This article was previewed on the site for a time and the full article is now in the magazine. Click here for more information!
Meanwhile the next articles in this series are here:
The Libyan Experiment and Italian Subjugation under Mussolini
Fourth Shore – The Italian Colonization of Libya
And here is the start of the Italian invasion of Libya article…
The Derna, a cargo ship, departed from Turkey in September 1911. Its cargo hold was filled with 20,000 rifles, 2 million rounds of ammunition, and machineguns. These arms were destined for the Ottoman-Libyan port of Tripoli, where they would be distributed amongst loyal Libyan tribesmen. On September 24, Italy caught wind of the ship’s journey and issued a warning to the Ottomans that “sending war materials to Tripoli was an obvious threat to the status quo” and endangered the Italian community in Libya. The ship started unloading its cargo at Tripoli harbor on September 26. Infuriated, the Italian government issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Ottoman Empire on the 28th: let the regions of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica fall under Italian jurisdiction and military occupation or else war would be declared. The Ottomans gave a reasonable and conciliatory reply but Italy would have none of it. On September 29, Italy declared war on Ottoman Libya, a decision described by the Italian Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti as fulfilling una fatalia storica – a historical destiny.
And remember, the follow-up articles are here:
The Libyan Experiment and Italian Subjugation under Mussolini
Fourth Shore – The Italian Colonization of Libya
The Italian siege of Tobruk