Mussolini's Feistier Foreign Policy Flashcards

1
Q

What added to Mussolini perception of a weak Britain and France?

A
  • Allowed remilitarisation of the Rhineland in 1936
  • Hitler openly defied T of V
  • M believed if he moved towards Germany, Britain and France might offer him some concessions in Africa and the Med
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2
Q

When did Mussolini decide to join the Spanish civil war and on what side?

A
  • July 1936
  • Committed on the side of General Franco’s right wing forces against Spanish republican government
  • Backed by France and the USSR
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3
Q

What had Mussolini hopes for in the Med?

A
  • Gain a strategic ally in the Med and undermine France

- Wanted naval bases in the Balearic Islands

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4
Q

What were some motivations for M’s intervention in the Spanish civil war?

A
  • Promote fascism through fighting alongside Germany and weaken left wing ideas
  • Enhance the cult of Il Duce at home (Abyssinian success)
  • Move more towards Germany (Rome-Berlin axis 1936)
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5
Q

Name some key stats of Italy’s intervention in the Spanish Civil War?

A
  • 50,000 soldiers
  • Thousands of artillery and tanks
  • 1,400 pilots, 400 fighter planes and 200 bombers in Spain
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6
Q

What was Blitzkreig warfare?

A
  • Lightning war
  • Bombing Spain then using tanks then soldiers
  • Germany rearming their airforce
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7
Q

What painting by Pablo Picasso emphasised the brutality felt by the people during the Spanish Civil War?

A

Guernica

  • Bombed by Hitler April 27 in 1937
  • Had no strategic military value and showed the brutality of Lightning Warfare
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8
Q

When did Franco win the Spanish Civil War?

A
  • March 1939

- Went onto dominate until 1975

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9
Q

What were the political implications for Italy after the Spanish Civil War?

A
  • M visited Berlin and saw 800,000 militaristic individuals cementing the dream of fascism
  • Franco determined to disallow M to take Spain
  • No one at home wanted to go to war, note economic impacts
  • Pushed more towards Germany
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10
Q

What were the military affects on Italy after the Spanish Civil War?

A
  • 3,266 killed, 11,000 wounded
  • Weaker in 1939 than 36
  • Failed to consolidate Africa due to troops tied up in Spain
  • Loss at Battle of Gudalajara showed military weakness
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11
Q

What were the socio-economic implications for Italy after the Spanish Civil War?

A
  • 1935+1939 80% of spending was on military
  • Lots of middle class workers incomes went down
  • Quest for autarky drove up prices
  • Poor diets due to the Battle for Grain
  • Discontent for involvement
  • 1/2 million left to Germany by 1945
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12
Q

How did Italy attack Britain. in the Med?

A
  • Italian submarines pretending to be Spanish attacked and sank neutral shipping in the Med
  • Early summer of 1938 Italian bombing raid on Spanish ports sunk 11 British ships
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13
Q

What was the ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’ ?

A
  • January 1937
  • Confirmed the status quo in the Mediterranean and limited Italian intervention in the Spanish civil war
  • In April 1938 Britain recognised Italys rule over Abyssinia
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14
Q

How did Italy’s economic reliance on Germany change?

A
  • 1936 onwards Italian exports became more reliant on German markets
  • They were happy to take over
  • Feb 1939 a new commercial treaty was signed (reliance on Germany)
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15
Q

When did Mussolini visit Berlin?

A

September 1937

  • 800,000 Germans came out to see him proclaim fascist values
  • He was impressed by the militaristic society that were behind the Führer
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16
Q

What was the Anti-Comintern Pact?

A

November 1937

  • A pact with Germany and Japan for mutual support against an invasion from the Soviet Union
  • Aimed at Britain as much as it was aimed at the USSR
17
Q

What were the effects of the Anti-Comintern Pact?

A
  • Mussolini still bargaining with both sides and wanted Med concessions from Britain
  • He wanted a radicalised society like Germany
18
Q

When did Italy withdraw from the League of Nations?

A

December 1937

  • Showed he was evidently becoming more radicalised
  • A breakdown of the Stresa front
  • M believed the league worked against Italy and did not coincide with fascism
19
Q

When did Hitler begin Anschluss and how did this affect Mussolini?

A

March 1938

  • Mussolini allowed this to happen and domestic unpopularity of having Germany on border to Italy
  • Italy losing independence and becoming German satellite state
  • Hitler was now the more powerful leader and was celebrated when he visited in May 1938
20
Q

How were Italian relations after Anschluss?

A
  • Still trying to negotiate between Britain and France
  • Denied a full scale military alliance w/ Germany
  • Foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano discussed possible Italian neutrality when Hitler wanting to invade Czechoslovakia
21
Q

When was the Munich conference and what did Italy do?

A

September 1938

  • Mussolini played an important role to broker the deal that gave Germany the Sudetenland
  • Made Mussolini a hero of peace (despite fascism being about militancy tf?)
  • Weakened democratic powers and secured future of Europe as fascist
22
Q

When did Italy invade Albania and why?

A

April 1939

  • Albania was practically in control by 1939
  • They were reliant on loans from Italy and
  • Compensate Italy for Anschluss
  • Ciano thought Albania was good economically and settling 2 million Italians there
23
Q

What were the troops like in Albania?

A
  • Troops were disorganised and using weapons they did not train with
  • Poor co-ordination between the army, navy and air force
24
Q

When was the Pact of Steel signed and what was it?

A

22nd May 1939

  • Accepted full support for Germany
  • Gave up on the Med as it would raise conflict
25
Q

What were the terms of the Pact of Steel?

A
  • Drafted by Germany, it was about military and economic co-operation
  • Article 3 stated they would commit to helping German in a time of war
  • Ciano told Ribbentrop he doesn’t think that they’ll be ready for war before 1943
  • 11th August at Salzburg conference they were shocked when Germany wanted to invade Poland
26
Q

What was the impact of the Pact of Steel?

A
  • Confirmed and cemented the move towards Germany

- He knew the allies could not offer anything so he moved towards Germany

27
Q

What did Hitler do to contravene the Anti-Comintern Pact?

A
  • 23rd August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact

- Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence in eastern Europe

28
Q

Why was Intervention a troubling issue for Mussolini?

A
  • He could not afford a costly war
  • He hated the neutrality from the liberal government
  • Contrary to fascism being about militarism and fighting
29
Q

What were the requests from Mussolino to Hitler to get involved in the war?

A

26th August:

  • 170 million tonnes of goods
  • 2 million tonnes of steel and 6 million tonnes of coal
  • 150 anti-aircraft batteries
  • Would need 17,000 trains to transport this all
30
Q

When did Hitler relieve Mussolini of his duties in the Pact of Steel?

A

27th August

- Asked for psychological support and military measures when necessary

31
Q

What term did Mussolini use instead of neutrality?

A
  • Entire Fascist Grand Council and General Franco told him to stay neutral
  • He used the term non-belligerence
  • As Germany swept across Europe, Roosevelt sent his envoy Sumner Wells to encourage neutrality
32
Q

When Mussolini did want to intervene what choices did he struggle with?

A
  • Unsure about siding with Britain and France
  • May 1940 Germany conquer Holland and Belgium making his options more limited
  • 26th May he met with Marshall Badoglio and informed he believed Germany would win by September
33
Q

When did Mussolini decide to enter WW2?

A
  • 10th June 1940 joined on the side of Nazi Germany

- Ciano was very upset, he wrote “May God help Italy”