Italy Booklet 8- The Fall of the Fascist State 1940-1946 Flashcards

1
Q

Why did Mussolini choose to join the war alongside Nazi Germany in 1940?

A

There were very few risks as Germany appeared close to victory as France was about to collapse. He could gain land from Britain and France in peace treaties and as a nationalist, he didn’t want to stay neutral in the war. Importantly, he didn’t want to betray a German alliance for the second time as Hitler might then try and take back Austrian lands that Italy gained after WW1.

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2
Q

What events affecting Mussolini personally would have shaped his decision to enter the war?

A

He had openly criticised neutralists in WW1 and fascism itself was born on the battlefield so he would be a hypocrite to not get involved. The Pact of Steel also meant that Mussolini would be betraying a formal binding agreement which would anger Hitler. There was also an increase in opposition in Italy so he would want to appear strong.

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3
Q

Why couldn’t Mussolini side with Britain and France?

A

Italy had previously been ‘stabbed in the back’ by them for the humiliating Treaty of Versailles, France was on the brink of collapse, he had poor relations with them and Germany was now next door so Italy would be a direct target for Germany.

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4
Q

What did Italy do in France in WW2?

A

Italian troops advanced into the French Alps when France was very weak but the troops were completely unprepared and they only managed to capture 13 unimportant villages at the cost of 631 men.

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5
Q

When did France sign the armistice and why was this significant for Italy?

A

On 22nd June 1940 and Mussolini could claim it was because of Italy’s involvement but in reality the armistice saved Italy from further humiliation.

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6
Q

What happened in Africa between 1940 and 1941?

A

In late October 1940, Italian forces in Libya crossed into Egypt and towards the Suez Canal (British territory) however the British counter-attacked in December and in the first weeks of 1941, an Italian force of 250,000 were defeated by 30,000 better equipped British troops. By May 1941, Italy had lost Eritrea, Somalia and Abyssinia.

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7
Q

What halted the British advance in Libya and what did this end?

A

German troops were sent in to reinforce the Italian forces and this showed an end to the concept of a parallel war where Italy fought in the Mediterranean and Northern Africa while Germany fought in northern, central and eastern Europe. This was because Germany was having to get involved in areas where Germany hoped Italy would do the fighting.

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8
Q

Why did the invasion of Greece by Italy on 28th October 1940 fail?

A

Mussolini assumed Greece only had 30,000 troops when it actually had 300,000 so he only sent 60,000 Italian soldiers. Mussolini didn’t coordinate the attack with the navy or air force even though this was crucial for the seaborne invasion. The date chosen was poor because the weather conditions were extremely wet and freezing which bogged down the Italian forces.

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9
Q

What were the impacts of the invasion of Greece?

A

32,000 soldiers were killed and over 100,000 wounded. Greece counter attacked and took over a quarter of Albania. After 6 months, Mussolini had to ask Hitler for help and the Germans defeated the Greeks within weeks which was humiliating for Italy. Mussolini’s dictatorship was viewed as weaker than Greece, which wasn’t considered a European power. This helped to undermine Italian faith in the government and the Germans viewed the Italians with contempt.

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10
Q

How did Mussolini’s leadership cause Italy’s intervention in the war to be such a failure?

A
  • Mussolini’s multiple positions as head of different ministries meant they functioned less effectively.
  • Mussolini often took all major decisions without consulting military experts.
  • The government couldn’t make decisions if Mussolini wasn’t present- paralysed government.
  • Spent too much time in trivial matters like what was going to be included in the Rome opera season and he preferred to spend time with his young mistress.
  • Gave vague instructions.
  • Didn’t coordinate the army, navy and air force.
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11
Q

How did military weakness cause Italy’s intervention in the war to be such a failure?

A
  • Italy only had enough equipment to adequately arm 35 out of 75 divisions.
  • Many weapons used were from WW1 and so were outdated.
  • Rations and clothing were even worse than in WW1.
  • Language barriers between officers and peasant conscripts and low morale.
  • Outdated tactics, some from 19th century which were virtually suicidal by WW2.
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12
Q

How did economic weakness cause Italy’s intervention in the war to be such a failure?

A
  • Still had tens of thousands of unemployed workers.
  • Lacked fuel and raw materials- depended on Romanian oil and German coal.
  • Industry in the USA could produce more aircraft in a week than Italy could in a year.
  • Steel production actually decreased during the war to 1.7 million tonnes compared to Britain’s 14 million tonnes a year.
  • Germany estimated that the Italian economy was only operating at around 25% of its potential.
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13
Q

What did economic issues, rationing, shortages and Allied bombings lead to?

A

Italy saw its first strikes in over 18 years with 100,000 workers going on strike in Turin in 1943 which was organised by communist workers. The government agreed to increase the money for evacuees forced to leave their homes and it showed that communism and socialism were still influencing Italian workers.

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14
Q

What was the significance of anti-fascist groups resurfacing?

A

The illegal communist newspaper L’Unita reappeared in 1942 and new opposition groups were formed secretly- ‘Party of Action’ and ‘Christian Democrats’. Over 14,000 political arrests took place between March and June of 1943 alone. In April 1943, all groups, except for republicans agreed to work together against fascism which was the first time that the communists, socialists and Catholics had agreed to collaborate. None of these groups had the potential to overthrow fascism but the discussion of the removal of fascism was emerging.

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15
Q

What was the most significant opposition that Mussolini faced?

A

The conservative elite like the Vatican, military leaders, industrialists and the police began to consider how Mussolini might be deposed and Italy removed from the war. Although no action took place after 6 months of discussions because they didn’t want to provoke the Germans, it showed that Mussolini was becoming isolated as they were the groups that used to support him and the King did have the constitutional power to remove Mussolini. They also had the most power in Italy and so posed the greatest threat to him.

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16
Q

When and why was a meeting of the Fascist Grand Council called?

A

A deputation of fascists met with Mussolini on 16th July 1943 and convinced him to call a meeting on the 24th July 1943 after the Allied invasion of Sicily.

17
Q

What did Grandi do in the 8 days before the meeting?

A

He drafted a resolution that called for the removal of Mussolini and for the government to be placed in the King’s hands. He also tried to gain support for this among other fascist leaders and the police and military to ensure the vote for the resolution would be passed and that the police and military would support Mussolini’s removal.

18
Q

What happened at the Fascist Grand Council meeting?

A

Mussolini gave a rambled 2 hour speech about Italy’s military situation but the other fascist leaders spoke up and voiced their concerns and the resolution was voted on and passed by 19 votes to 7 after 9 hours of discussions. However Mussolini wasn’t too concerned about this as he didn’t have to accept votes from the Fascist Grand Council.

19
Q

What did the King do after the Grand Council meeting and why did this surprise Mussolini?

A

The King informed Mussolini that he was going to dismiss him and replace him with Marshal Badoglio. Mussolini was then taken to prison in an ambulance. This surprised Mussolini because he had effectively dominated the King for the last 20 years and was sure that the King wouldn’t act on the resolution.

20
Q

What did the Allies say that was a crucial reason why Mussolini was removed from power?

A

They said that they wouldn’t work with Italy on any alliances or cooperation while Mussolini was still in power.

21
Q

When did Mussolini return to Italy as head of the RSI (Republic of Salo)?

A

On 25th September 1943 after being rescued from prison by Hitler.

22
Q

How was the RSI controlled by Nazi Germany?

A

The Nazis appointed officials without consulting Mussolini and they forced the RSI to pay Germany 7 billion lire a month.

23
Q

What was the ideology like of the Republic of Salo?

A

Mussolini set up a cabinet of fascists who had been part of the blackshirt militia and the first congress of the new fascist party set out the Verona Manifesto that would take fascism back to its more left wing violent roots from 1919. However, he never had the support from the Germans to put any of his policies into place.

24
Q

What are some examples of violence in the Salo Republic?

A

In January 1944, 5 fascists were arrested and sentenced to death for treason for their involvement in the Grand Council meeting that got Mussolini removed from power. They organised the movement of all Jews into Nazi death camps (around 7,500). A new militia was formed (GNR) and by the start of 1944, it had 573,000 men in all of the armed forces.

25
Q

Who were the partisan forces?

A

They were armed anti-fascists and a brutal was was going on in the north between the partisans and the German and RSI forces.

26
Q

Who was largely in control of the Kingdom of the South?

A

The Allies although the King was technically in charge.

27
Q

What did the King do in the Kingdom of the South?

A

He left the Prefects and Podesta in place as these conservative elites were pro-monarchy and helped control the socialist unrest. He was also determined to resist a re-emergence of communism and socialism.

28
Q

What did the King and Badoglio do in September 1943?

A

They declared war on Germany but little attempt was made to organise an Italian contribution to the fighting. They tried to conscript 100,00 men but the conscription order was largely resisted and around 50,000 soldiers ended up fighting alongside the Allies. The Allies had occupied Rome by June 1944.

29
Q

Who replaced Badoglio as Prime Minister in the South in June 1944?

A

The anti-fascist liberal Ivanoe Bonomi.

30
Q

What was Ciano’s (foreign minister) attitude to war, Mussolini and the Germans shown through his diary entries?

A

He never approved of Italian intervention in the war. He was wary of Mussolini and his opinion of Mussolini worsened as the war went on. He called Mussolini delusional multiple times for thinking that Italy was stronger than it was. He never trusted the Germans and didn’t see why Mussolini was putting up with the poor treatment both he and Italy received.

31
Q

What was the outcome of the referendum in 1946 to see if Italy should remain a monarchy?

A

Even though the King abdicated in favour of his son, Umberto II because he had become unpopular for his inaction towards Mussolini, the Italian people voted for an end to the monarchy by 12.7 million votes to 10.7 million. Nearly every area in the North voted for a republic while the South voted to keep the monarchy.

32
Q

What was the result of the Constituent Assembly vote in 1946?

A

The Christian Democrats won with 207 of 556 seats with the PSI gaining 114 seats and the PCI gaining 104 seats.

33
Q

What did the new government establish?

A

A liberal democracy with civil and political freedoms guaranteed. The monarchy was replaced by a president as head of state and the rule of law under an independent judiciary system was introduced. However, the Lateran Pacts were also included and most of the prefects, police chiefs and deputies were still the same people who had worked for the fascist government.