Copyright 2006 T. Sheil & A. Sheil All Rights Reserved
Having only been unified into a single country in 1860, Italy was a latecomer to Colonialism. The Italian government envied France, Spain, Britain, Germany, Holland and Belgium, who had thriving overseas colonies. Italy was especially envious of the French, British and Spanish colonies along the Mediterranean Sea.
Italy had established colonies in Somaliland and Eritrea in 1889. There had been a failed attempt to colonize Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1895 and 1896. The idea of a North African colony was appealing, especially in view of French Algeria and the French and Spanish colonies in Morocco. These had been made possible by the decay of the Ottoman Empire, to which the colonies had once belonged.
Italy had been making greater investments in the regions of Cyrenacia and Tripolitania. Both were part of the Ottoman Empire. The Italian enterprises became pretext for conflict. Italy complained of damages to the Turks. A demand for Italian troops to enter the region to protect Italian interests was laid before the Ottoman Empire. The Turks refused, and so began the Italo-Turkish War in 1911.
Italy had to deal with Bedouin raids and urban resistance. The Turks fired up a “Holy War” among Arabs against the invasion. Some opposition received support from Turkey. In fact, Turkish troops in the region worked with native Arabs against the Italians. Though supposedly governing a large region, Italian control was literally limited to cities along the coast. Trouble in the Balkans in 1912 brought an end to Turkish support. The Turks ceded the territory.
Arabs still harried the Italians, whose control was limited to coastal enclaves. The Senussi of Cyrenacia were the most formidable. Both a tribe and Sunnite religious sect, the Senussi kept up the pressure. World War I gave the Turks further impetus to support the insurrection against Italy. Meanwhile, the Italians had to cut back military operations in Libya due to needs for troops in Europe. Idris, the leader of the Senussi, managed to successfully attack an armored column and force back Italian grains in the region.
In 1917, the British managed to arrange a truce between Idris and the Italians. Part of the deal recognized Idris as amir of Cyrenacia, and gave him free reign in most of the area. Meanwhile, opposition in Tripolitania was put in check.
Things changed when Mussolini and the Fascists took control of Italy. Their policies were stern. Idris was forced to escape to Egypt to avoid capture. Another Senussi, Umar al Mukhtar, led the war against Italy. He eluded capture with his bands of warriors. The Italians responded with General Graziani, a brutally efficient commander. Graziani’s policies included decimating villages that aided al Mukhtar and exiling thousands to concentration camps. Graziani erected a heavy barbed-wire fence along the eastern border to prevent tribes from escaping the Egypt. It was a relentless war of attrition which ground the opposition down. In 1931, the remnants were captured, including Umar al Mukhtar. Graziani had the sheik executed in front of thousands of Arabs. It is estimated that ¼ to ½ of the Libyan populace died as a result of Graziani’s campaign.
During the Colonial years, Italy combined Tripolitania and Cyrenacia into one country. They opted for the ancient Greek name for the region: Libya.
Peace reigned until the outset of World War II. Libya resistance may have been crushed, but there were still people looking for the chance to throw off Italian rule. With World War II came hope for freedom. Libyan groups threw in with the British. They feared harsh retribution had the Italians won the war, but decided things would not be much worse than the status quo. The Allied victory in North Africa gave Libya independence.
The set of photos here are from the Library of Congress. They depict scenes of Italian colonial troops. We cannot tell the year they were taken, although it was apparently sometime between 1911 and 1930.
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Surgeon tends to wounded Italian soldiers.  |
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Colonial troops make trenches in ruins of Hamidie fort, Tripoli area  |
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Italian colonial soldier, Tripoli  |
Click here for the next set of photos of Italians in Libya