Challenges To, And The Fall Of, The Fascist State (1935-46) Flashcards
What was Mussolini’s key goal
Strong foreign policy and assert Italy’s position as a world power and assert greater power for Italy in Mediterranean sea
Where did Mussolini want to assert power?
Mediterranean sea
Where did Mussolini first have to travel in relation to foreign affairs?
Switzerland and London
What happened with Greece in august 1923?
Mussolini attacks Greece in revenge for killing Italian officer. Demanded 50 million lira as an apology otherwise they would invade corfu
What happened on 31st August?
Italy bombarded corfu without warning and occupied island
Mussolini’s success in January 1924
Yugoslavia recognised Fiume as a part of Italy
Locarno treaty 1925
Saw Germany take its place in the League of Nations and accept the pre-first world war borders between itself and Belgium and france
Who was Italy expanding its economic links and political interference with
Albania
How many people were killed or starved to death in Libya
Around a third of population
Pacification of Libya
Ongoing colonial war in Libya , Badoglio took control for Italy and enforced brutal policy of starvation, execution, chemical warfare and concentration camps
What was Mussolini’s relationship with Britain, France and Germany driven by?
Driven by the contrast between the realities of Italy’s military and diplomatic position and the aims of Mussolini’s foreign policy
How did Mussolini try to undermine British power?
By supporting pro-Italian groups in Malta
How was Italy’s relationship with France affected
The majority of anti fascist exiles from Italy had settled there
What country were the French worried about?
Tunisia
What was Mussolini concerned about in Germany?
That a nationalist German government might seek to unite Austria and Germany (severe danger to Italy)
Anschluss
Political union between Austria and Germany
Who was involved in the Four Power Pact
Britain, France, Germany and Italy
What did Mussolini hope for the in the four power pact
To appease and control Germany at the same time
When was the four power pact signed
15 July 1933
When was the Austrian chancellor assassinated?
(Englebert Dolfuss) July 1934 Austrian Nazis assassinated him as they wanted to take over and pursue Anschluss with Germany
What did hitler do in March 1935
Openly announced germanys military rearmament that had secretly been going on for 2 years = direct threat to treaty of Versailles
What happened at Stresa
Mussolini met with British and french foreign ministers and prime ministers to discuss what to do
What did the stresa front do?
Issue a resolution stating the three countries’ Desiree for peace and continuing their commitment to the League of Nations
What was the stresa front
a coalition formed between Britain, France and Italy to oppose the foreign policy actions of Hitler
Why did Mussolini want to invade Abyssinia?
They were the last African country free of colonial rule, it would help the economy, linked to the idea of autarky hoping it would provide raw materials, was hoped south Italians would move there and take up farming land
What were the immediate consequences like for Mussolini in Abyssinia
Positive
What did hitler do in March 1936
Marched German troops into the demilitarised zone of the Rhineland
What side did Italian troops join in Spanish civil war
General Franco
What did Mussolini hope for with his foreign policy?
He hoped Italians would be transformed into a more militant, aggressive race who would claim Italy’s position as a dominant European power
Corfu incident
August 1923 = Enrico Tellini murdered while leading an inter-allied commission on drawing the border between Greece and Albania. Mussolini used to attack Greek government, demanded they attend a funeral service at a Catholic Church in Athens = publicly honour Italian flag and pay 50 million lira to Italy otherwise Italian army would invade corfu
Who demanded an end to the occupation of corfu
League of Nations
When did Italy leave corfu
27th September 1923
When does hitler rise to power?
1933
What were the French angry about
OVRA
Who did Mussolini give support towards in Germany
German nationalist groups which sought to undermine and overthrow the Weimar Republic
Who’s idea was the four power pact?
Hitler’s
Invasion of Abyssinia
400,000 men hoping for quick and decisive victory. Quickly seized adwa. Badoglio engaged in brutal war against Abyssinian arm. Around 20 million Italians listened on the radio. = positive for Mussolini who established Italy as great power (equal of Britain and France). Negative=not fully conquered, only 130,000 Italians settled there, lira devalued by 40%, actions demonstrated weakness of League of Nations,
What did Mussolini send into Spain?
50,000 soldiers, 1,400 pilots, 200 bombers
What was not anticipated by Mussolini?
Length of the civil war, 3,000 soldiers killed, 11,000 wounded, costed 14 billion lire
Hoare-Laval Pact
Britain and France’s secret agreement which allocated 2/3 of Abyssinia to Mussolini in return for maintenance of stress front. Press found out, public outraged so pact was dropped
Why did the British government not like Italy
Italian submarines pretending to be Spanish attacked and sank neutral shipping in the Mediterranean, 1938 = Italian bombing raid on Spanish ports sunk 11 British ships
Gentleman’s agreement
January 1937= confirmed status quo in the Mediterranean and limited Italy’s intervention in the Spanish civil war
Rome-Berlin Axis
1936, growing deterioration in relationship between Britain and Italy after the Abyssinian war which led Mussolini to strengthen relationship with nazi germany
Anti-Comintern pact
1937, Italy becomes a part of this with Germany and Japan which claimed to establish mutual support in case of aggression from the soviet union
When did Mussolini withdraw from League of Nations
December 1937
What was the point in the invasion of Albania
Compensation for letting hitler take Austria, Italy could show its power to Germany
Italian troops were disorganised, used weapons which had not been trained for, confirmed agressive nature of fascist italy
Pact of steel
May 1939, growing strength if the relationship between Germany and Italy = signed pact of steel
=Italy had to support Germany if Germany decided to go to war. Ciano said Italy not ready for war until at least 1943
When did Britain and France declare war on Germany
September 1939
When did Mussolini and Italy enter the war and on what side
May 1940 on the side of nazi Germany
Non-belligerent
not aggressive or engaged in a war or conflict.
What was the concept of a parallel war
Italy would concentrate on Mediterranean and Northern Africa whilst Germany would concentrate on northern, central and eastern europe
What happened between France and Italy during the war?
Italian troops advanced into French alps, troops lacked proper clothing for alpine war, airforce lacked bombs = 631 men died mainly from frostbite
Disaster at Greece
Mussolini assumed Greece had 30,000 troops so attacked with 60,000 but they had 300,000 soldiers. Attack was not coordinated with navy or air force, weather was a negative impact as Italian forces couldn’t cope with freezing conditions + heavy rain. Eventually had to call Greece for help, = humiliating as Germany defeated Greece in weeks
What was wrong with Italy’s military?
Italy had 35 divisions but only enough equipment to arm 35 of them
Rifles and cannons outdated (from ww1)
Language problems
Party of Action
New group including republicans, radicals and left-leaning liberals= anti fascism
How many political arrests were there made by Mussolini’s secret police in march and June 1943
1400
Allied invasion of Sicily
May 1943, axis troops in North Africa surrendered to allied forces under general Montgomery = route open for allies to mount an invasion into Sicily and from there to mainland Italy. July = British, American and commonwealth troops landed on Sicily. = little opposition, conquered half in a week. 19th July = Mussolini met with hitler and asked führer to transfer troops and arms from Russia to Mediterranean to help Italy but thus was refused. Same day = allied planes bobbed Rome = 1,500 killed= final straw and prompted removal from power
Which fascists raised the idea of seeking peace with allies?
Grandi and ciano
Who was Mussolini to be replaced by?
Marshal Badoglio
What happened after Mussolini’s meeting with the king?
Admiral Franco Maugeri put him in the back of ambulance and took him to prison
When did Italy surrender?
September 1943
Where did the king, Badoglio and top military leaders go?
South towards the allied forces leaving Italy in chaos
What city was taken over by the Germans?
Rome
When was Italy declared at war with Germany?
13th September
When did Rome fall to allied forces?
4th June 1944
Who rescued Mussolini from prison and when?
12th September 1945, by German commandos and was taken to Germany to meet with hitler
What did hitler demand from Mussolini
That he return to Italy at the head of a new fascist government that the nazis would establish. If Mussolini refused, hitler would have German forces destroy Milan, Genoa and Turin. = Mussolini spent 2 weeks in Germany establishing a new fascist government that would continue to fight alongside Germany and Turin
RSI
Formed by the foreign ministry and the ministry of popular culture established at a small town in lake Garda called salo
How much were the Germans paid by the new republic
7 billion lire a month
What did the salo republic do?
Brutal actions, 5 fascists sentenced to death including ciano for involvement in the grand council motion that had removed Mussolini from power
What was the new militia known as?
National republic guard (GNR), able to recruit 140,000 men
What was the new German policy
For every German that died, 10 Italians would be executed
Kingdom of south
A client state, a government with little in its own affairs and under control of allied occupation that expanded as the allies pushed north
Who replaced Badoglio and when?
Bonomi in 1944
When did Mussolini die and how?
28th April 1945, execution
