Challenges To, And The Fall Of, The Fascist State 1935-46 Flashcards
1
Q
Foreign policy aims
A
- consolidate Italian rule in Libya + expand imperialism in Africa
- expand into the Med - currently controlled by Britain thus making Italy a prisoner of the sea
- transform Italy into a more militaristic society + become a Great Power + obtain spazio vitale - living space
2
Q
1922 foreign affairs
A
- travels to Switzerland + London to negotiate reparations issues
3
Q
Corfu incident
A
- August 1923 - Italian General Enrico Tellini murdered during inter-allied commission about border between Greece + Albania
- Mussolini accused Greek gov of financing + organising assassination
- ## demanded attendance of Greek gov at funeral in Athens + pay penalty of 50 million lire
4
Q
Italy bombs Corfu
A
- 31 August 1923 - bombs + occupies Corfu without warning
- celebrated by Italian nationalists + many elite + head of navy - Thaon di Revel
- League of Nations demanded end of occupation + deal with issue through international arbitration
- Italy’s Navy would barely last 48 hours if Britain acted
- 27 Sept 1923 - Italy left Corfu + got 50 million lire from Greece
5
Q
Consequences of Corfu Incident
A
- confrontation with Greece led to opposition from Lof N + accept that Italy was weaker than Great Powers
- domestic success = decisive ruler - contrast with weak liberal gov
6
Q
Fiume
A
- Jan 1924 - Yugoslavia recognised Fiume as part of Italy
- increased domestic popularity - historical significance of Fiume = symbolic
- Yugoslavia no longer needed Fiume as they created a greater port at Split
- in return = Italian recognition of Yugoslavian rule st Susak
7
Q
1925 Locarno Treaty Involvement
A
- Germany accepted the pre-war borders with Belgium + France
- ## Il Duce failed to link Locarno to Italian negotiations BUT his presence = accepted as equal to Great Powers
8
Q
Albania - Zogu
A
- Mussolini backed Ahmet Zogu’s accession to President 1925 + Zogu’s self-proclamation as King Zog I 1928
- support + bribery of Zogu = Albania became informal Italian protectorate - extended Italian influence
9
Q
Undermining Yugoslavia
A
- Yugoslavia was a barrier to Italy’s territorial ambitions
- M provided support to Croation Utasha + Macedonian nationalist movements that wanted to separate from the Yugoslav State
- 1934 - Croatian terrorists - financed + trained in Italy - assassinated Yugoslavian king Alexander
10
Q
Pacification of Libya 1929 - 32
A
- slow progress of Italian armies = kept out of media
- hired mercenaries from other African countries to control Libyan forces
- 1929 Marshal Badoglia took control of Italian forces
- began harsh starvation + mass execution + chemical warfare + concentration camps
- over 40k died in the concentration camps + 100k homes destroyed
11
Q
Relation with Britain
A
- 1915 Treaty of London + worked together in 1925 Locarno Pact negotiations
- Britain helped Italy with Albania as Italy pressured Turkey to give up Mosul to British colony of Iraq
- issues with control of Med + Corfu Incident + M gave support to pro-Italian groups in Malta
- 1927 revaluation of lira funded by British gov + world financial system controlled by West
12
Q
Relation with France
A
- majority of antifascist exiles settled in France + OVRA agents in France = suspicious of each other
- rival to Italian aims in Med + Africa
- french worried about Tunisia - French colony with large Italian population
- Italy prepared to work with France - Locarno Treaty
13
Q
Relation with Germany
A
- Mussolini supported nationalist groups who wanted to overthrow the Weimar Republic
- fear of Anschluss
- Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch inspired by Mussolini’s March on Rome
- Hitler + Mussolini exchanged letters in the 1930s - respected + supported each other
14
Q
Four Power Pact
A
- attempt to appease + control Germany + undermine League of Nations
- proposal to Hitler of parity of arms with Italy + possibility of territorial changes to T of V
- France + Britain + Germany + Italy
- signed on 15 July 1933 BUT not ratified by France + Britain - Czechoslovakia + Poland protested against it - fear of German expansion
- Hitler’s withdrawal from L of N + rearmament 1933 undermined the Four Power Pact
15
Q
Englebert Dolfuss
A
- July 1934 - Austrian Nazis assassinated Austrian Chancellor Dolfuss
- attempt to pursue Anschluss - not backed by Hitler - attempt to build relations with Mussolini
- Mussolini mobilised 4 divisions + moved equipment between Austria and Italy to the Brenner Frontier - refused Anschluss
16
Q
The Wal-Wal Incident 1934
A
-Abyssinians fired on Italians 80 miles within the border - Mussolini demanded an apology
- issue referred to the LofN but Italy prepared for war with Abyssinia
17
Q
The Stresa Front 1935
A
- background: Hitler announces rearmament in defiance of Versailles - Mussolini’s resources already dedicated to Africa
- joint resolution for peace + commitment to League of Nations - help with Germany in return for no action with Abyssinia
- Britain didn’t block the Suez Canal - British coal industry struggling - needed trade with Italy
- Laval would argue they had only agreed to Italy’s economic penetration of Abyssinia
18
Q
Why invade Abyssinia?
A
- last African country free of colonial rule - add to Cult of Il Duce
- planning for war helped economy - war-related contracts created jobs
- autarky - Abyssinia would provide raw materials + area for agricultural expansion + create export market
- southern Italian peasants would move and farm - ease pressure for land reform
- part of the greater radicalisation of policy to make Italy a more militaristic society - demonstration of aggressive fascist policy
- restore pride from defeat at battle of Adwa 1896 + dissuade Anschluss
19
Q
Hoare-Laval Pact
A
- December 1935 - British foreign minister Samuel Hoare + French foreign minister Pierre Laval
- secretly offered Italy 2/3 of Abyssinia in return for continuation of the Stresa Front
- offer was leaked = Hoare forced to resign - replaced by Eden who was hostile to Italy
- public outrage
20
Q
Invasion of Abyssinia
A
- October 1935 - Mussolini launched force of 400k men - seized Adwa + border towns quickly BUT progress slowed
- Nov 1935 - head of army De Bono replaced with Marshal Badoglia who led Libyan invasion
- mass aerial bombings +illegal chemical warfare + murder of prisoners of war
- 5 May 1936 - army entered capital of Abyssinia - Addis Ababa - 20 million Italians listened to 9 May Mussolini radio broadcast about victory of Abyssinia
21
Q
Positive consequences of invasion of Abyssinia
A
- LofN’s limited sanctions used as Italian propaganda = Mussolini was defying attempts to limit Italian power = great leader
- established Italy as a great power
- Church approved invasion as a civilising mission - even thought Abyssinians were Christian
- confirmed Mussolini’s belief that aggressive actions enhances his power - domestically + internationally
22
Q
Gold for the Patria
A
- December 1935 - Gold for the Patria campaign launched by Royal Family
- Queen Elena gave her wedding ring to melt into metal to help against sanctions
- thousands of women gave their rings - given steel rings to signify marriage to the nation
- idea of being wedded to nation = key concept of fascism
23
Q
Negative consequences of invasion of Abyssinia
A
- only approx 130k Italians settled in Abyssinia
- the colony didn’t provide much oil + raw materials for AUTARKY
- export markets never materialised - ONLY 2% of Italian trade went to Abyssinia
- illegal use of chemical warfare - changed perception of Mussolini as dangerous to European peace
- exposed weakness of LofN - encouraged Hitler’s ambitions
24
Q
Economic consequences of invasion of Abyssinia
A
- 2/3 of country not conquered - high costs to supply 250k troops
- lira devalued 40%
- budget deficit rose 2.5 Billion to 16 Billion
- problems from sanctions caused Italy to rely heavily on Germany
25
Q
Supposed weakness of France + Britain
A
- weak sanctions for Abyssinian invasion
- lack of punishment in March 1936 - Hitler moved troops into demilitarised Rhineland - defying Treaty of Versailles
26
Q
Reasons for intervention in the Spanish Civil War
A
- Hitler had committed forced to helping General Franco - leading right-wing forces against republican gov - backed by France + USSR
- move towards Germany = Britain would make concessions on Africa + Med for Italy - to stop Germany gaining power
- if Franco successful - Italy would gain strategic ally in the Med + gain naval bases in Balearic Islands
- help fuel the spread of authoritarian nationalist regimes = weaken communism + socialism
- Abyssinian war showed domestic benefits of war + increase cult of Il Duce
27
Q
Intervention figure
A
- 50k soldiers sent
- thousands of artillery and tanks
- 1.4K pilots
- 400 fighter planes
- 200 bombers
- 3k Italian soldiers dead + 11k wounded
28
Q
Economic consequences of Spanish Civil War
A
- cost approx 14 Billion lire - gov had to implement special taxes
- lira devalued further
- Italy’s foreign currency reserves halved
- caused further economic dependence on Germany
