………………….
Additionally, a final reason for why the British government opposed the Italian invasion of Abyssinia was to support the League of Nations which had become weaker as a result of its lack of reaction towards Manchuria.The British Government wanted to show Europe and in particular Hitler who was become a growing threat after his announcement of rearmament in --- , that the League with the support of Britain would react to an aggressor .
In conclusion, while the British government did oppose the italian invasion in largely in response to British public opinion and British self interest it can be argued that its lack of effective action led to Italian invasion of Abyssinia, being described at the ‘death blow’ to the League of Nations.