Italy's Ethiopian empire proclamation 90 years on: the legacy of 9 May 1936

After Addis Ababa fell on 5 May 1936, Mussolini announced from the balcony of Palazzo Venezia in Rome that Vittorio Emanuele III would carry the title 'Emperor of Ethiopia'. The Fascist regime had already drawn League of Nations censure for its use of chemical weapons and civilian abuses, but real sanctions remained weak.

Italian historian Lucia Ceci, recalling that the invasion caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, warned at a closing conference in Rome against 'collective amnesia'. Personal items such as deer-skin masks and notebooks remain among the family heirlooms of many Italians.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said on social media: 'We want to confront the dark chapters of our history.' In early May, the Ethiopian government and Italy's tourism ministry signed a memorandum on 'historical wound research'. Rome's MAXXI museum is showing restoration-applied digital archives until 5 June.