Impact of Second World War + Restoration of Democracy Flashcards

Question

details of defeat in russia

Answer 1

-declared war on USSR and US in 1941 -over 200,000 italians saw service in russia -best men and equipment sent to east front rather than north africa where they couldve tipped favour to axis powers

Answer 2

2000 built in 1939 compared to 7900 by britain

Answer 3

1941 only spent 23% on military, british spent 52%

Answer 4

* Equipment was inferior in quality and quantity * Spanish civil war and Abyssinia drained resources, only weaker in 1940 than 5 yrs earlier * Couldn’t produce sufficient amount of equipment to support war * 2000 aircraft built in 1939 compared to 7,900 by Britain * Italian fighter planes slower than British, quickly withdrawn in battle, had no long range bombers * 1941 only 23% GDP spent on war effort, Britain spent 52% of GDP on war effort * Italy more well prepared in ww1 when liberal government could allocate 40% GDP on war * Shortage of raw materials meant 1942 industrial production fell when other countries were preparing further

Answer 5

* No system of meritocracy * Longest serving soldiers offered promotions rather than the most talented * Levels of training far below other nations, little trust between officers and men * Low morale, peasant soldiers no idea what they fighting for * Anti fascist groups emerging but scale of operations limited, police reports before Mussolini fell in July don’t show that state was about to collapse as a result of revolution * Image as a great leader destroyed from continuous losses, public opinion turned against him as soon as civilians began to suffer too * No plans for rationing, when introduced it was inadequate and forced people on the black market * Tension when he sent workers to Germany as forced labour in exchange for raw materials * There were bread riots and strikes involving over 100,000 broke out mar 1943 * No preparation for evacuation of cities, was the only country whose morale plummeted rather than stiffened * Failure to mobilise nation result of neutralising fascist party, couldn’t rely on old guard of fascist supporters since they pushed aside over the years

Answer 6

* 9 july 1943 allies invaded sicily * Germans and italians deceived into thinking Greece was the target and not sicily * Minimal resistance but germans and italians evacuated to main land * Sparked crisis in rome, conservative elite desperate to make peace with allies, they needed to remove Mussolini from power * If they stuck to him any longer theyd go down with him, if they had got peace ad took control of the state then they may have avoided the allowance of communists to take control

Answer 7

* July 1943 * Self confidence evaporated * Leading fascist conspirator Grandi planning to dispose of him since 1942 when obvious theyd lose the war, gained support of fellow fascists (king, army, police chiefs) * Resolution to remove Mussolini passed by 19 votes to 7 * Mussolini went to the king thinking he still supported him and could sack the fascists against him * King decided to have him arrested, Mussolini accepted fate * Fascist militia didn’t help him, no demonstration of support for Mussolini

Answer 8

may 1945 after hitler committed suicide

Answer 9

* King appointed Badoglio as PM, was to negotiate italys surrender to allies and promised to hand over airforce and navy and defend rome from german occupation * When italians surrendered in September, badoglios confused orders led to chaos, some surrendered to germans and others quit and left for home, others still fought back * Instead of defending rome, garrisons ordered to abandon the capital and escort the king and senior commanders south to the allies * King more concerned about securing own safety and his desertion of rome to the germans regarded as an act of betrayal * Interval between mussolinis fall in July and announcement of surrender in September gave germans time to prepare occupation of Italy * Allies hoped to capture rome in 4 months, took 9 * Churchill justified campaign on the grounds that Italy was the “soft underbelly” of the axis, harder to fight than anticipated due to mountainous geography/winterweather/restricted ability to outflank enemy * They had good defensive positions for the germans, allies hampered with prioritisation of resources given to the invasion of France * Rome captured in June 1944, take another 11 months of fighting as germans retreated and slowed ally advance * War in Italy over in may 1945 after Hitler committed suicide * +brutal civil war between mussolini’s new social republic and antifascist partisans

Answer 10

* Italian social republic (RSI)/ Salo republic set up as a puppet government of the germans who appointed most officials, declared itself anti-monarchist and anti-clerical * Mussolini claimed to be returning fascism in its original radical roots as advocated in 1919 * Germans not interested In supporting RSI corporative ideals , germans ensured that RSI would give cover for exploitation of northern italys resources to feed nazy war machine * Salo republic took revenge on several jul 1943 plotters in grand council by executing them e.g. Ciano * Organised deportation of italian jews to nazi death camps

Answer 11

* RSI not popular, more clear that Germany was losing war * But still managed to recruit army and militia of over 500,000 men which was over triple the numbers who joined anti-fascist partisan forces * Several thousand italians volunteere for german waffen SS * Civil war broke out-communists formed among partisans, most italians tried to just survive and hold out until allies won war, avoiding conflict difficult tho when survival meant helping either or both sides for info/food/shelter * Neutrality not an option, germans adopted policy of executing 10 italians for every german soldier killed * Fater 1945 italians preferred to forget abt compromised they made, present themselves as victims * 30,000 fascists rounded up and shot

Answer 12

* King declared war on Germany, made a royal government but was just a client state under the allies * Allies spoke abt purging government of those associated with fascism, most of conservative elite maintained positions of power, main concern was to resist socialism * Emmanuels government lacked credibility, shown when only hald number of those conscripted actually turned up, of them no many actually fought against germans * King tried to broaden support by replacing Badoglio with Bonomi, was still too tainted by relationship with Mussolini and flight from rome in sept 1943 to command much respect * Many in south looked to allied forces and americans to provide them with their needs

Answer 13

* 28 april 1945 * German army in Italy about to surrender, many germans trying to escape back home via the alps * Mussolini joined a group on the way to Switzerland but when stopped by partisans he was discovered * Shot the next day with his mistress Clara Petacci and other fascists

Answer 14

28 apr 1945

Answer 15

* 1946 * War Left Italy divided, antifascist forces/communists and socialists and Christian democrats made foundations of a new Italy on the values of “resistance”, excluded those who supported the RSI/ majority of italians who didn’t back partisans * Despite abdicating for his son Umberto III, monarchy was rejected in a referendum by 13 mill to 11 mill votes (54% to 46%) * Decisive but not overwhelmingly victory for republic * Revealed north south divide was even sharper

Answer 16

* Results showed polarised nature of popular opinion, conservative Christian democrats won 207/556 seats, socialists won 115 seats, communists won 104 seats * Coalition formed between them, didn’t last long * As cold war developed and marshall plan money pumped to help a capitalist economy, support for communists and socialists depleted, so Christian democrats held majority in long term * New constitution made liberal democracy with civil liberties e.g. freedom of speech * Monarchy replaced by elected president, independent judiciary introduced * Remnants of fascist era survived e.g. lateran pacts remained, prefects and police chiefs the same ppl into the 1950s who served Mussolini * Mussolini’s tomb in predappio became a shrine to neofascists

Answer 17

conservative Christian democrats won 207/556 seats, socialists won 115 seats, communists won 104 seats

Answer 18

monarchy was rejected in a referendum by 13 mill to 11 mill votes (54% to 46%)