Italy occupied Ethiopia for five years, from 1935 to 1941, following a mass-scale invasion launched by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945). However, Ethiopia had been a long-aimed colonial objective of Italy, which had already tried to invade the country in 1896 but was eventually defeated at the Battle of Adwa. Mussolini was determined to show that fascism could avenge the humiliation of Adwa and realise the dream of a new empire for Rome.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/Italo-Ethiopian_Wars/.