Booklet 7: Italian Foreign Policy 1922-1939

Question 1

Militarism aim

Answer 1

Transform the Italian people into more militaristic soldiers
Make Italy a great power

Question 2

Historic goals

Answer 2

Fiume
Strengthen Libya control
Colonies in Africa
Roman empires

Question 3

Internal domestic concerns

Answer 3

Gaining popularity by overcoming mutilated victory

Question 4

Methods aims

Answer 4

Using conquest to create second Roman Empire

Question 5

Main foreign policy aims

Answer 5

Distract Italians from miserable living conditions
Mediterranean territory
More territories for Italian population

Question 6

Corfu incident 1923

Answer 6

Italian general was murdered, Mussolini attacked the Greek government, demanded them to attend funeral and pay 50million lire to Italy.
Italy bombarded corfu without warning

Question 7

Successes and failures of corfu

Answer 7

League of Nations demanded Mussolini end occupation
Italy won the 50million lire from Greece
Mussolini won support domestically

Question 8

Fiume 1924

Answer 8

Yugoslavia recognised Fiume as part of Italy

Question 9

Successes and failures of Fiume

Answer 9

Popular achievement of Mussolini
Fiume significance was largely symbolic, Yugoslavia no longer needed it
Predominantly domestic gains

Question 10

Locarno pact 1925

Answer 10

Mussolini involved in negotiations to allow Germany into the LON
Accepting WWI borders between Germany Belgium and france

Question 11

Locarno pact successes and failures

Answer 11

Finally bring an end to threat to European peace
Mussolini failed to link Locarno to Italy and Austria’s borders
Contributed to popularity in italy

Question 12

Albania and Yugoslavia

Answer 12

Italy was expanding links and political interference in Albania
Supported Zogus proclamation as King Zog
Zog baceame an Italian protectorate

Question 13

Successes ad failures of Albania and Yugoslavia

Answer 13

Italian influence was extended at the expense of Yugoslavia
Undermined Yugoslavia, saw them as a block
Croatian terrorises financed by Italians assassinated the king

Question 14

Libya

Answer 14

Mussolini continued the governments war against the Libyan rebellion
Italian gov had asserted a brutal occupation
Policy of starvation, mass executions, chemical warfare, concentration camps

Question 15

Libya successes and failures

Answer 15

Rebel leader captured and executed
100,000 Libyans forced to leave their homes, 40,000 died
Finally put down the rebellion in 1932

Question 16

Four power pact 1933

Answer 16

Mussolini’s reaction to Hitler taking power was to try and bring Britan, France, Germany and Italy together

Question 17

Four power pact successes and failures

Answer 17

Signed in Rome 1933
International prestige to Mussolini
Never ratified by britan and France
Hitler came to power and was no longer interested in

Question 18

Assassination of Austrian chancellor Dollfuss 1934

Answer 18

Mussolini was concerned about possible Anschluss with Austria
Austrian nazis assassinated Dollfuss
Mussolini declared he would not allow an Anschluss

Question 19

Stresa front 1935

Answer 19

Hitler announced the German military rearmament had been happening secretly for 2 years
Mussolini met with Britain and France, they all had desire for peace
Mussolini discusses with French foreign minister if they reach anti German agreement-they would support invasion of abysinnia

Question 20

Relationship with Britain 1935

Answer 20

Good personal relations
Cooperation over Locarno treaty
Britan and Italy clashed over Corfu in 23

Question 21

Relationship with France 1935

Answer 21

Anti-fascist exiles settled in France
Mussolini sent OVRA agents
France possessed iredente lands

Question 22

Relationship with Germany 1935

Answer 22

Hitler admired Mussolini
Hitler withdrew from LON in 33
Tension over austria

Question 23

Reasons for invasion of Abyssinia

Answer 23

Bring prestige, create Roman Empire
Take advantage of good relationships (stresa)
Win respect

Question 24

How successful was Abyssinia positively

Answer 24

Mussolini portrayed as a leader standing up to the world
Royal family and church supported M
Won respect of Hitler

Question 25

How successful was the invasion of Abyssinia negatively

Answer 25

High costs (budget deficit 16billion lira), 10,000 Italian deaths International shock at methods used in the war Rift with britain and France

Question 26

Reasons for the Spanish civil war

Answer 26

Right wing nationalists wouldn’t accept the left wing gov Franco led a rebellion Mussolini and Hitler joined on Francos side

Question 27

Mussolini’s aims for Spanish civil war

Answer 27

Prevent spread of communism Stand shoulder to shoulder with Hitler Demonstrate superiority of Italian military

Question 28

How much help did Mussolini give to the Spanish civil war

Answer 28

75,000 troops 950 tanks Compared to only 16,000 troops from Hitler

Question 29

What happened during Spanish civil war

Answer 29

1937 Italian forces defeated at Guadalajara Franco won in 39 Italian forces sunk submarines sailing to ports in the Mediterranean

Question 30

Results of Spanish civil war

Answer 30

War lost Mussolini support Mussolini gained no territory Italys commercial dependence on Germany began Weakened Italian afmy

Question 31

Reasons for strengthening relationship with Germany

Answer 31

Italy didn’t have free access to oceans, had to rely on German resources (Rome Berlin axis tried to resolve this problem Germany took advantage of Italys weak economy after Spanish war Britain and France cut ties with Italy

Question 32

Anti-Comintern pact 1937

Answer 32

Pact between Germany, Italy and Japan Anti communism

Question 33

Anschluss with Austria 1938

Answer 33

Mussolini accepted the Anschluss Hitler only gave him 2 days of warning

Question 34

Czechoslovakia invasion 1939

Answer 34

Hitler invaded czechoslovakia and Mussolini invaded Albania to show his power

Question 35

Pact of steel

Answer 35

1939 Italy and Germany strong pact of alliance Needed Germany on side for Mediterranean goals Italy began to mirror Nazi ideology More economic support from Germany

Question 36

Nazi-soviet pact

Answer 36

1939 Germany broke anti-Comintern pact by signing Nazi soviet pact Hitler invaded Poland without telling Mussolini Mussolini broke pact of steel by declaring Italy non-belligerent

Question 37

Was the Rome Berlin axis a mistake?

Answer 37

The axis was a minor failure Italy needed a stronger ally after failure of autarky Mussolini’s switch to extremism made him unpopular

Question 38

Italys reasons for non-belligerence

Answer 38

Wanted to see what happened in the war, would join if looked like Germany would win Italys military was not ready for war.

Question 39

What did Italy ask for to enter the war?

Answer 39

Mussolini sent Hitler a long list of resources he needed to join the war His military was not prepared to join the war