The Italian Colonial Administration and Governance, 1935–1941

Abstract

The Fascist army entered Gondar on April 1, 1936, and designated Gondar as one of the administrative capitals of Italy’s East African Empire. The Italian colonial office had plans to settle 20,000 Italians in the city and additional farmers in the surrounding rural areas, and it committed a significant amount of investment to this project. They also built a large number of structures that served as residential and administrative units. These structures have now deteriorated badly as the municipality of Gondar did not make efforts to renovate them. Gondar was the last city to be liberated after the Italian invasion. This chapter covers the liberation struggle to drive out the Italians and the role played by the combined Ethiopian and British armies to liberate the city.