Challenges to, and the fall of, the fascist state, c1935–46

Question 1

Why did Mussolini want great power for Italy? As part of his foriegn policy…

Answer 1

Mussolini wanted to make Italy equal to Britain and France regarding power.

Question 2

Why did Mussolini want to conquer territory abroad ?

Answer 2

To strengthen the “Italian Empire”
- Adding Libya, Eritrea and Somaliland

Wanted to re establish the Roman Empire and wanted to be powerful like Britain

Question 3

What was the Locarno Treaty of 1925?

Answer 3

An effort to ease tension in EU

Conference attended by EU powers

Guaranteed peace among Western EU Powers (UK, Italy, France, Germany etc.)

Mussolini beginning to be involved in the major European meetings and felt established as a leader.

• had minimal impact for Italy

Question 4

A reason to Promote Italian Prestige ?

Answer 4

The embarrassment of WW1

• they needed to become established after a poor international image - according to Mussolini

Question 5

When did Italy join World war 2?

Answer 5

June 1940

Question 6

When was the Salo republic established?

Answer 6

September 1943

Question 7

When was Mussolini toppled from power (for the first time)?

Answer 7

July 1943

Question 8

When was Mussolini killed by partisans?

Answer 8

April 1945

Question 9

Name some of the Italian military defeats in world war 2

Answer 9

The invasion of Greece, the fall of Libya, the allied invasion of Sicily.

Question 10

When did Italy formally surrender to the allies?

Answer 10

September 1945

Question 11

How did the Germans react to the Italian defection from the Axis?

Answer 11

They sent whermacht troops into Italy to hold the frontline, disarmed Italian troops and occupied historically german Italian territory.

Question 12

When did Italy invade Abyssinia

Answer 12

1935 October

Question 13

What were Mussolini’s foreign policy aims

Answer 13

• Achieve’ great power’ status, making it an equal of Britain and France
• Promote Italian prestige abroad. Italy’s failures in the First World War had left the country with a poor international image and Mussolini sought to change that
• Address what Mussolini and the Fascists saw as the injustice of the Treaty of Versailles, the ‘mutilated victory’, and to gain Fiume and the Dodecanese Islands. This would enhance Mussolini’s reputation domestically and internationally.
• Establish Italian dominance in the Mediterranean despite the strength of French and British interest there
• Extend Italian influence in the Adriatic Sea and the Balkans, especially in Albania, a country already dependent on Italian financial support
• Conquer territory abroad and gain a strong empire like Britain and France, to add to Italy’s lands in Libya. Eritrea and Somaliland
• Achieve all these above aims in the name of the glory of fascism, to popularise fascism abroad and further increase Italy and Mussolini’s prestige.

Question 14

How did Mussolini believe Italy would become a great power

Answer 14

By expansion of Italian military forces, diplomacy and war.

Question 15

What happened as a result of the invasion of Abyssinia

Answer 15

It drew Mussolini closer to Hitler and Nazi Germany

Question 16

What were some of the reasons why Mussolini embarked upon the Abyssinian Campaign

Answer 16

• To satisfy Italian nationalist ambitions and bring the prestige of victory
• To avenge the Adowa humiliation of 1896
• To further build up Italys territory in East Africa
• To demonstrate that Italy was a great power and an imperial power
• To show Hitler that that Italy was a strong state
• As a propaganda victory for fascism
• To increase the regime’s popularity within Italy
• To find new markets for Italian products and sources of raw materials
• To develop colonies for Italians to move to

Question 17

When was the pact of steel signed

Answer 17

1939

Question 18

Who did Mussolini create a New empire with

Answer 18

Colonies in the Balkans, around the Mediterranean and in Africa

Question 19

What was the Salo Republic

Answer 19

It was established by the Nazis in northern Italy. Mussolini was made the head of this republic after he was rescued by German forces.

Question 20

Why was the power of Mussolini and the Salo republic limited

Answer 20

• Many Italians had completely lost faith in Mussolini and the Fascists
• The republic was heavily dependent upon German support.
• Mussolini was closely controlled by the Germans and was treated as a puppet leader
• Mussolini I had lost his charisma and was suffering from ill health
  By 1944 the partisans posed an increasing and serious threat to German forces and the Salo Republic

Question 21

When did Mussolini become head of the Salo republic

Answer 21

1943 September

Question 22

What was the Kellogg - Briand Pact

Answer 22

It was in 1928, it was meant to resolve conflict between nations. Further 56 nations signed the pact.

Question 23

Mussolini was portrayed as a model statesman who was supportive of Britian’s and France’s interests - how was this confirmed within his foreign policy

Answer 23

• Italy remained a member of the League of Nations
• Mussolini signed the Locarno treaties of 1925
• He signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928