Mussolini’s attack on Ethiopia in 1935 caused more than half a million deaths by the end of the Italian occupation in 1941. The Duce felt that the time had come to avenge Italy’s humiliating defeat at the battle of Adwa in Ethiopia in 1896. After several months of diplomatic tension and military preparation, Italy launched an invasion from its colonies in Eritrea and Somalia. It was total war: Generals Pietro Badoglio and Rodolfo Graziani carried out terror campaigns that caused an estimated 500,000 to 750,000 deaths by the end of the Italian occupation in 1941. Following Italy’s attack, League delegates decided on 7 October 1935 to impose sanctions – though compliance was half-hearted.