The Soviet and American Initiatives, 1945

Abstract

The question of the Italian colonies arose as a result of Fascist Italy's declaration of war against Britain and France in June 1940 and its subsequent attacks on the British position in Egypt, the Sudan, Somaliland and Kenya. In a series of hard‐fought campaigns between 1940 and 1943, British, Imperial, Commonwealth and Allied forces conquered Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Libya. After honouring its pledge to restore Ethiopia's independence, Britain put the remaining territories under its military administration in accordance with the Hague Convention of 1907 on the laws of war (with the exception of the Fezzan in southwestern Libya, which was conquered and administered by the Fighting French). The British and the Fighting French were required to administer these territories on ‘a care and maintenance’ basis until their fate was decided in the postwar peace settlement.