Egypt
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Khedivate of Egypt was informally controlled by the Ottoman Empire. However, British forces held some control of the area unofficially until the Denshawai Incident in 1905, which brought forth increased British interest and control of the area (Mak). In the beginning of World War I, Great Britain formally annexed Egypt as a protectorate and established Hussein Kamel as the Sultan of Egypt, overthrowing his cousin Khedive Abbas Hilmi II (Mak). In the spring of 1919, riots broke out as Egyptian women protested the treatment of the natives by the British during the war. This was due to an increased presence of British troops in Egypt, conscription of over a million native Egyptians into the British military and the takeover of crops and animals for military use during the war (Vatikiotis). After several years of political and social unrest, Egypt became an independent state in 1922. However, Great Britain continued to control the Suez Canal and offered external military support of Egypt and Sudan during this time. |
Ethiopia
Ethiopia was one of the few countries free of European occupation for most of the early part of the century. Emperor Menelik II fought and held off Italian colonization in the late 1800s ("New"). Ethiopia prospered under Haile Selassie, who's rule as emperor began in 1930. Prior to this, he served as regent to Ethiopia and help secure Ethiopia into the League of Nations in 1923. However, in 1936, Italy began attacking Ethiopia through their colonies of Somalia and Eritrea. The Italians used mustard gas, bombed hospitals and executed prisoners without a trial (Pankhurst). However, Italian rule is short lived. In 1941, Haile Selassie led troops from France and Great Britain against Italy in Ethiopia. Exactly five years after the takeover, Selassie returned as emperor of his nation (Pankhurst). |