The Addis Ababa Massacre: Italy's National Shame

Excellent book that painstakingly pieces together a forgotten part of history. I was lucky enough to attend the book launch at SOAS and hear Ian Campbell talk about the book. An extraordinary effort. His dedication to uncovering what happened is truly inspirational.

Thanks for the author expose the shame of ItalyTruth comes out slowly

Overall I'm satisfied

This book tells the story of the massacre that took place in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, in February 1937. The country was occupied by Italian Fascist forces who had installed a Viceroy, Marshal Rodolfo Graziani. An attempt was made on the life of the Viceroy when several hand grenades were thrown at the platform party during an address in the Governo Generale, previously the palace of Emperor Haile Selassie. The Italian forces were given, ‘carta bianca’ to take revenge on the indigenous population, and over the next few days it is reliably estimated that some 20,000 people perished.This book represents the culmination of some thirty years of research by the author, Ian Campbell, a specialist on East Africa. Campbell interviewed survivors of the massacre and has examined available accounts of the period. The book is well written, scholarly, and contains numerous, previously unseen, photographs from the period and of scenes from the massacre.The author has provided background detail and effectively a moment by moment account of the details of the killing and devastation that took place in the city by the Blackshirts and other forces. The author has provided biographical details of the main protagonists both Italian and Ethiopian. This entirely worthy work of scholarship has rescued from neglect a forgotten major atrocity of the Italian Fascist government and explains why such an event was conveniently erased from public view by the Allies after 1945.The book is clearly a detailed record of events for posterity and as such is best suited to University libraries rather than to a general readership.

How can one write that this is a 'partisan book' ? Is it being partisan when one défends the lives of innocent people butchered like cattle ? My family (anti-fascist) was in Addis in those years, before being expelled by the fascist administration. On .that day. I was two years old, but my father was an eye witness. He was in town when he saw fascxist officers being driven through the Streets shouting 'Ammassate-le tutti!'. The scene never left his mind...

I read the book based on the Economist's recommendation and because it is one aspect of the WWII (or interwar) that I was not well informed. The book is extremely meticulous and well document. After reading it there will not be any doubt that the Italians were as murderous as the German, Socialist, Russia, Japan, Mao, etc.... However, this is not a particular surprise to serious no Italian historians. Regrettably, the book is extremely partisan and lack the objectivity and narrativity that will make it a great book. There are many parts that affect all the moral message that the author wants to push. First, ignore many critical aspects as the riots and destruction that happen in Addis Ababa against foreigners when the declaration of war happened and second that what he called "cover-up" it has to do 100% with real-politics that the book completely ignore. And yes many war criminals did not pay for their crimes. Hundred of thousands of nazis obtained and maintained a position of responsibility in the West and the East without paying for their crimes neither the Emperor of Japan or Stalin or Mao were never made to pay for their crimes. At the end, this is a quasi-partisan academic book about a true event that is not well known outside Ethiopia

1) I like The writer how he put picture and explanations1) this is part of me. My history this massacre should get recognize in the United Nation and Ethiopian parliament

A very detailed account. Sometimes difficult to continue reading, the kind of attrocity committed by the facists on Ethiopians living in Addis, is horrendous. How can a human being commit such barbaric acts on another human being?