Italy's International Standing in 1935 Flashcards
What were 6 of Mussolini’s foreign policy aims?
- The main one was for Italy to become a world power
- To stand up for territorial claims that Italy was not able to gain in the Treaty of Versailles
- To expand Italian imperialism in Africa
- To be more dominant in the Mediterranean Sea (Britain was, which made Italy a ‘prisoner of the sea’)
- To achieve the expansion of Italy’s ‘spazio vitale’ (living space)
- Extend Italian influence in the Balkans
To what degree can it be argued that Mussolini had clear foreign policy goals? What was his main motive when it came to foreign policy?
- He tended to be opportunistic
- He also usually took action for his own prestige (either at home or internationally), rather than for the gain of Italy
How did Mussolini’s actions towards countries differ?
- To countries like Britain and France, Mussolini showed that Italy was willing to work peacefully to gain its aims
- However, he was much more aggressive with smaller countries
Who was Enrico Tellini, and why was he important?
- He was an Italian general who had been leading a League of Nations mission to draw the border between Albania and Greece when he and his aides was murdered in August 1923
- Mussolini used his death to make several demands of the Greek government, and gave them only one day to accept his terms
List 5 of the demands Mussolini made of Greece after Tellini’s murder.
- Payment of 50 million lire as compensation within 5 days
- The arrest and execution of those responsible
- An official apology
- A salute by the Greek navy to the Italian flag
- The attendance of Greek government minsters at the funeral
How did the Greek government respond to Mussolini’s demands, and what did he do as a result?
- They refused
- Mussolini ordered for Corfu to be bombarded and occupied on 31st August 1923
How was the Corfu incident resolved?
- The League of Nations ordered Greece to pay the 50 million lire
- Britain, with the backing of other powers, demanded that Italy withdraw its troops from Corfu
- Since the Italian navy could not fight the British navy (di Revel predicted they would only last for 48 hours), Italian troops left Corfu in September 1923
Describe 2 reactions to the invasion of Corfu in Italy.
- Nationalists and political elites, including the head of the navy, Thaon di Revel, were pleased by it
- Mussolini was seen as a great ruler who was decisive, unlike the previous liberal governments, even after the withdrawal from Corfu
What foreign policy success did Mussolini experience in 1924?
- Yugoslavia recognised Fiume as being part of Italy (they did this as they had constructed a larger port elsewhere, so no longer needed Fiume and exchanged it for other disputed territory)
What was the reaction to the gaining of Fiume in Italy?
- Once again, it increased Mussolini’s popularity, since liberal governments had been unable to win Fiume for Italy
Which 2 pacts did Mussolini sign in the 1920s along with other European countries, and when?
- The Locarno Pact, 1925
- The Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928
What did the Locarno Pact stipulate, and what benefit did it have for Mussolini?
- It confirmed Germany’s western borders
- Mussolini’s invitation to such an important commission indicated that Italy was equal to the Great Powers (even though he had tried and failed to secure more land from Austria)
In what 4 ways did Italy increase its influence over Albania?
- In 1925, Mussolini gave Ahmet Zogu support to become president
- He also supported him in 1928, when he proclaimed himself King Zog I
- Mussolini also encouraged Italian companies to invest in Albania
- His support and bribery of Albania made it an informal Italian protectorate
What impact did Italy’s control over Albania have in the Balkans?
- It increased Italy’s influence in the Balkans, but at the expense of Yugoslavia
How else did Mussolini undermine Yugoslavia?
- He gave support to Croatian and Macedonian nationalist movements and a Croatian terrorist group
