M's foreign policy Flashcards
Why was M still angry at Britain and France despite the fact that he maintained a reasonably good relationship with them?
Because he was still mindful of the mutilated victory
What did he want to do to Italy’s international status?
At least the level of Britain and France
Why did M think that Italy was in line to replace Britain and France in terms of international dominance?
He thought that these countries were decadent and that the future lay with more virile nations such as fascist Italy
Why do some historians see the aggresive, adventurous foreign policy as a distraction?
They think that M thought that it would distract from economic issues and domestic policy failures at home
How had Italy had its international reputation damaged following WWI?
Due to its failures
Give an example of one of these failures
Caporetto (1917)
How did Italy redeem herself following Caporetto?
At the Battle of Vittorio Veneto in 1918
How did the British and French view their Italian allies during WWI?
As a liability
Give a quote from M where he talks about how war can be a force for improving ones character
He said it brings the stamp of nobility upon those who have the courage to wage it
How did Italians still feel towards the post war treaties?
Bitter
What did M know would happen if he could bring about a revision of these treaties?
It would increase his prestige both domestically and abroad
The status of which two places in particular needed to be settled in Italy’s favour?
Fiume and the Dodecanese Islands
What did M consider the Med to be?
Mare Nostrum, meaning ‘our sea’
What was M determined to do within the Med?
Achieve Italian dominance
Why would this be difficult?
Because both France and Britain had interests there
Explain France’s influence in the Med
France controlled the island of Corsica and the North African Coastline stretching across Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco
What two strategic points of entry into the Med did Britain control?
The Suez Canal and Gibraltar
Why would M need to proceed carefully in the Med?
Because both Britain and France were among the world’s greatest naval powers
The prospect of annexing which country was still tempting to M?
Albania - a country that was formerly party of the Ottoman Empire and that was still Islamic by religion and culture
Describe the geopolitical status of Albania from 1921
After a lengthy dispute between Italy, Greece and Yugoslavia, a regency council was appointed to rule over the country. Albania became a republic under the leadership of King Zog in 1925. The country was already economically dependent on Italy with its bank in Rome
Why was M keen to gain control of Albania?
So that he could use it as a stepping stone to extend Italian influence in the Balkans
Who was his main adversary in the region?
Greece
What did Britain and France both possess that M was especially jealous of?
Great colonial empires
What did he do as a result?
Sought to create an Italian overseas empire by conquest