Fascist Foreign Policy

Question 1

What had Fascist pre-1935 foreign policy been focused on?

Answer 1

achieving ‘great power’ status, promoting Italian prestige, addressing the mutilated victory, developing dominance in the Mediterranean, and expanding imperialism in Africa.

Question 2

Who was killed on 27th August 1923? What did Mussolini demand?

Answer 2

Eurico Tellini, Mussolini demanded that the Greek government attend a Catholic funeral mass, honour the Italian flag and pay 50 million lire.

Question 3

When did Italian bombard Corfu and when did they occupy it until?

Answer 3

31 August 1923 - 27 September 1923 (when Greece had paid the 50 million lire).

Question 4

Why did Yugoslavia give Italy Fiume in January 1924?

Answer 4

They now had a greater port at Split and were given Susak in return.

Question 5

Which 1925 treaty showed that Italy was accepted into the ‘great powers’ of Europe?

Answer 5

the Locarno Treaty

Question 6

When was the Pacification of Libya achieved?

Answer 6

1932

Question 7

What controversial tactics did Marshall Badgolio use in Libya?

Answer 7

Starvation, mass execution, poison gas and concentration camps.

Question 8

How many Libyans died during the Pacification of Libya? Which countries were very critical?

Answer 8

1/3 died, Britain and France were both very critical.

Question 9

Who’s accession to president and later monarch in Albania did Mussolini support in 1934?

Answer 9

Zogu - King Zog

Question 10

Which nationalist movements in Yugoslavia did Italy support?

Answer 10

Croatian and Macedonian nationalist movements who wanted independence.

Question 11

What did Italian fascists finance in 1934?

Answer 11

The killing of King Alexander of Yugoslavia by Croatian terrorists.

Question 12

What did Italy host in 1935? What was its purpose?

Answer 12

The Stressa Front, to agree on a way to deal with Germany.

Question 13

How was the Stressa Front’s agreement weak?

Answer 13

It was very vague with no specific committments and Britain undermined it by signing the Anglo-German naval agreements.

Question 14

What was Mussolini particularily concerned about with regards to Nazi Germany?

Answer 14

The Anschluss with Austria

Question 15

When was the invasion of Abyssinia launched?

Answer 15

October 1935

Question 16

How many men were sent to Abyssinia and what did they manage to take?

Answer 16

400,000 men and they took border towns including Adowa - important after 1896 defeat.

Question 18

Who did Mussolini appoint as head of the army to replace De Bono?

Answer 18

Marshall Badgolio

Question 19

What tactics did Badgolio use in Abyssinia?

Answer 19

aerial bombings, killing POWs and illegal use of poison gas

Question 20

When did Mussolini announce the beginnings of the Fascist Empire?

Answer 20

On the 9th May in a broadcast to 2 million people. It followed the army entering Addis Ababa on the 5th May.

Question 21

What did the League of Nations impose on Italy following the invasion of Abyssinia?

Answer 21

Banned weapon sales and put sanctions on metal and rubber imports. Mussolini used these to draw these sanctions to draw parallels with the mutilated victory.

Question 22

Why were the sanctions after the invasion of Abyssinia weak?

Answer 22

Oil wasn’t affeacted and the Suez canal remained open.

Question 23

Who initiated the ‘Gold for Patria’ campaign in Dec. 1935?

Answer 23

Queen Elena gave her wedding ring to be melted down and thousands of other women followed suit and were given metal rings to symbolie marriage to the nation.

Question 24

What were the negative impacts of the Abyssinian War?

Answer 24

Drain on resources - 2/3 of country had not yet been occupied and 200,000 troops had to remain.
Trade never materialised - only 2% of Italian trade was with Abyssinia and only 130,000 Italians settled there and oil was never found.
The lira was devalued by 40% and budget deficit rose to 16 billion lire.
Britain and France were highly critical of tactics which had caused 500,000 Abyssinian deaths.
It showed the weakness of League of Nations and other great powers so gave Mussolini self-confidence.

Question 25

Why did Italy get inolved in the Spanish civil war?

Answer 25

Spain could be a strategic ally, to fight socialist forces and to gain greater Italian influence in the Mediterranean.

Question 26

When did Mussolini send 500,000 soldiers and an airforce to aid Franco?

Answer 26

July 1936

Question 27

What bad defeat did Italian forces suffer in the Spanish civil war?

Answer 27

Guadalajara (1937) ouside Madrid in an attack Franco had not authorised and in which the Republican army gain valuable equipment.

Question 28

When was the Rome-Berlin Axis announced?

Answer 28

November 1936

Question 29

Which pact did Italy join with Germany and Japan? What did it agree?

Answer 29

Anti-Comintern Pact, pledged support if any of the parties were threatened by the Soviet Union.

Question 30

When did Italy withdrew from the League of Nations?

Answer 30

1937

Question 31

When was the Anschluss?

Answer 31

March 1938

Question 32

What did Mussolini’s role appear to be at the Munich Conference, 1938?

Answer 32

Peacemaker between Britain+France and Germany. He helped Germany get the Sudetenland.

Question 33

When was the Pact of Steel signed and what did it agree?

Answer 33

22 May 1939, if there was a war there would be mutal assistance between the two countries, neither would agree peace terms without the other’s consent, there would be joint planning and propaganda, economic co-operation.

Question 34

What did Ribbentrop and Goering assure Mussolini and Ciano?

Answer 34

That they wouldn’t have to go to war for 3 years.

Question 35

When did Ribbentrop announce to Ciano that Germany was going to invade Poland?

Answer 35

11 August 1939

Question 36

What did Mussolini present Hitler with which lead Hitler to release Italy of its obligations the Pact of Steel on the 27th August?

Answer 36

A list of 170 million tonnes of goods that Italy would need to wgae war immediately.

Question 37

After being advised that France would soon fall on the 20th of June, what did Mussolini do in the 21st?

Answer 37

He invaded France on the side of the Axis powers and gained some territory but the armistice had already been agreed so he wasn’t invited to peace talks and only got Briancon and Modane.

Question 38

What did Italy and Germany agree as a tactic for the war?

Answer 38

To fight a parrallel war with Italy’s focus being Northern Africa, the Mediterranean and France.

Question 39

What happened when Italy tried to invade Greece via Albania?

Answer 39

They didn’t inform Hitler of their plans and he was annoyed. The Italian ambassador delivered an ultimatum to Greece on the 26th Oct. 1940 that they would occupy Greece inexchange for Greek neutrality. On the 28th 70,000 Italian troops invaded Greece but the resistance was strong and drove them back into Albania in DEember 1940. As the campaign was only supposed to last 2 weeks the soldiers were unprepared for winter. Marshall Badgolio was replaced and the british navy defeated the Italian navy at Cape Matapan in March 1941. The Germans invaded in Spring 1941.

Question 40

Why did fighting go badly in North Africa?

Answer 40

Mussolini ignored advice from his generals and overstretched his forces. In May 1941, the British captured Abyssinia.

Question 41

Why did fighting in WW2 go badly?

Answer 41

• Bad military strategy, e.g. still using C19th charges and no clear strategy, Mussolini ordered demoblisation a week before ordering the inavsion of Greece.
• Lack of resources - 35/80 divisions only had rifles from 1891.
• Italy was the only european country whose GDP didn’t increase and industrial production fell.
• Growing disillusionment as rationing was strict and bombings were frequent.
• The Party seemed absent and struggled to adapt to its role of civil defence and welfare.
• Mussolini made all decision so if he left Rome no decisions were made.

Question 42

What operation had a very high death toll and involved Italian troops?

Answer 42

Operation Barbarossa

Question 43

When did the USA join the war?

Answer 43

December 1941

Question 44

When did British, American and Commonwealth forces invade Sicilly?

Answer 44

9 July 1943