https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/5de127fc-5c3e-4e02-a668-1bd0bb1f5344 Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g/join Join us on Patreon. Visit https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Visit our website www.PeriscopeFilm.com This episode of the TV series "Men in Crisis" is entitled "Selassie vs. Mussolini" (1964) and was directed by Alan Landsburg. It portrays the historical struggle known as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. In the mid-1930s, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia appealed to the League of Nations for help after Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, driven by imperial ambition, invaded Ethiopia to restore a new Roman Empire. Despite Ethiopia’s limited military and economic development, Selassie hoped for international support, placing faith in diplomacy over war. However, France and other European powers, wary of antagonizing Italy amid the rise of Nazi Germany, failed to act decisively. Mussolini manipulated a border incident to justify invasion in October 1935, unleashing modern warfare, including poison gas, against poorly armed Ethiopian forces. The League imposed weak sanctions too late to stop the invasion. By May 1936, Italian forces occupied Addis Ababa, and Selassie fled into exile. His subsequent plea at the League was mocked, and Italy’s conquest was effectively accepted, signaling the League’s impotence. The invasion strengthened Mussolini’s alliance with Hitler and emboldened future fascist aggression. Though Selassie would eventually return in 1941 with British support, the failure to defend Ethiopia exposed the fragility of collective security and foreshadowed World War II. 0:00 Emperor Haile Selassie’s urgent appeal to the League of Nations in 1936, stressing that the conquest of one nation by force should be a concern for all. By 1:32, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini mobilizes over 250,000 troops to Africa to launch a war of conquest against Ethiopia, driven by dreams of a new Roman Empire. At 2:08, Haile Selassie, a progressive yet traditional ruler of a mostly undeveloped nation, prepares to defend his country, despite Ethiopia’s outdated infrastructure and limited military capability. By 3:27, Mussolini, who rose to power in 1922 after forming the Fascist Party, seeks to avenge Italy’s defeat by Ethiopian forces at the Battle of Adwa in 1896. At 7:02, Mussolini orders his colonial governor to provoke an incident near the border at Walwal, giving him the excuse to begin his invasion. Selassie places his hope in diplomacy, appealing to the League of Nations. At 8:46, French Premier Pierre Laval, more concerned with securing Mussolini as an ally against Hitler, gives Italy implicit approval to act in East Africa. The League takes no action (10:03), forcing Selassie to issue a general mobilization on September 29, 1935 (10:57). By 11:56, Italy invades Ethiopia, using modern weapons and Moroccan mercenaries. The contrast in firepower is stark: machine guns against spears (12:16). Italy captures Adwa. (13:05) The League of Nations imposes weak economic sanctions. Mussolini uses them to rally national unity. Italian women donate wedding rings for the war effort (14:42).New horrors including aerial bombing and poison gas (15:45). By April 1936 (16:35), Italians reach the outskirts of Addis Ababa and Selassie is forced into exile (17:49). On May 5 (18:42), Italian troops march triumphantly through Addis Ababa. At 19:15, Mussolini celebrates like a Roman Caesar, proclaiming Italy’s empire reborn (20:01). Selassie travels to Geneva to address the League of Nations one last time. The League lifts sanctions against Italy within a month (21:24). This victory isolates Mussolini diplomatically but wins him an ally in Adolf Hitler (22:08). Selassie takes refuge in England (22:39). His warning—that appeasing aggressors invites greater global conflict—goes unheard (23:20). Post-victory, Mussolini militarizes Italy further (23:22), but his people remain ill-suited for sustained warfare. The conquest of Ethiopia becomes his only major military success (24:21). In 1941, British forces liberate Ethiopia, and Selassie returns to his throne (24:42), beginning the longest reign of any 20th-century monarch. Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we've worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. 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