Lion by the Tail

by Thomas M. Coffey

story of the Italian-Ethiopian struggle This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670429651
• ISBN13: 9780670429653
• Release Date: September 1974
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 369 Pages
• Weight: 1.82 lbs.

Customer Reviews

An explanation of the Italian-Ethiopian War of 1935-1936.

A good book explaining events of the Italian-Ethiopian War of 1935-1936. The two main characters are the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie. Mussolini is striving for glory and land to sustain his dictatorship, while Haile Selassie is doing his utmost to prevent war and keep his country intact. The supporting characters are Sir John Simon, Sir Samuel Hoare, Stanley Baldwin, Pierre Laval, Anthony Eden, and Franklin Roosevelt are shown in less than favorable light. Pierre Laval is shown as the grubby little politician he was. Stanley Baldwin and Samaul Hoare are shown as dupes, and Franklin Roosevelt is shown as an idealist with little backbone. Anthony Eden at least tried to prevent the aggression, but realized at the end how little support he had from the other politicians.This is a very informative book, but it goes at length into the diplomacy of the great powers before and during the war. It was very simple to put a stop to this aggression, through military or economic considerations. The British government would not warrant any talk of war and thus condoned the aggression. This book affirms why great powers have to confront dictators, rather than appease them. This is a textbook example of why dictators like Saddam Hussein need to be stopped.