BADOGLIO, PIETRO
- 2 Min Read
Pietro Badoglio (September 28, 1871 – November 1, 1956), an Italian general and statesmen was the first viceroy of Ethiopia during the Italian occupation (1936 -1941) and arranged the Italian surrender to the Allied forces during World War II.
PHOTO CAPTION: Pietro Badoglio. SOURCE. EA Library
Beginning his career as an artillery officer in 1890, he served in Eritrea in 1896-1897). He also participated in Italy’s Libyan war of 1912 and later fought in World War I from which he emerged with the rank of general.
As a royalist he suggested to the king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III (reigned 1900 – 1946), the possibility of resisting the rise to power in 1922 of the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini (in power from 1922-1943). Badoglio, however later held several posts under the Fascist regime, including that of governor of Libya from 1923-1934.
After the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in October 1935, Mussolini, displeased by the slow pace of the advance of General Emilio De Bono, appointed Badoglio as High Commissioner for the Italian colonies of Eritrea and Somaliland and two weeks later as commander on the northern front. Badoglio subsequently organised the advance on Addis Ababa, which was accomplished by the extensive employment of bombing and poison gas.
After the occupation of Addis Ababa in May 1936, Badoglio was appointed as the first Italian viceroy of Ethiopia. But being far less doctrinaire than Alessandro Lessona, the Fascist Minister of the Colonies, subsequently Minister of Italian Africa, (offices he held from 1935-1937) and favouring a system of indirect rule based on the Ethiopian chiefs.
Badoglio was obliged to resign only a month later. He returned to the military staff in Rome and was given the honorific title of Duke of Addis Ababa. In the same year he published his account of the campaign, la guerra d’Etiopia.
Though opposed to Italy’s entry into the European war in June 1940, after it had occurred, he assumed command of all the Italian armed forces. But when he was made a scapegoat for the failure of the Italian invasion of Greece, he resigned in November.
He retired to private life until July 1943 when King Victor Emmanuel asked him to replace Mussolini as premier. Less than two months later Badoglio arranged for Italy’s surrender to the Allies on September 3, 1943. He retired in 1944 and died in 1956.
RICHARD PANKHURST
