The End Flashcards
1
Q
When did moves to depose Mussolini begin?
(3)
A
- late 1942, Dino Grandi and Ciano discussed peace with the Allies; told an armistice would not be offered if Mussolini was in power
- only the King could depose Mussolini; early 1943 the King discussed his plan for the monarchy to take constitutional and military powers to replace Mussolini with the King
- King opened up secret talks with the Allies through the Vatican; May 1943, Roosevelt’s negotiator made it clear the USA would only negotiate a peace deal if Mussolini was dismissed
2
Q
What events set up the deposition of Mussolini?
(5)
A
- forced to act by the Allied invasion of Sicily
- 16th July 1943, a deputation of fascists met Mussolini and convinced him to call a Grand Council meeting on 24th July]
- Grandi drafted a resolution calling for the removal of Mussolini + government to be placed in the King’s hands, and gathering support from other fascists to ensure the vote would pass
- King’s advisors, army generals, heads of police all informed (crucial support)
- King only accepted the decision to remove Mussolini a few days before the Grand Council meeting
3
Q
What happened at the Fascist Grand Council meeting?
(part of Mussolini’s deposition)
A
24th July 1943, Grand Council meeting;
- Grandi brought in 2 hidden grenades
- Mussolini opened with a long, rambling speech for 2hrs
- then other fascists voiced their concerns
- 9hrs later, Grandi’s resolution passed 19 votes to 7
4
Q
Why was Grandi so nervous about the Grand Council meeting?
(4)
A
- Grand Council had not met since September 1939
- Mussolini had the final say; did not have to accept the vote of the Grand Council
- Mussolini could order the arrest of any fascists that opposed him
- unsure the King would follow through
5
Q
How did Mussolini’s deposition take place?
(3)
A
- 25th July 1943, Mussolini met the King for their regular meeting; widely thought Mussolini hoped for some concessions from the King (eg. give up military control but remain head of government)
- King informed Mussolini that he had decided to dismiss him and replace him with Marshal Bagdolio
- Mussolini attempted to leave the meeting but was met by Admiral Maugeri; placed him in an ambulance that took him to prison
6
Q
Why did the Allies invade mainland Italy?
(4)
A
- intially did not plan to; not to divert attention from main focus of northern France
- Churchill convinced Americans to invade; to acquire more airfields, open a second front in the Balkans and Aegean, help invasion of France by tying up important parts of the German military in Italy
- hoped the invasion would be quick; thought Rome could be taken by Christmas –> flase, long war of attrition
- little evidence that German forces would defend southern Italy; appeared to be drawn back north of Rome
7
Q
What happened to the government following Mussolini’s deposition?
(3)
A
- King placed control of Italy and its armed forces in Marshal Badoglio
- 3rd September 1943, Badoglio signed Italy’s surrender to the Allies; promised to hand over all Italian ports, navy, airfields, and army , and guaranteed assisstance of 60,000 Italian troops based around Rome
- 8th Sept, surrender made public; clear that neither Badoglio or King had done anything to put terms in place, Italian troops only ordered to retaliate if attacked
8
Q
Why did Italian troops have differing reactions to the Allied invasion?
(3)
A
- despite terms of surrender, had only been commanded to retaliate if attacked; vague as had been fighting with Germans until then
- some surrendered (over 1mil taken prisoner), some tried to get home, some wanted to continue fighting alongside Germans
- on Greek islands, German and Italian forces began fighting; 1,200 Italians killed, 4,800 shot for resisting German Army
9
Q
How did Germany react to the Allied invasion of mainland Italy?
(+ how this played out) (5)
A
- 9th Sept 1943, more German forced began to enter Italy
- King, Badoglio, and other military leaders fled south towards the Allies
- Italian command refused to order Italian army to fight Germans not to incite Germans to harm Italian civilian
- therefore, Rome poorly defended and overtaken by German troops
- 13th Sept 1943, Italy announced it was at war with Germany
10
Q
What was the nature of fighting during the Allied invasion of mainland Italy?
(6)
A
- Allies bogged down in slow + difficult war of attrition; took 9 months to capture Rome (not 4) on 4th June 1944
- Allied advance hampered by weather (wet, cold) and geography (much fighting in Apennine Mountains)
- German army destroyed bridges and mountain passes in their retreat
- after 8 months, Allied army further depleated as troops transferred to France
- fighting for the north of Italy continued until 2nd May 1945
- parallel to Italian civil war between fascists and antifascists
11
Q
How did Mussolini return?
(4)
A
- 28th Aug 1943, placed in a prison on Gran Sasso = extremely isolated
- 12th Sept 1943, Mussolini rescued by German commandoes in an aerial raid, brought back to Germany
- 13th Sept, met with Hitler; told to return to Italy as the head of a new fascist government established by the Nazis
–> if he refused, Hitler promised to destroy Milan, Genoa, and Turin - Mussolini stayed in Germany for 2 weeks; made radio broadcasts announcing the establishment of a new fascist government that would continue to fight with Germany + Japan
12
Q
How was the RSI set up?
(7)
A
- RSI = Repubblica Sociale Italiana
- 25th Sept 1943, Mussolini established Gargano (Lake Garda) as capital of his new state
- Nazi puppet state; appointed officials without consulting Mussolini and forced to pay Germany 7 billion lire per month
- Germans ensured government bodies were spread out across 100 miles to hinder efficiency
- Foreign Ministry + Ministry of Popular Culture established in Salo = Salo Republic
- controlled the richest, most populated areas of Italy (Piedmont, Liguria, Veneto, Emilia)
- Mussolini established a new cabinet of radical fascists (largely old blackshirts who wanted to return to violence)
13
Q
What were the policies of the RSI?
(6)
A
14th Nov 1943, first congress of the new fascist party was held in Verona; drew up Verona manifesto;
- returned fascism to its original policies from the 1919 programme
- anticlerical
- industry to be mostly nationalised
- cooperative state run by workers and management; 12th Feb 1944, private companies with over 100 employees or 1mil lire in capital to be managed equally by workers and employees like all state-owned industry
- –> never had time, support, or willingness of Germans to put these policies into place
14
Q
What was terror like in the RSI?
(6)
A
- Jan 1944, 18 fascists sentenced to death (13 in absentia) for treason (their involvement in Mussolini’s deposition); executed on the 11th Jan
- Verona Manifesto classed Judaism as a nationality and all Jews as enemies of the state
- RSI fascists actively assisted German plans to send all Jews to death camps; 7,500 Jews from Italian camps sent to Nazi death camps in eastern Europe where 7,000 were executed
- northern Italians terrorised to ensure they wouldn’t shelter partisan soldiers and report them if seen
- German policy stated that for every dead German soldier, 10 Italians would be executed; March 1944, Partisan attacks killed 33 German soldiers caused the execution of 335 Italians
- Of all civilian executions in north Italy during WWII, estimated that only 10% carried out by RSI forces independently
15
Q
What were the RSI’s forces like?
(3)
A
- GNR (National Republican Guard), new militia, formed; recruited 140,000 men
- army of 200,000 men, also had a navy, air-force, anti-aircraft service
- overall 573,000 men in RSI’s armed forces; much greater than antifascist partisan forces
- RSI’s army primarily fought partisans, rarely fought alongside German army
