Mussolini's Feistier Foreign Policy Flashcards
What added to Mussolini perception of a weak Britain and France?
- 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
When did Mussolini decide to join the Spanish civil war and on what side?
- July 1936
- Committed on the side of General Franco’s right wing forces against Spanish republican government
- Backed by France and the USSR
What had Mussolini hopes for in the Med?
- Gain a strategic ally in the Med and undermine France
- Wanted naval bases in the Balearic Islands
What were some motivations for M’s intervention in the Spanish civil war?
- 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)
Name some key stats of Italy’s intervention in the Spanish Civil War?
- 50,000 soldiers
- Thousands of artillery and tanks
- 1,400 pilots, 400 fighter planes and 200 bombers in Spain
What was Blitzkreig warfare?
- Lightning war
- Bombing Spain then using tanks then soldiers
- Germany rearming their airforce
What painting by Pablo Picasso emphasised the brutality felt by the people during the Spanish Civil War?
Guernica
- Bombed by Hitler April 27 in 1937
- Had no strategic military value and showed the brutality of Lightning Warfare
When did Franco win the Spanish Civil War?
- March 1939
- Went onto dominate until 1975
What were the political implications for Italy after the Spanish Civil War?
- 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
What were the military affects on Italy after the Spanish Civil War?
- 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
What were the socio-economic implications for Italy after the Spanish Civil War?
- 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
How did Italy attack Britain. in the Med?
- 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
What was the ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’ ?
- 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
How did Italy’s economic reliance on Germany change?
- 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)
When did Mussolini visit Berlin?
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