ABSTRACT
In the 1930s, the British Dominions were emerging from an obscure position. Indeed, one outstanding factor was the change in the international position of the Dominions during the interwar period after World War I. The Dominions' own 'particular outlook' on the world based on geography and internal pressing political issues determined their divergent views on imperial commitments and their reaction to the Italo-Abyssinian crisis. The Italo-Abyssinian dispute stimulated domestic debate but the Dominions tended to follow the lead of Britain in concessions to Mussolini and shied away from any measures to increase the League's power of collective security. The Dominions might have been more predisposed to sympathize with British response to the Italo-Abyssinian situation. The Abyssinian conflict also provides a unique example of British Empire relations and British diplomacy at a very uncertain time. British policymakers could not underestimate the importance of the views of the Dominion governments as they tried to reach an accommodation with Italy.
