Why did Mussolini invade Ethiopia in 1935?

Benito Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1935 for several strategic and political reasons:

• Imperial Ambition: Mussolini sought to build a "new Roman Empire" to free Italy from the "prison of the Mediterranean" and establish Italy as a major global power.1
• National Prestige: Italy had suffered a humiliating defeat in an attempt to conquer Ethiopia in 1896. Mussolini intended to erase this national disgrace through a successful conquest.21
• Domestic Consolidation: He believed that the experience of war was necessary to fully undermine the influence of the monarchy and the church, thereby consummating the Fascist revolution at home.1
• Economic and Demographic Goals: Mussolini viewed Ethiopia as a source of raw materials and a destination for Italy’s excess rural population, which could be settled on the country's fertile uplands.1
• Strategic Opportunity: Ethiopia was a landlocked, semifeudal kingdom that appeared to be an easy target. Mussolini believed that because Emperor Haile Selassie had only recently begun a modernization program, Italy should strike before the nation became more difficult to defeat.1