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How did Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia affect its relationship with Britain and France?

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Map showing the British and Axis military campaigns in North Africa during World War II, with labeled troop movements, key battles, and shifting front lines from Egypt across Libya to Tunisia along the Mediterranean coast. The map includes arrows and dates marking advances and retreats by both sides, and highlights major turning points and defensive lines. — North Africa campaigns Military drives, defensive lines, and key battles during the North Africa campaigns of World War II, 1940–43.

Italy’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia fundamentally damaged its relationship with Britain and France, effectively destroying the Stresa Front—an alliance formed earlier that year to oppose German expansion.12

The conflict placed Britain and France in a difficult position: they sought to uphold the League of Nations and condemn aggression, yet they feared that alienating Italy would drive Mussolini toward an alliance with Nazi Germany. While the League imposed economic sanctions on Italy, Britain and France attempted to preserve their relationship with Mussolini through the secret Hoare-Laval Pact, which proposed ceding most of Ethiopia to Italy in exchange for a truce.2134

When the plan was leaked, public outrage forced the resignation of British foreign secretary Sir Samuel Hoare, and the effort to maintain the Stresa Front failed. Ultimately, the invasion isolated Italy diplomatically, leading Mussolini to abandon the democratic West and align with Hitler in the Rome-Berlin Axis.24516