Second Italo-Ethiopian War

1935-10-03 - 1937-02-19

The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also called the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression waged by Italy against Ethiopia from October 1935 to May 1936. Italian forces under Benito Mussolini used mustard gas in violation of the Geneva Protocol and overwhelmed the Ethiopian army. Emperor Haile Selassie was forced into exile, Italian troops entered Addis Ababa on 5 May 1936, and Ethiopia was annexed into Italian East Africa. The invasion discredited the League of Nations and pushed Italy toward rapprochement with Nazi Germany.