Coming attractions: Ethiopia {Gadling}

Dec 11th 2009 3:13AM In the light of your response to Thomas, the same can be said about Ethiopia:

http://africanhistory.about.com/od/eracolonialism/tp/AfricaNotColon.htm

In the 1880s Italy failed to take Abyssinia (as Ethiopia was then known) as a colony. On 3 October 1935 Mussolini ordered a new invasion and on 9 May the following year Abyssinia was annexed by Italy. On 1 June the country was merged with Eritrea and Italian Somalia to form Africa Orientale Italiana (AOI - Italian East Africa).

Emperor Haile Selassie made an impassioned appeal to the League of Nations on 30 June 1936, gaining support from the US and Russia. But many League of Nations members, including Britain and France, recognized Italian colonization.

It was not until 5 May 1941, when Selassie was restored to the Ethiopian throne, that independence was regained.