Conflict and Tension 1918-1939Deep Dive
Why Did Sanctions Fail?
Part of Abyssinia Crisis — GCSE History
This deep dive covers Why Did Sanctions Fail? within Abyssinia Crisis for GCSE History. Revise Abyssinia Crisis in Conflict and Tension 1918-1939 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 3 of 15 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 3 of 15
Practice
8 questions
Recall
5 flashcards
🧠 Why Did Sanctions Fail?
No oil ban — Italy's entire military campaign depended on oil and fuel. The League imposed sanctions on some goods but specifically excluded oil — the most critical commodity. Britain and France feared that a full oil embargo would provoke Mussolini into war. Mussolini himself later said that if oil had been included in the sanctions, he would have had to withdraw from Abyssinia within a week.
The Suez Canal stayed open — The Suez Canal, controlled by Britain, was the direct route from Italy to Abyssinia. Closing it to Italian supply ships would have strangled the invasion. Britain refused to close the canal, fearing this would constitute an act of war against Italy.
USA not in League — American companies continued trading with Italy throughout the crisis, undermining the sanctions. Without the world's largest economy participating, the League's economic pressure was always partial and leaky.
Fear of Germany overrode everything — Britain and France's central strategic concern in 1935 was preventing Italy from allying with Germany. They wanted Mussolini as a counterweight to Hitler. This fear explains every decision they made: the weak sanctions, the Suez Canal left open, the Hoare-Laval Pact. Collective security was sacrificed for what they believed was a greater strategic interest — and it failed anyway.
Result: sanctions were too little, too late, and too incomplete — Italy conquered Abyssinia anyway. The League's sanctions were lifted in July 1936 — confirming complete failure. Mussolini got everything he wanted, paid no price, and concluded that Britain and France were too weak to stop any determined aggressor.