Italy Topic 4

Question 1

Italy International standing

Answer 1

Italy had little international Influence Britain and France were the key world powers

Question 2

1935 foreign policy aims

Answer 2

Auurtarky
Militaristic nation
Establishing italy as a great power
Independent if the lira
Territorial expansion

Question 3

When was corfu ?

Answer 3

August 1923

Question 4

What happened at the incident of corfu?

Answer 4

Italian general Enrico fellini murdered while leading a commission
Mussolini blamed the Greeks and demanded a funeral service in the Catholicism Church if Athens and 50 million lira or the Italian army would invade corfu

31st August italy invaded but the league of nations with british backing demanded italy leave

Question 5

Why did the Italians leave corfu

Answer 5

Knew they did not have a chance against the british on the 27th September italy left corfu with the 50 million lira

Question 6

Was corfu a success or failure

Answer 6

Can be considered a success and failure as it forced the league of nations to accepting italys position as a great power alongside Britain and France
Shows mussolini was a dynamic ruler willing to take action

Question 7

What happened in yugislavia

Answer 7

Because yugoslavia recognised fiume as being part of italy they were prepared to give fiume formally

Question 8

Significance of yugoslavia

Answer 8

Commemorates the history of fiume [ dannuzio marched into fiume] the gaining this was domestic, earning mussolini popularity

Question 9

What happened in 1925

Answer 9

Mussolini attend the locarno meetings

Question 10

Significance of the meeting

Answer 10

The very fact mussolini was invited dicated to the Italian people that italy was accepted as a great power which contributed to his popularity.

Question 11

Describe what happened jn the balkans during 1924-26

Answer 11

Ahmed zog took power in Albarn in 1924 mussolini persuaded yugoslavia into accepting Italian ibfluence in the balkans . Italy gave the financial support for zog signed a treaty in 1926 agreeing Albania would become a satellite state

Question 12

Reactions with bristin frances and germany

Question 13

what was italys relationship with britain like in the beginning

Answer 13

italy and britain had good realtions mussolini was on good terms with british politicions sush as winston chruchill and neville chamberlain.

Britain aided italys intrest in albaina and italy persuaded turky to give up the rich oil town of monsul to the british colony of iraq.

Question 14

did britains and italys realtionship become strained ?

Answer 14

somewhat, italys territorial claims in the Mediterranean and the incident in corfu , their inability to stand up to british military power , italy also tried to undermine the british by supporting fascist groups in malta complicating their relationship italy also relied economically on britain in 1924 the revaluation of the lira relied in british funding

Question 15

what was frances and italys relationship like?

Answer 15

france and italy had an overly negative relationship, france angered by the OVRA operating infiltrating anti-fascist organisations. mussolini viewed the french as rivials due to their imperialist claims in africa but were willing to work as they were a great power eg, locarno pact 1925

Question 16

what was italys and germanys relationship like

Answer 16

during the weimar republic mussolino gave support to the nationalist groups who sough to undermine the republic , when hitler came to power mussolini was aprehensive beacue he was austrian and might seek to claim austra, [ anshluss] throughout the 1920s hitler and mussolni exchanged letters promisinf an alliance when they came to power.

Question 17

what was the stressa front

Answer 17

in 1935 germany formally annouced they were rearming although secrely they have been for 2 years. this was a direct threat to the TOV , so italy britain anf france called for a meeting at stressa

Question 18

what was discussed at stressa and what was the outcome

Answer 18

• all three critisised german rearment which went against the traty of versailles
• they agreed to co-operate to prevent countries from breaking previous peace treaties
  -reaffirmed their support for the locarno pact
  -agreed to support independ austria

the outcome was that the stressa front was vague and were not prepared to invade germany and there was division betwen the 3 powers with how to deal with germany.

Question 19

when was the invasion of Abyssinia

Answer 19

october 1935

Question 20

who led the invasion

Answer 20

marshal badoglio

Question 21

how many troops

Answer 21

400,000

Question 22

described the events

Answer 22

marshal badoglio and 400,000 troops , they used mass arial bombing and the illegal use of chemicals by 5th may 1936 italian troops conqured the capital addis ababa

Question 23

how did the league of nations respond

Answer 23

did not intervene during the invasion but..

banned weapons sales , sanctions on rubber,metal ,oil however the suez cannal remained open

Question 24

what were the positive impact of the invasion

Answer 24

mussolini was portrayed as a strong dynamic leader standing up to the great powers and european authority.

establisment of a fascist empire

to go against the sanctions the royal family launched the campaign ‘ gold for the patria campaign’ where the queen gave up her wedding ring to be melted many followed suit, switching to steel rings symbolic of the ties to the fascist state

Question 25

what was the aim of the invasion

Answer 25

to support the foreign policy of autarky and territorial expansion

Question 26

what were the negative impact of the invasion?

Answer 26

abyssina had not been fully conquered only 2/3 yet to be occupied

only 130,000 italian settled

hope for raw materials and minerals never actualy materialised

lira devalued by 40%

aprox death of 500,000 abyssinians

2% exports were going to abyssinia

16 billion in debt

Question 27

when was the spanish civil war

Answer 27

1936-39

Question 28

why did Italy intervene during the spanish civil war

Answer 28

because the league of nations and Britain and france did not intervene or punish hitler and, this added to Mussolini’s perception that britain and france are weak

Question 29

why did italy intervene pt 2

Answer 29

although not seeking a break with france and britain Mussolini believed

Question 30

what happened in spain in 1936?

Answer 30

In July 1936, a civil war began in Spain when a group who called themselves the Nationalists, led by General Francisco Franco, used force to overturn the left-wing government of the Spanish republic.

Question 31

why did italy move toward germany?

Answer 31

worsening relationship with britain and france and the break down of the stressa front and territorial expansion

italian economy became more dependant on 1936

Question 32

when did mussolini leave the league of nations

Answer 32

1937

Question 33

when did anschluss happen

Answer 33

march 1938

Question 34

describe the events of anschluss

Answer 34

Hitler made his move and crossed the border of austria , unlike 1934 mussolini made no attempt to stop the nazis, this was very unpopuler in italy

Question 35

when did hitler visit italy and what did he propose

Answer 35

hitler visited italy in may 1938 and proposed a full scale military allaince this was rejected

Question 36

what pact was signed in 1936

Answer 36

rome berlin axis pact

Question 37

what did mussolini face in italy

Answer 37

domestic tensions

Question 38

why was there domsestic tensions?

Answer 38

economical outcome and unpopuler policies

Question 39

describe the unpopuler policies

Question 40

describe the economical domestic tensions

Answer 40

in 1935-39, military spending increased by 80% this was hard on middle class income and savings

the quest for autarky meant that consumer goods were more expensive

the battle for grain contributed to worsening italian diet among the italian pop

Question 41

what did italy become reliant on

Answer 41

germany support for tje economy

Question 42

unpopuler policies

Answer 42

unpop policy which transported italian workers to germany by 1945 half a million

were treated very poorly,

Question 43

what did the transfer policy go against

Answer 43

went against mussolinis belief that italian speaking peopl should stay initaly with respect and dignity

Question 44

why was the military ridiculed

Answer 44

beacuse they were immitating the german goose step.

Question 45

what pact was signed in may 22nd 1939

Answer 45

the pact of steel

Question 46

what was the pact of steel

Answer 46

a formal agreement signed between germany and italy which stated military and econmic support as well as full commitment from italy should germany go to war

Question 47

why did italy remain neutral in 1939-40

Answer 47

did not want to commit to a losing side of war & the armys condition was not read for another costly european war already suffering debt from previous- abyssinia 16 billion

Question 48

to avoid shame on sitting on the sidelines what did mussolini demand

Answer 48

demanded : 6 mill coal, 2 mill tonnes of steel, 150 anti-aitcraft batteries, 17,000 trains to transport

Question 49

what did hitler release mussolini from?

Answer 49

understanding that the demands for goods was equivilant to neutrality mussoliji was released from his boligations from thepact of steel in regards of phycological support.

Question 50

what was the nazi soviet pact

Answer 50

signed 23rd august 1939, was a
non-aggression pact between USSR and germany , included the secret division of eastern europe

Question 51

what did mussolini view the nazi soviet pact as

Answer 51

a betrayal , he did not know of the negotions