Remilitarization of the Rhineland 1935. On 7 June 1935, MacDonald resigned as British Prime Minister due to ailing health and was replaced by Stanley Baldwin of the Conservative Party; the leadership change did not affect British foreign policy in any meaningful way. On October 3, 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia, and thus began the Abyssinia Crisis. Under strong pressure from a moralistic British public opinion, which was very much in favor of collective security, the British government took the lead in pressing the League of Nations for sanctions against Italy. The decision of the British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin to take a strong line in
Prime minister-designate the largest party, in which case (s)he becomes prime minister-designate same as if his/her party had a majority. On the other hand, if a prime minister in such a situation chooses not to resign, the leader of the largest opposition party will not become the prime minister-designate even if his/her party has the most seats. In the latter case, the prime minister must win a vote of confidence to remain in office. If (s)he is immediately defeated in the house, the head of state in most Westminster systems is often expected to refuse a request to dissolve the house. The