Why did Italy under Mussolini invade Ethiopia? Is there are recourse that they could control or was it a strategic position? Or did it just look good on the map and one of the last uncolonized regions of Africa.
Well, Ethiopia did have some strategic value - it sat between Eritrea and Italian Somaliland, connecting the two and allowing the building of a railroad tying Italian East Africa together into one unit. Not saying that's necessarily why they did it, just that Ethiopia did have a degree of strategic value.
Why did Italy under Mussolini invade Ethiopia? Is there are recourse that they could control or was it a strategic position? Or did it just look good on the map and one of the last uncolonized regions of Africa.
Tying one mostly useless prestige colony to another mostly useless prestige colony, potentially at great cost, is not all that strategically valuable.
In the Berlin Conference Italy was supposed to be given Ethiopia, but when the Italian first invaded, the Ethiopians were able to repel them. You can see how that would be an embarrassment, a European power getting beaten back by uncivilized Africans, so Mussolini sought to fix that and make Ethiopia his, and succeeded, for a time.
At least Libya could have potentially been useful, if for nothing else than to relieve population pressure at home.Well that can be applied to all Italian colonies
At least Libya could have potentially been useful, if for nothing else than to relieve population pressure at home.
At least Libya could have potentially been useful, if for nothing else than to relieve population pressure at home.
Where? The only worthwhile parts of Libya are colonized already.
In 1939, Libya was home to over 108,000 Italian colonists. That may not sound like a lot, but I am only arguing against the post that said (admittedly, as a joke) that all Italian colonies were completely useless pretige projects. I think providing homes for over 108,000 Italian settlers was useful from the perspective of Italian imperialists.Libya is almost entirely desert. I think the only industry in that area before the discovery of petroleum and the underground aquifers was some marginal agricultural production and fishing l.
In 1939, Libya was home to over 108,000 Italian colonists. That may not sound like a lot, but I am only arguing against the post that said (admittedly, as a joke) that all Italian colonies were completely useless pretige projects. I think providing homes for over 108,000 Italian settlers was useful from the perspective of Italian imperialists.
I wouldn't be surprised if that many Italians emigrated every year. The presence of 100,000 Italian settlers in Libya is significant because of the effects on Libya itself (which had only 900,000 people in 1939), not for any major change to Italian population patterns.