Ethiopia in The Mansion (Location)

When Ratliff and Stevens are in Greenwich Village for Linda Snopes' marriage, the talk turns to "the war, . . . Spain and Ethiopia" (194). The year is 1936. In Spain the Civil War between communist and fascist armies, in which Linda and her husband will soon be fighting, has begun. The other front in the conflict that would soon plunge the planet into World War II was Ethiopia, which was invaded in 1935 by Italy, ruled by the Mussolini. To many, including the leftists with whom Ratliff is talking, the fascist victories in these conflicts presaged "the lights going off all over Europe" (194).