(A) They wanted to use it themselves as it made their journey to their colonies a lot shorter.
(B) Mussolini bullied them into keeping the canal open.
(C) They didn’t think Mussolini would actually invade Abyssinia.
(D) ** They wanted to avoid upsetting Mussolini as they were worried he would unite with Hitler.
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -❖ The Suez Canal, which was owned by Britain and France, provided a short-cut from the Mediterranean to East Africa but wasn’t closed. Britain and France didn’t want to risk conflict with Italy, but this allowed it to build up men and supplies near Abyssinia more quickly.
Concept note-2: -Because Britain & France were the 2 leading nations in the League. They were desperate to keep Mussolini on their side, in the Stresa Front, so they didn’t want to upset him with tough sanctions or by shutting the Suez Canal.
Concept note-3: -The Suez Canal was constructed in 1869 allowing faster sea transport to India, which increased Britain’s long-standing strategic interest in the Eastern Mediterranean. Britain established a protectorate over Cyprus in 1878, and to suppress a nationalist revolt that threatened its interests, occupied Egypt in 1882.
Concept note-4: -Countries like Britain and France followed ‘The Policy of Appeasement’ as: They knew that the Treaty of Versailles had been harsh on the defeated nations of World War I. They felt that countries like Germany and Italy had genuine grievances.