Handkerchief Speeches Mussolini War Ethiopia 1935

Description

Beautiful SNIAFIOCCO national cotton neckerchief with a dark blue background and ivory writings reproducing three speeches by Mussolini: of 2 October 1935 on the radio announcing the war in Ethiopia, of 5 May 1936 to announce the victory over Ethiopia and that of May 9, 1936 for the proclamation of the Empire.
The handkerchief measures 70 cm. on each side and is in exceptional storage conditions, except for some very small holes visible only against the light. After having consolidated the Italian presence in Libya, expanded the occupation of northern and southern Tripolitania (1923-1925) and successfully repressed the rebellion in Cyrenaica by General Graziani, Fascism had given new impetus to Italian colonial policy. The conquest of Somalia was also completed between 1923 and 1928, hitherto limited to the central part of the country. In 1928 a friendship pact was stipulated with the neighboring Ethiopia and a road agreement but already in 1930 the decision to undertake a military campaign against Ethiopia began to mature. The preparations lasted for years until December 5, 1934 when an accident at the locality of Ual-Ual, along the Somali border, offered the pretext for the start of military operations. The Emperor of Ethiopia Hlailè Selassiè turned to the League of Nations, of which his country had been a member since 1923, asking for its intervention to stop the Italian expansionist aims but France and England, not wanting to antagonize Mussolini, prevented the action Italian was hindered. Thus on 2 October 1935, with his famous speech published the following day by Italian newspapers, Mussolini announced the beginning of a war of territorial conquest that was to avenge the Italian defeat at the end of the century.