“Spring Serenade” (May 11, 1935)
by Bert Thomas (1883-1966)
11 x 14 in., ink on heavy paper

Bert Thomas (1883-1966) was a wonderful British cartoonist and longtime contributor to Punch magazine (1905-1935). Thomas gained his initial popularity during WWI, with a well-known cartoon that raised 250,000 pounds sterling in aid for British soldiers.

Mussolini, the father of fascism, partnered with Hitler in 1936. Before then, Mussolini was acting on his own. In 1930, the Italians began to fortify lands that were claimed by Ethiopia. The two countries had battled 30 years earlier and were at an unsteady truce. Fighting broke out in December 1935.

Mussolini ordering bombing, the use of chemical weapons such as mustard gas, and the poisoning of water supplies, against targets that included undefended villages and medical facilities.

Between January and May, Ethiopia appealed for arbitration at least 4-5 times from the League of Nations, which had been set up after WW1 to prevent a repeat, but its ability to function was limited, particularly with the absence of the isolationist USA.

The modern Italian Army defeated the poorly armed Ethiopians and captured Addis Ababa in May 1936, forcing Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie to flee.