Challenges to and fall of the fascist state
Mussolini’s early foreign policy
- aims = Italy as world power, militaristic people, control of Mediterranean, re-claim territory (thought was Italian)
- Mussolini tries ally with Britain and France in the beginning, in 1930s aggressive foreign policy: conflict with his allies
- economic problems = Italy had 75 destroyers and Britain had 146 in 1930
- Corfu 1923 – nationalists celebrated, opposition from LoN, forced to accept Italy’s position in relation to great powers
- Fiume 1924 – popular achievement due to D’Annunzio’s occupation, gains domestic rather than material
- Mussolini backed Zogu’s accession to president in Jan 1925 and in 1928 supported his self-proclamation as King Zog I.
In 1934 Croatian terrorists were financed by Italian fascists and provided with a training base in Italy, assassinated the
Yugoslavian king – powerful block to Italy’s territorial ambitions, influence expanded at expense of Yugoslavia
- Libya 1911 continued – brutal means i.e. use of poison gas (1/3 of population either killed or starved), ended in 1932
- Locarno treaties 1925 = Germany took place in League and accepts pre-WW1 borders – international co-operation and
peace, equal to world powers, failed to link Locarno negotiations on Italy and Austria’s borders
- Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 = meaningless international agreement – Italy involved in European meetings, policy broken
- Four Powers Pact = Mar 1933 Italy proposed pact with France, Britain and Germany
- overall = cautious in challenging GB etc, success to domestic popularity, greater improvements than other Italians
Relations with Britain, France and Germany
- Britain = allies in WW1 and Locarno pact, clashed over territorial claims in Med (GB dominated med), economically
dependent on Britain i.e. revaluation of lira 1927 only achieved with Britain’s funding
- France = anti-fascist exiles in France, viewed as a rival, power in med, imperialist aims in Africa, Mussolini understood
power and influence i.e. prepared to work with them
- Germany = Hitler and Mussolini exchange letters in early 1930s (German-Italian alliance if Hitler chancellor), in 4
powers pact Mussolini promised partial arms but never ratified by France + Britain, July 1934: Austrian attempted
Anschluss so Mussolini moved equipment to the Brenner Frontier between Italy and Austria
- 11th and 13th April = Mussolini met with French and British foreign ministers and PM at Stresa after Germany
announced military rearmament and attempted Nazi coup in Austria
- resulted in the 3 countries stating there would be peace and commitment to LoN – impaced Italy’s growing colonial
ambitions in Africa i.e. couldn’t invade Abyssinia
- June 1934: Laval the French foreign minister implicitly implied Mussolini could have Abyssinia - later said meant
economically rather than military
Abyssinia
- reasons = victory: prestige (defeat at Adwa 1896 remembered), hoped southern peasants would migrate, Mussolini
needs to pursue fascist direction (unification of Italian people in the glorification of fascism – aim since 1922)
- Oct 1935 – invasion launched with 400,000 men quickly seizing Adwa but slow progress after
- Nov 1935 Badoglio in charge – used mass aerial buildings, murder of prisoners of war, illegal poisonous chemicals
- 5th May 1936 reached capital - radio broadcast on 9 th May where Mussolini said they won with 20 million listening
- LoN banned weapon sales, sanctions on rubber and metal imports – if oil banned it might have had an impact
- 18th Dec 1935 ‘’Gold for the Patria’’ campaign – Queen Elena presented wedding ring to be melted down to help
campaign and others joined, given steel rings that symbolised marriage to nation, specially convened church services
- Abyssinia highest point of his dictatorship
- 2/3 of country still were to be occupied and 250,000 troops needed to fight an ongoing guerrilla war
- 500,000 Abyssinia dead and lira devalued by 40%
- showed weakness of Britain and France and encouraged Italy’s aggressive actions
Mussolini’s early foreign policy
- aims = Italy as world power, militaristic people, control of Mediterranean, re-claim territory (thought was Italian)
- Mussolini tries ally with Britain and France in the beginning, in 1930s aggressive foreign policy: conflict with his allies
- economic problems = Italy had 75 destroyers and Britain had 146 in 1930
- Corfu 1923 – nationalists celebrated, opposition from LoN, forced to accept Italy’s position in relation to great powers
- Fiume 1924 – popular achievement due to D’Annunzio’s occupation, gains domestic rather than material
- Mussolini backed Zogu’s accession to president in Jan 1925 and in 1928 supported his self-proclamation as King Zog I.
In 1934 Croatian terrorists were financed by Italian fascists and provided with a training base in Italy, assassinated the
Yugoslavian king – powerful block to Italy’s territorial ambitions, influence expanded at expense of Yugoslavia
- Libya 1911 continued – brutal means i.e. use of poison gas (1/3 of population either killed or starved), ended in 1932
- Locarno treaties 1925 = Germany took place in League and accepts pre-WW1 borders – international co-operation and
peace, equal to world powers, failed to link Locarno negotiations on Italy and Austria’s borders
- Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 = meaningless international agreement – Italy involved in European meetings, policy broken
- Four Powers Pact = Mar 1933 Italy proposed pact with France, Britain and Germany
- overall = cautious in challenging GB etc, success to domestic popularity, greater improvements than other Italians
Relations with Britain, France and Germany
- Britain = allies in WW1 and Locarno pact, clashed over territorial claims in Med (GB dominated med), economically
dependent on Britain i.e. revaluation of lira 1927 only achieved with Britain’s funding
- France = anti-fascist exiles in France, viewed as a rival, power in med, imperialist aims in Africa, Mussolini understood
power and influence i.e. prepared to work with them
- Germany = Hitler and Mussolini exchange letters in early 1930s (German-Italian alliance if Hitler chancellor), in 4
powers pact Mussolini promised partial arms but never ratified by France + Britain, July 1934: Austrian attempted
Anschluss so Mussolini moved equipment to the Brenner Frontier between Italy and Austria
- 11th and 13th April = Mussolini met with French and British foreign ministers and PM at Stresa after Germany
announced military rearmament and attempted Nazi coup in Austria
- resulted in the 3 countries stating there would be peace and commitment to LoN – impaced Italy’s growing colonial
ambitions in Africa i.e. couldn’t invade Abyssinia
- June 1934: Laval the French foreign minister implicitly implied Mussolini could have Abyssinia - later said meant
economically rather than military
Abyssinia
- reasons = victory: prestige (defeat at Adwa 1896 remembered), hoped southern peasants would migrate, Mussolini
needs to pursue fascist direction (unification of Italian people in the glorification of fascism – aim since 1922)
- Oct 1935 – invasion launched with 400,000 men quickly seizing Adwa but slow progress after
- Nov 1935 Badoglio in charge – used mass aerial buildings, murder of prisoners of war, illegal poisonous chemicals
- 5th May 1936 reached capital - radio broadcast on 9 th May where Mussolini said they won with 20 million listening
- LoN banned weapon sales, sanctions on rubber and metal imports – if oil banned it might have had an impact
- 18th Dec 1935 ‘’Gold for the Patria’’ campaign – Queen Elena presented wedding ring to be melted down to help
campaign and others joined, given steel rings that symbolised marriage to nation, specially convened church services
- Abyssinia highest point of his dictatorship
- 2/3 of country still were to be occupied and 250,000 troops needed to fight an ongoing guerrilla war
- 500,000 Abyssinia dead and lira devalued by 40%
- showed weakness of Britain and France and encouraged Italy’s aggressive actions
