On this day in 1936, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini gave a speech in Milan celebrating a new treaty of friendship with Germany and a political realignment of Italy. “This Berlin-Rome protocol is not a barrier, it is rather an axis around which all European States animated by a desire for peace may collaborate on troubles,” he said to a crowd of 250,000, flanked by a squad of Nazi officials. A transcription of his speech appeared in The New York Times the following day, along with a front page commentary that highlighted the axis comment.
That particular speech was important not just for introducing the term axis, but because it indicated a profound shift in Italy's alignments in Europe. During World War I, Italy had been part of the Allies—Britain, France and Russia—and fought Austria-Hungary along its border. But in 1935, a decade into Mussolini's stint as dictator, he invaded the east African kingdom of Abyssinia, present day Ethiopia. It was an attempt to show his muscle and turn Italy into an “empire.” The Italians quickly conquered Ethiopia, but the power grab had consequences. The League of Nations, the world body created in the wake of WWI, condemned the invasion and placed economic sanctions on Italy. The British were especially displeased because they considered East Africa their sphere of influence.
