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NO.389-Italian defeated Ethiopia
Author: Sanmu
Chart: Sun Lu/Proofreader: Maostu/Editor: Baiou
Ethiopia This country seems to be always linked to poverty and hunger: A great famine in 1984 made the "Ethiopian hungry people" deeply impressed the hearts of the people (MJ's classic "we are the World is to raise funds for disaster relief, and Ethiopia seems to have become a typical representative of Africa, a dark continent.
Once the tragic situation
However, in fact, Ethiopia can almost be said to be the most special existence in Africa. Although she is indeed as poor as other African brothers, unlike other countries drawn from the map by the great powers, the Ethiopians have a strong sense of national pride and national identity, which belongs to the same category throughout Africa.
They once established the Aksum empire, known as the Rome , Persian and the Great Han Dynasty. The ancient and unique culture lasted for 2,000 years. Most importantly, they are the only Africans in modern African history to repel Western colonists twice.
Among the many ancient African civilizations
Aksum is definitely the best among them
Today, our bureau will tell you about this glorious deeds of the ancient African country Ethiopia resisting colonists.
pack of wolves gathered Horn of Africa
During the colonial period of Africa by the great powers, there were only Liberia and Ethiopia in all Africa, and only two places in Africa, Liberia and Ethiopia maintained valuable independence.
African people are at the most dangerous time
Ethiopia makes the last roar
In which, Liberia, as a settlement established by the United States for liberating blacks, is actually still a country established by outsiders: the government was long dominated by African Americans, and it was not until 1980 that the first indigenous president appeared. It can be said that Liberia has maintained independence in the period when the great powers divide Africa because of its close relations with the United States.
The first indigenous president came to power through a coup
The end was overthrown by a coup of his former allies and died tragically
But Ethiopia defended its sovereignty with its own force and became the only truly independent local regime on the African continent at that time.
The unfortunate history of Ethiopia, or the heroic history of national resistance, also originated from the battle for hegemony between the two great empires of Britain and France in Africa.
At that time, France organized a " Connection " plan, which was to connect its African colonies from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. A particularly important geopolitical layout in this plan was that France's foothold in East Africa - Djibouti, which was under its jurisdiction in 1894.
France has a Lianheng, and Britain has a Lianheng
France's activities on the shore of the Red Sea are simply a slight move next to the lifeline of the British Empire. The gentlemen in London will have to tighten their chrysanthemums whenever they move around the Suez Canal.
Because this route leads to
The most important colony of Britain - India
So every node in it is related to the core interests of British gentlemen
Just when the British were worried about this, Kaizi, who could be a "strategic partner", came: Italy, which had just been unified, thought it was about to open a new Roman Empire, and the place where the empire was found was the Horn of Africa where there was still a colonial "vacuum".
Old Roman Empire
New Roman Empire
"Really ambitious"
Starting from the end of the 19th century, the influence of Italians in the Somali area is increasing. For the world's top offshore balancer player in the UK, this is undoubtedly a godsend opportunity. In order to check and balance France, the UK adopted an appeasement policy for Italian activities.
With a "loose" international environment, Italy has begun to gain a lot of effort.In the last twenty years of the nineteenth century, Italy took the Assab, a port that was originally leased, as its base, and gradually eroded the Ottoman Empire's local colonies and part of Ethiopian territory. The general borders of modern Eritrea were formed.
Italy expanded to Gulf of Aden and Eritrea
1889, after a series of conflicts with Ethiopia ended, Italy and Ethiopian emperor Menelik II (Menelik II) signed a so-called "Party of Permanent Friendship and Peace".
In the Italian version of the document, it says that Ethiopia voluntarily becomes Italy's protector, but the Amharic version seems to be another treaty: it says that when Ethiopia is interacting with foreign countries, it can voluntarily choose whether to be an intermediary through Italy.
Article 17 of the treaty
2
The seeds of contradiction come from this: Ethiopia is regarded as a protectorate by the rogue Italy, but it is kept in the dark.
The ambition of the son of Solomon
But this Menelic II is not an ordinary chief who is easy to fool. He is a rare hero in Africa. Before proclaiming himself emperor, Ethiopia was in a state of separation of "Three Kingdoms". As the leader of the southern Shewa region, Menelic II used the opportunity of Egyptian troops to invade the north to weaken the opponent and eventually unify the country.
His emperor compares himself with the legendary founder of the Aksum Kingdom, the ancestor of the Solomon dynasty that lasted for more than 800 years in Ethiopia, the king of Judah, Solomon, and the illegitimate son of the Queen Sheba, Menelic.
inspected the Ethiopian Railway's Menelik II
At that time, the Shaoa area, the hometown of Menelik II, that is, the area around the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa , which is still the southern border of the Ethiopian Empire. This is also the traditional sphere of influence in Ethiopia's history.
Just as Britain and Italy were in full swing to penetrate from the coastline step by step, the Menelik II expanded to three directions with the newly established capital Addis Ababa - a city named "New Flowers" - as the center, and conquered regional centers such as Jima, Haral , and Goba. In more than ten years, it had doubled its land for his empire.
uses Shaoa as the base
to accumulate its core strength as soon as possible
prepare for the upcoming foreign war
, of course, it is impossible for a talented and powerful lord such as
, to be confused by the tricks of language for a long time. More importantly, he has the determination and ability to compete for the interests of his empire.
1893, Menelic II, who understood, told the Italian government that he would regard the Treaty of Permanent Peace and Friendship as a piece of waste paper from the next year.
At first Italy planned to bribe the emperor with a large amount of arms in exchange for his continued recognition of the treaty, but was rejected. Italy instead began to instigate some local nobles to rebel, but it also had little effect. The furious Italians forgot to conquer Ethiopia with their best pizza and pasta, and blatantly chose the most invading force that they were the least good at.
The gentleman does not act
1894 At the end of 1894, the Italian commander Baratieri took advantage of the opportunity to suppress the Eritrea resistance forces and successfully sent troops to occupy the capital of Tigray Province in northern Ethiopia Adwa (Adwa).
Considering the current situation at that time, Menelik II originally planned to avoid war with the Europeans as much as possible. But no one is willing to mediate, and war seems inevitable. The Ethiopians who woke up from their dreams finally understood that this time they really could only rely on themselves.
Aduwa in northern Ethiopia
In contrast, the Italian army's international appeasement policy, deep-rooted racial discrimination and the first victory made them greatly underestimate the difficulties of the war since then.
At this time, Ethiopia was no longer a group of scattered sands that were governing when the great powers first arrived in the Horn of Africa, but gathered under the command of His Majesty the Emperor and united unprecedentedly in the face of a common invader.Menelix II, who led his army to fight,
In the past few years, Menelix II cleverly dealt with the colonial powers and obtained many new weapons and cultivated a group of modern armies. At the same time, out of hostility towards Western Catholicism and Protestant powers, Tsarist Russia also provided certain material assistance to Ethiopia, which is also an Eastern Orthodox country.
.2 million Ethiopian troops are ready to go (of course, most of the new recruits are still cold weapons), to fight against the Italians who are fighting away.
Battle of Adula
1895 The Italian army further penetrated into Ethiopia. On December 7, the Italian army and the Ethiopian army held their first head-on confrontation in Amba Alagi.
This place
Italian army has a huge disadvantage in terms of numbers, outnumbered and fled Meqele, and was surrounded by Ras Makonnen, the father of the later "Jewish Lion" Haier Selasi .
Then the army led by Menelix II also joined the encirclement. The besieged Italian troops surrendered after they persisted for less than a month. Menelic II allowed the Italian army to evacuate with weapons and supplies for reasons not to expand the war.
Aduwa and Amba Alaji Mountains
Dream leaders who dream of building the "New Roman Empire" cannot accept such shame and allocate 20 million lira to end this bad disaster. In early 1896, the Italian army deployed four brigades, a total of 17,978 people and 56 artillery pieces, and prepared to launch the general attack on Aduwa on March 1. A brigade commander of the Italian army said before the attack: "Italy would rather sacrifice two or three thousand people than accept a shameful retreat."
Arduwa battlefield map drawn by Italy at that time
That night, the Italian army set out in three directions, but was confused by the outdated maps and complex terrain. The formation was disrupted and they lost contact with each other. The Ethiopian army learned the news in advance and deployed its troops on favorable high ground. A partial division of the Italian army was wiped out by the Ethiopians. The brigade commander who was so bold just now was ambushed and killed while rushing to rescue.
After that, the Ethiopian army made a concerted effort and continued to defeat the invaders at a very small price. By noon, the Italian army had already lost its power and fled one after another. The battle ended with Ethiopia's complete victory.
The Italian army in deep trouble in the Battle of Aduva
This famous Battle of Aduva has become an eternal glorious memory in Ethiopia and even the entire Africa. In the battle, the Italian army suffered nearly 10,000 casualties and were captured 3,000. The war-loss ratio successfully broke the record of European wars in the 19th century, and even Napoleon in Waterloo was inferior to that. It was not until during World War II that the furious Italian army used mustard gas to avenge a single arrow, causing a large number of civilian casualties in Ethiopia.
Fight One Italy is an anti-colonial
World Two Italy is an anti-fascist
Fight One Italy also broke out in Italy, questioning the significance of the colonial war and demanding the withdrawal of troops from the Horn of Africa. German Prime Minister Bismarck even verbally repaired Italy, saying that they "come to Africa with a great appetite, but with a mouth full of cavities."
Menelic II ushered in the most glorious moment in his life. The local nobles who once hummed and poached were now obliged to accept Menelek II. The scattered ethnic groups have also united in the name of "Ethiopians".
The unequal treaty between the countries and Italy was abolished, and its sovereignty and independence and the territory expanded before the war were also recognized by Western powers, including Italy, and the territory of modern Ethiopia was born. Ethiopia has thus become one of the few quasi-modern countries on the African continent whose national identity is stronger than tribal identity.
Ethiopia has seized the historical opportunity
A independent Ethiopia has become the spiritual sustenance of the people of all Africa. During the African independence movement in the 1960s, many emerging African countries chose the red, yellow and green colors of the Ethiopian flag as the colors of their own flags to pay tribute to her spirit of independence.
The national flag of Ethiopia is more special
The flag of the Solomon dynasty in Ethiopia has thus become a color that symbolizes Africa.
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