WWII Italy and Germany Flashcards
A survey in post-war Germany revealed what?
That air raids were the worst thing/experience they had to bear during the war
How did the Italian and German governments differ in their treatment of air raids?
There is evidence that the Nazi government sought to compensate those affected by bombings and create an ethos of equality and sacrifice which was beyond the Fascist authorities in Italy and so they could neither prevent or alleviate effects
Were big cities in Italy bombed?
Florence and Venice never bombed, Rome only once
Where were air raids concentrated in Italy?
In the South and Sicily, more specifically port-cities servicing military campaigns in North Africa and the internal industrial triangle
When did Northern Italian citizens suffer?
Northern cities suffered worst in autumn 1942 -
they used a heavier calibre of bombs and the Allies flew in larger formations
More bombs fell on Genoa in 20 minutes than did in Naples for the whole of 1943
What did bombing raids on Northern industrial areas do?
Bombing raids on northern industrial areas in November and December 1942 led to a 20% loss of production in war industries that were already operating below capacity thanks to a shortage in energy and raw materials
Not only this, but physical damage and constant interruptions to shifts accompanied by the need to commute thanks to evacuation
What did Mussolini admit in 1943?
That Turin factories working at only 50% capacity
Why did bombings exacerbate social problems?
As people’s rest time and free time evaporated - they had no sleep due to raids and they were forced to spend time trying to find food once shops were destroyed or damaged
In Italy, how were evacuations affected by class?
The rich fled first - able to prolong vacations in their countryside homes or could simply afford accommodation outside the cities. They could also evacuate efficiently with a car rather than by foot or by bike
This was a source of resentment and social division
Why was evacuation so difficult for workers financially?
Workers continued to pay rent on their damaged or threatened properties whilst having to find and pay for accommodation outside of the cities
What was the situation like for commuters in Turin?
In Turin, industrial workers faced a commute of up to 12 hours a day - coupled with overcrowded suburban transport to work in threatened factories - many exhausted their savings and loans - the poorest never left, sleeping under bridges
July 1943, 384,000 (50% pop.), 100,000 of which were commuters
Why was evacuation difficult for those in the countryside?
Sometimes social mixing went well - other times it created unnecessary strain on rural society and its resources as it was the commune’s responsibility to house and feed evacuees whilst competing with dwindling food supplies
Feed for cattle inadequate and malnourished cows meant less milk
This sparked popular protest
Supplies for January 1943 did not arrive till April and even then they were inadequate
Italians held who responsible for the air raids? What did this lead to?
People held the Duce and the regime responsible, not the Americans
One woman wrote that she hoped the Duce had cancer in a letter to her husband working in Germany, 1942
What happened in March 1943?
Industrial workers’ strikes of March 1943: first significant mass protests in Fascist Italy for 20 years- strikes the heart of Fascism which was supposed to suppress socialist revolution and working-class agitation and organisation
It demonstrated that the regime was weakened and losing its grip
Strikes began in Turin then spread - overall c.100,000 involved
Deliberately small-scale to test the limit under totalitarianism - involved a sit-down strike where workers stopped for an hour or so
What was the immediate issue in March 1943 Italy?
Wanted the payments for workers and their families (envisaged for) bombed out of their homes extended to all industrial workers - related social and economic grievances
