Seeking to strengthen the Stresa Front with Italy to contain Germany in the mid 1930s, these British and French officials tried to engineer a partial Italian victory in Africa. However, public opinion reacted with outrage, forcing the the governments to censure Italy and impose sanctions halfheartedly.
The result was Mussolini was pissed off but not intimidated. He won a total victory in Abyssinia and grew closer to Germany.
Britain and France fell between two stools. Which stool could they have more plausibly sat on firmly throughout the Italo-Abyssinian prewar crisis and war?
No appeasement of Italy on Abyssinia and deterring Italy? Or
Appeasing Italy without any interference from public opinion?