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The Rise And Fall Of Fascism In Italy c1911 - 46 > Aggressive Foreign Policy 1935-40 > Flashcards

Aggressive Foreign Policy 1935-40 Flashcards

1
Q

What were Mussolini’s reason for wanting to invade Abyssinia?

A
  • Planning for this war helped the economy –> war related contracts commissioned in 1932 helped fuel Italian industry
  • Linked to autarky –> Abyssinia would provide raw materials, areas for agricultural expansion, greater export market
  • Easing pressure for land reform in south + propaganda effect that gov is providing them w/ better life –> hoped southern peasants would emigrate for farming land
  • Avenge Adowa humiliation in 1896
  • Fulfilling militaristic aspect of fascism
  • Add to prestige of dictatorship
  • Show Hitler power of fascist rule and dissuade him from pursuing Anschluss
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2
Q

What was significant about Abyssinia in comparison to other countries?

A

Last African country free of colonial rule

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3
Q

What incident in Dec 1934 brought Abyssinia and Italy closer to war?

A
  • 1930 –> Mussolini had established fort at Wal Wal
  • Abyssinian emperor Haile Selassie wanted removal of fort
  • Military confrontation at Wal Wal oasis, where 150 Abyssinians and 50 Italians were killed
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4
Q

When did Mussolini launch the invasion, how large was the army and how did they approach it?

A
  • 3 Oct 1935
  • 400,000
  • 6 Oct –> Seized Adowa and border towns
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5
Q

Why did Mussolini replace the head of the invading army, with who and why?

A
  • Progress was slow under Emilio De Bono, due to the need to build roads as army moved
  • Replaced by Marshal Pietro Badoglio
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6
Q

How did Badoglio go about the invasion, what techniques were used and what was it similar to?

A

Brutal war:
- Mass aerial bombings
- Murder of prisoners of war
- Illegal use of poisonous chemicals eg. mustard gas
- Similar to Libya tactics

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7
Q

When was the Italian army victorious, entering what city?

A
  • 5 May 1936
  • Entered capital city, Addis Ababa
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8
Q

How many Italians listened to the public radio broadcast on 9 May, announcing the gain of the empire?

A

20 mil

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9
Q

What were the immediate consequences of the war like and what were they?

A
  • Positive
  • League of Nations placed rather limited sanctions eg. banning weapon sales and putting sanctions on rubber and metal imports
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10
Q

Why did League of Nations did not want to take severe action against ITA?

A

Did not want to push them towards an alliance w/ GER

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11
Q

What could have the League of Nations done that would have had severe consequences for Mussolini?

A
  • Could have banned oil being exported to Italy
  • Could have closed off Suez Canal
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12
Q

How did the sanctions serve as propaganda and give one example of its success

A
  • Italy would not back down to League of Nations trying to limit its power
    Example:
  • 18 Dec 1935 –> Royal fam launched Gold for the Patria campaign
  • Queen Elena melted wedding ring to help campaign against sanctions
  • Thousands of women followed
  • Received steel rings in return, symbolising marriage to nation
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13
Q

How did the Church bless the invasion however how were they being hypocritical?

A
  • Blessed it as a civilising mission
  • Abyssinians were Christian
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14
Q

In the long-term what were the consequences like and what were they?

A
  • Negative
  • 2/3 of country were still to be occupied + costs to supply 250,000 to fight ongoing guerrilla war was high
  • Only 130,000 Italians settled
  • Hope that colony would provide raw materials and oil never materialised
  • Export markets never developed –> by 1939, only 2% of trade went to Abyssinia
  • Oct 1936 –> Lira devalued by 40%
  • Budget deficit rose from 2.5 to 16 bil lire –> growing trade shift to GER
  • Viewed by other powers as a danger to peace due to brutal war –> stronger relation w/ GER as a result
  • Policy would become more radical as aggression proved successful to Mussolini
  • Hitler and others see League of Nations as weak
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15
Q

When did Hitler march German troops into Rhineland, what did the League of Nations do about this violation of the Tretay of Versailles and what did it show Mussolini?

A
  • Mar 1936
  • No real attempts to punish GER
  • Showed League of Nations, GBR + FRA were weak
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16
Q

Despite not seeking a diplomatic break w/ GBR + FRA, why did Mussolini move towards GER?

A
  • Believed GBR + FRA govs may draw concessions on Africa and Mediterranean to draw him back towards them
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17
Q

Who was General Franco of Spain fighting, who supported him and when did ITA forces join them?

A
  • Leading right-wing forces (supported by GER + ITA) against Spanish Republican gov (supported by FRA + USSR)
  • Joined in Jul 1936
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18
Q

What were Mussolini’s hopes if General Franco was victorious?

A
  • Undermine FRA
  • Gain strategic ally in Mediterranean
  • Gain naval bases in Balearic Islands
  • Help spread authoritarian nationalist anti socialist regimes
  • Foreign policy concessions from FRA
  • Add to cult of Il Duce
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19
Q

How many soldiers, artillery + tanks, pilots, fighter planes and bombers did Mussolini send into Spain?

A
  • 50,000 soldiers
  • Thousands of artillery + tanks
  • 1,400 pilots
  • 400 fighter planes
  • 200 bombers
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20
Q

When was General Franco victorious and how helpful was the military support from Hitler and Mussolini?

A
  • Mar 1939
  • Negative
  • Italian air forces helped a lot, whereas GBR + FRA declared neutrality and USSR only offered volunteer fighters
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21
Q

Overall were the consequences of the Spanish a civil War positive or negative and what were they?

A
  • Italian casualties quite high –> 3266 soldiers killed + 11000 wounded
  • Severe disruption in Italian economy –> 14 bil lire special taxes from pop to pay, foreign currency reserved halved, lira devalued, economic dependence on GER
  • No territorial ambitions achieved –> Franco determined not to let SPA become satellite state to ITA, naval concessions did not happen, focus in SPA weakness ITA’s aims in Abyssinia
  • Unpopularity w/ Italian people –> Growing concern about move towards GER + didn’t understand why they had joined Civil War
  • Weaker military –> weaker in 1939 than 1936
  • Relations w/ GBR damaged due to closeness w/ GER + SPA
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22
Q

Give one event that shows the how weak the army has become at the point:

A

Mar 1937 –> Defeated by republicans against army made up of antifascist ITA volunteers in Battle of Guadalajara

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23
Q

What had GBR + FRA done during the invasion of Abyssinia and what negative consequences did this have?

A
  • Secret agreement formed (Hoare-Laval Pact)
  • Agreed to allocate 2/3 of Abyssinia to Mussolin in return for maintenance of Stresa Front
    Consequences:
  • Plan dropped once British public was outraged after finding out
  • Hoare replaced by Anthony Eden (more negative towards Mussolini)
  • British public and political opinion of Mussolini deteriorated
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24
Q

What other events worsened relationships between GBR + ITA?

A
  • During war –> ITA submarines pretending to be SPA attacked and sank neutral shipping in Mediterranean which angered GBR gov
  • Early summer 1938 –> ITA bombing raid on SPA ports sunk 11 GBR ships
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25
Q

Despite the deterioration of relations what did GBR still doing and give examples of this:

A
  • Still trying to come to an arrangement w/ ITA
  • Jan 1937 –> Signed ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’, confirming status quo in Mediterranean + limiting ITA’s intervention in Spanish Civil War
  • Apr 1938 –> GBR recognised ITA’s rule over Abyssinia
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26
Q

What effect did these agreements have on relations?

A
  • Little effect
  • Mussolini ignored the ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’
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27
Q

What had Mussolini initiated discussions on, when and what was it followed by?

A
  • Oct 1936 –> Rome-Berlin Axis
  • Nov –> Announcement of German-Italian Axis (informal agreement of cooperation)
  • Freedom of action in east Europe and the Baltic in return for support to gain Mediterranean
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28
Q

In what way was the alliance beneficial for both Hitler and Mussolini?

A
  • 1936 onwards –> Italian exports became more and more reliant on GER markets
29
Q

What happened in Sep 1937?

A
  • Mussolini visited GER
  • 800,000 Germans came into Berlin
  • Mussolini proclaimed value of fascist ITA + Nazi GER to be same
  • Impressed by Hitler
30
Q

What happened on 6 Nov 1937?

A
  • ITA became part of Anti-Comintern Pact (hatred of communism) w/ GER + JAP
  • Claimed to establish mutual support in case of aggression from USSR
  • In reality, pact was aimed as much at GBR as USSR
31
Q

When did ITA leave the League of Nations and what was Mussolini’s reason for this?

A
  • Dec 1937
  • Organisation was against Italy and its revolution
32
Q

What did these two actions confirm?

A
  • ITA’s position alongside GER as a revisionist power for Treaty of Versailles
  • End of Stresa Front
33
Q

However, at this point, why had Mussolini still not signed a firm alliance w/ GER?

A

Still in discussion w/ GBR in hopes of Mediterranean concessions

34
Q

What event demonstrated the weakness of ITA’s diplomatic position in Europe and how?

A
  • Mar 1938 –> Hitler moved against Austria + crossed border to begin Anschluss
  • Mussolini made no attempt to stop them
  • Can be argued ITA was becoming satellite state to GER
35
Q

What did the Nazis propose that Mussolini rejected and why?

A
  • Full-scale military alliance
  • Still negotiating path between GBR + GER
36
Q

After May 1938, what was Hitler focusing on, why and as a result, what was Mussolini doing?

A
  • Invasion into Czechoslovakia for Sudetenland that had been taken from then in Treaty of Versailles
  • Mussolini discussed (w/ foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano) the possibility of remaining neutral in a possible war
37
Q

How did Ciano feel about entry into the war and the alliance w/ GER?

A

Opposed it

38
Q

What is the Sudetenland?

A

Areas of Czechoslovakia that were ‘ethnically’ German

39
Q

How did Mussolini try to use the quest for Sudetenland as an opportunity?

A
  • Wanted to make himself seem like an international statesman
  • Recommended conference in Munich between GBR, FRA, ITA + GER
40
Q

What happened at the Munich Conference of Sep 1938?

A
  • Apparently: Mussolini played important role to broker deal giving up the Sudetenland to GER, avoiding war (celebrated by his people)
  • In reality: Subservient to Hitler
41
Q

When was the Munich agreement signed, returning Sudetenland to GER?

A

30 Sep 1938

42
Q

When and why did Mussolini authorise an invasion of Albania?

A
  • Mar 1939
  • To emphasise ITA’s military strength to GER + others
  • King Zog had been encouraging investment from other countries eg. Japan to become less dependent on ITA
  • Ciano + other leaders thought Albania could be exploited economically
  • Planned to settle 2 mil Italians in Albania
  • King Zog rejected Mussolini’s ultimatum so he had to invade
43
Q

When was the invasion launched and what were the consequences?

A
  • 25 Mar
  • Easily defeated small Albanian force
    Consequences:
  • King Zog fled to London
  • Fascist regime set up under Shefqet Verlaci
  • GBR + FRA guaranteed military assistance to Greece and Turkey
44
Q

Despite the victory, what showed the weaknesses of the ITA army?

A
  • Unorganised troops
  • Using weapons they had never trained for
  • Poor coordination
45
Q

Between 1938 and 39, what percentage of the massive increase in the state deficit did military’s spending account for and what impact did this have on the public?

A
  • 80%
  • Impact on middle-class incomes and savings to pay for the expenditure
46
Q

What did the quest for autarky mean for the public?

A

Many consumer products became more expensive as these would have been cheaper to purchase from international markets

47
Q

The living standards of workers in which sectors declined as a result of what battle and what else was exacerbated?

A
  • Agricultural, industrial and civil sectors
  • Battle of the Grain
  • Worsened diet
48
Q

What was signed in Feb 1939 and how was this worrying?

A
  • New commercial treaty between GER and ITA
  • ITA economy becoming very reliant on GER
49
Q

What did this treaty instigate, what was this and why was it unpopular?

A
  • Policy transferring Italian workers to GER, a number that would reach half mil by 1945
    Unpopular because:
  • Treated poorly by Germans, who were condescending due to their superior Aryan race
  • Contradicted Mussolini’s frequent speeches where he said ‘Italian workers should remain in Italy’ + ‘ensure they are treated w/ respect and dignity’
50
Q

What other things fuelled the unpopularity?

A
  • Fear of Anschluss
  • Growing relationship between GER + ITA –> possibility of war alongside them
  • 1938 anti-Semitic policy
  • ‘Reform of the customs’
  • Possibility of war
51
Q

Why was the Cult of Il Duce becoming harder to sustain?

A

Mussolini was 55 and had been in power for 17 years by 1939

52
Q

What pact was signed on 22 May 1939 showing a full alliance between GER and ITA?

A

Pact of Steel

53
Q

Who was drafting of the pact left to and what was the implication of this?

A
  • Germans
  • Insertion of Article 3, which went against diplomatic convention that nearly all alliances operated only in defensive purposes
54
Q

What was Article 3?

A

ITA would support GER if it went to war

55
Q

What other aspects were part of the pact?

A
  • Military and economic cooperation
  • Permanent political consultation between fascists and Nazis
56
Q

Who persuaded initially concerned Ciano to sign the pact, what did Ciano tell him and what was this person’s response?

A
  • Joachim von Ribbentrop (GER foreign minister)
  • Ciano: ITA will not be ready for war until 1943
  • Ribbentrop: No intention of waging war before this date
57
Q

What happened on 11 Aug 1939 and what was Mussolini’s reaction to this?

A
  • Meeting in Salzburg
  • Ribbentrop and Hitler told Ciano GER was planning to attack POL
  • Shocked
58
Q

What other agreement shocked Mussolini, why and what was this?

A
  • 23 Aug –> Nazi Soviet Pact
  • Non-aggression pact w/ USSR + GER incorporating secret protocols concerning division of eastern Europe into USSR + GER spheres of influence
  • Believed it directly contravened Anti-Comintern Pact ITA had signed w/ GER
59
Q

Who said they should remain neutral, why and why was this still a problem?

A
  • Ciano and other military advisers
  • Avoid entangling ITA in costly war when GER invaded POL
  • Fascism was constantly associated w/ militarism
60
Q

What did Mussolini do on 26 Aug and what was Hitler’s reaction to this on the following day?

A
  • Presented massive wish list of supplies Italy would ‘need’ before it could wage war
  • 6 mil tonnes of coal, 2 mil of steel, 150 anti-aircraft batteries w/ ammunition (total of 170 mil of goods)
  • 27 Aug –> Released Mussolini from his obligations to Pact of Steel, instead asking for his psychological support and if possible, engagement in military measures to tie down GBR + FRA
61
Q

When did GBR + FRA declare war on GER?

A

3 Sep

62
Q

Who advised Mussolini not to enter the war?

A
  • All of Grand Fascist Council
  • General Franco
  • Oliveira Salazar (Portuguese dictator)
  • Vatican
  • Ciano
  • King Victor Emmanuel
  • President Roosevelt, who sent his envoy Sumner Welles, to convince him to stay out
63
Q

What phrase did Mussolini use rather than neutrality when he announced this?

A

Non-belligerence

64
Q

In Mar 1940, what was Mussolini considering and what was the issue with this?

A
  • Whether to side w/ GBR + FRA
  • Switching sides would bring a GER attack they would find hard to defend
65
Q

What event made Mussolini’s decision making more limited?

A

German advance of May 1940 that conquered Holland and Belgium, moving onto FRA

66
Q

At this point, in May, what was Mussolini’s main reason for joining the war?

A
  • How would GER treat an ally who had betrayed them twice?
  • If ITA joined the war at a good time to play a decisive part, but not be caught in serious fighting, they could be part of GER’s victory
67
Q

When did Mussolini meet his chief of staff, what did he tell him and what did he do on the day?

A
  • 26 May –> Met Marshall Badoglio
  • Said GER would be victorious by Sep + ITA only required few thousand dead to be able to attend peace conference
  • Told the King
68
Q

When did Mussolini announce Italy’s entry into the war?

A

10 Jun 1940

The Rise And Fall Of Fascism In Italy c1911 - 46 (15 decks)

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