I'm not sure how the Italians pull it off, but they do and manage to bring Ethiopia into the Italian Empire. What are the economic and social effects in Italy?
This new Italy may well stay neutral during World War 2. Up at first it was just Germany against France and Britain. This is of course assuming the Nazi's even rise to power without Mussolini's example ten years earlier.
Italy with a Greater East Africa, and it's Adriatic colonies it saught in WW1 really has no reason to start another fight. Unless of course Hitler decides to pick a fight with them.
Part of the Italian Migration would be diverted to Africa. Leading to a solidly Italian Ethiopia.
Part of the Italian Migration would be diverted to Africa. Leading to a solidly Italian Ethiopia.
Why would it be any more successful at attracting immigrants than German East Africa, Kenya, or Rhodesia?
Because this is in the middle of the Italian Migration.Why would it be any more successful at attracting immigrants than German East Africa, Kenya, or Rhodesia?
While most will still go to the US or Argentinian, even a small %age of this stream would be enuff to change Italian East Africa.In the 1880s, they numbered 300,000; in the 1890s, 600,000; in the decade after that, more than two million. By 1920, when immigration began to taper off, more than 4 million Italians had come to the United States, and represented more than 10 percent of the nation’s foreign-born population.
The Ethiopian highlands are certainly no prime agricultural lands: if one wants a settler colony in th centre of Africa, better to make an agreement with the British for a joint development of Rhodesia (remembering that it must be infrastructured, and the produce must be transported to the market)
I'm confused. Aren't the Ethiopian Highlands precisely the best spot in Sub-Saharan Africa to grow wheat and other cereals? It also has more rivers and a colder climate than other areas in Eastern Africa, so it's probably more attractive to Europeans - at least quite more than... Lybia. Throw in an organized colonization program, a decent water supply infrastructure, and a plan to whipe out malaria and other diseases, and after some decades it might be maintaining a human population bigger than that of OTL Ethiopia today (providing the Italian Army manages to pacify completely the country).
The first important butterflies would be no assassination of Umberto I and perhaps no Italo-Turkish War to cover the shame of the defeat... thus no Balkan Wars as we know it, and who knows how much would be WW1 recognizable to us.
With the proper action taken Ethiopia due to its agricultural potential and surprising amount of mineral resources could be very very profitable for who ever manages to subdue the restive populace, with enough of an Italian presence viva colonists and enough infrastructure built up you could turn Ethiopia into a money maker. The initial investment will be costly but the return will far out way the initial cost.
What about specialty crops? I know Ethiopia is great for coffee (it's where the original wild plant is from). Will it support any other such crops?