Italian Colonial War (Giovinezza)

The Italian Colonial War (Italian: Guerra Coloniale Italiana), known by resistance groups in the colonies as the War of National Liberation (Guerra di Liberazione Nazionale), was fought by the Imperial Italian Army and nationalist movements in Italy's African colonies between 1955 and 1967. Although notable hostilities had actually begun in 1949 with engagements between Italian soldiers and anti-Italian paramilitary forces, it is almost unanimously believed to have begun in full force after the Addis Ababa Riots of 1955 and concluded shortly after the assassination of Mengistu Mariam by Italian commandos in 1967. Historians use this conflict as an umbrella term to describe the separate wars in Italian North Africa and Italian East Africa, but the place where the Italians had the biggest challenge was with the nationalists in their eastern colony.

Unlike most other European nations during the 50's and 60's, Mussolini ardently refused to follow with the policy of decolonization, claiming them as integral lands belonging to Italy. The Portuguese would later be inspired by this rhetoric; the Estado Novo regime refused to withdraw from their "overseas provinces". Beginning in the early 1950's, independence movements began to rise. In the early years, the rebels were unorganized and scattered, meaning most uprisings were easily crushed by the Imperial National Guard.