Italy Invades Ethiopia
What Happened
Italy invaded Ethiopia, making it part of Italian East Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana). This was Mussolini's attempt to build a new Roman Empire in Africa. The occupation lasted only five years but introduced complex rules about who could be Italian, including racial laws that created different levels of citizenship rights.
Impact on Citizenship
During Italy's brief control of Ethiopia, special citizenship rules were created. Children born to Italian fathers in Ethiopia between 1936 and 1941 automatically became Italian citizens. Cases where one parent was Italian and one Ethiopian had special rules, but all these colonial provisions ended in 1941 when Italy lost control of Ethiopia.
colonialism