Study this source. Source D 'I, Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, have come before the League of Nations to appeal for justice. Italy has attacked my cou...

This is a "why was this source produced at this time" question worth [7 marks]. You must explain both the reason for the speech and its timing, using source details and your own knowledge.

Reason for production [up to 3 marks]:

Emperor Haile Selassie produced this appeal because Italy had been invading Ethiopia since October 1935 and the League of Nations' response had been completely inadequate. He came to Geneva personally to shame the League into stronger action and to expose its failure to protect a member state from unprovoked aggression.

Supporting with source details and own knowledge [up to 4 marks]:

• The source was produced in June 1936, by which point the war was effectively lost. Italian forces had captured the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in May 1936. Haile Selassie was making a last desperate appeal from exile, not requesting assistance for an ongoing fight he might still win.
• Haile Selassie highlights Italy's use of "poison gas against soldiers and civilians alike," which violated the 1925 Geneva Protocol. Italy used mustard gas extensively during the campaign, a war crime that the League failed to prevent or punish.
• The source accuses the League of imposing inadequate sanctions: "it refused to ban oil exports, the one measure that could have stopped Mussolini." This is historically accurate. The League imposed limited economic sanctions on Italy in November 1935 but deliberately excluded oil, coal, and steel - the resources Italy needed most for its war effort. Britain and France feared that an oil embargo would push Mussolini towards an alliance with Hitler.
• The reference to the Hoare-Laval Pact is implicit in the source's accusation of broken promises. In December 1935, British Foreign Secretary Samuel Hoare and French Prime Minister Pierre Laval secretly proposed giving two-thirds of Ethiopia to Italy, betraying a League member. The plan was leaked to the press and caused outrage, but it revealed that the major powers were willing to sacrifice Ethiopia for their own diplomatic interests.
• Haile Selassie's speech became one of the most famous moments in League history because it dramatically exposed the total failure of collective security. His question - "what value are your promises if you will not defend a fellow member?" - went to the heart of the League's credibility. Italy formally annexed Ethiopia and left the League in 1937.

Exam technique: For "why at this time" questions, the strongest answers explain the precise historical moment that prompted the source and connect it to the source's intended purpose. Here, the timing (June 1936, after Ethiopia's defeat) is crucial because it explains why the speech was an accusation rather than a request for help. The war was already lost; the speech was about holding the League accountable for its failure.