(4) Impact of WW2, 1940-43

Question 1

How much money was spent on rearmament between 1925-38?

Answer 1

11.8% of national income, as opposed to only 5.5% in GB.

Question 2

What was the money for rearmament spent on?

Answer 2

Inadequate weaponry and luxurious living quarters for officers.

Question 3

Had Italy achieved autarky by 1940?

Answer 3

No

Question 4

When did Italy join WW2?

Answer 4

June 1940 - on the side of the Axis powers.

Question 5

Why did Mussolini get involved in WW2?

Answer 5

It appeared as if the war would soon be over and that Italy could reap some of the territorial spoils without much cost.

Question 6

Where did Italy get its raw materials from?

Answer 6

German occupied territories. As the war went on, Germany became increasingly reluctant to do so as Italy was doing poorly.

Question 7

What evidence is there of the Italian army being small and outdated?

Answer 7

In June 1940 it had less than 800,000 soldiers, who were mostly equipped with rifles and artillery dating back to WW1.

Question 7

What evidence is there that those in charge of the Italian army were unfit to do so?

Answer 7

The generals were steeped in the defensive traditions of WW1 and did not know how to utilize air support; the navy also adopted a defensive strategy reluctant to risk the new battleships against the British fleet.

Question 8

Why was there low morale in the Italian army?

Answer 8

There were language barriers between officer class and peasant conscripts, leading to low morale.

Question 9

What evidence is there of low morale in the Italian army?

Answer 9

There was a massive number of Italian prisoners taken in Africa.

Question 10

What happened to food production after peasant farmers started being drafted into the army?

Answer 10

Food production fell. Wheat harvests dropped by 1.5 million tons. Rations fell to just 1000 calories a day; bread rations were lowest of any combatant country except the USSR; coffee, petrol and soap became unobtainable.

Question 11

How many effective planes did Italy possess?

Answer 11

Only 1,000 and these were of inferior quality to the British and German planes.

Question 11

What is an example of an Italian aircraft used in WW2?

Answer 11

The Fiat CR42

Question 12

How many armoured cars and light tanks did Italy have?

Answer 12

Only 1,500

Question 13

Why was the lack of armoured vehicles and aircraft a problem?

Answer 13

WW2 was to be a mechanised war, dependent on these vehicles.

Question 14

How much did Italian steel production fall by between 1940-42?

Answer 14

20%

Question 15

Why did the decreased steel production and shortage of raw materials worsen Italy’s position further?

Answer 15

It meant that losses in tanks and aircraft could not be replaced.

Question 16

How many vehicles could Spa and Fiat produced in a month in 1941 as opposed to in 1938?

Answer 16

Only 2,550 in 1941 whereas they could produce 4,883 in 1938.

Question 17

What capacity was the Italian economy working at during WW2?

Answer 17

25% - many Italians remained unemployed.

Question 18

How was Italian aircraft production inferior to that in the USA?

Answer 18

The USA could produce more aircraft in a week than Italy could in a year.

Question 19

What 3 military titles did Mussolini possess?

Answer 19

Minister of War, Minister of Navy, and Minister of the Air Force.

Question 20

Who made all strategic decisions?

Answer 20

Mussolini

Question 21

How was Mussolini’s leadership of the military corrupt and ineffective?

Answer 21

Mussolini promoted officers more for their obedience and powers of flattery than for their merit; Mussolini often made decisions without consulting military experts.

Question 22

What had Mussolini wrongly anticipated about the war?

Answer 22

Mussolini thought it would be a short war and so the army was only prepared for that (he expected it to be over by September 1940 - 3-4 months after involvement). No thought had ever been put in to large scale armaments production during wartime.

Question 23

Where were there strikes in March 1943?

Answer 23

Turin (and Milan) - 100,000 workers went on strike.

Question 23

Why was there growing unrest in Italy by 1943?

Answer 23

Rationing, Food and clothing shortages, Unemployment, Longer Working Hours, Loss of support for Mussolini (Cult of Il Duce wearing off), Italy are losing the war, Propaganda not working, Disgruntled population, Allied bombing raids.

Question 24

Who organised the strikes in March 1943?

Answer 24

Communists

Question 25

How did the strikes expose the government’s weakness?

Answer 25

The government gave in and gave those forced to evacuate their homes greater payments - Communists and socialists had appeared to be able to influence government policy despite 20 years of Fascist rule.

Question 26

Which illegal communist newspaper reemerged in 1942?

Answer 26

L’Unita

Question 27

Which 2 new groups emerged in 1942?

Answer 27

The Party of Action (consisted of republicans, radicals and left leaning liberals) and the Christian Democrats (formed from members of Catholic action; supported by the Church).

Question 28

Where is there proof of increased activity of antifascist groups during wartime?

Answer 28

Mussolini’s secret police made 1,400 political arrest between March-June in 1943.

Question 29

What action did antifascist groups take?

Answer 29

Organised strikes and painted antifascist slogans on buildings.

Question 30

When did all groups (except the republicans) unite against fascism?

Answer 30

April 1943

Question 31

How much of a threat were antifascist groups to Mussolini?

Answer 31

Not very significant as they could not overthrow him but they did have discussions about how the political system may be once he is removed.

Question 32

What members of the conservative elite began at the end of 1942 to consider Mussolini’s removal and backing out of the war?

Answer 32

The Vatican, military leaders, industrialists and the police.

Question 33

How did Mussolini appear to the conservative elite?

Answer 33

As a weakened figure; he was ridden with illness and stress and had no plans on how to progress in the war.

Question 34

Who were the conservative elite careful not to provoke?

Answer 34

Hitler as he could easily invade Italy.

Question 35

When did the question of Mussolini’s removal take on a much greater urgency for the Conservative elite?

Answer 35

3 September 1943 when the Allies began to invade Italy.

Question 36

What happened on 13 May 1943?

Answer 36

The axis troops in North Africa surrendered to the Allies. With Tunisia occupied, a route to invade Sicily had opened up for the Allies.