Summary IB History Paper 1: German and Italian Expansion

Paper 1 History: Italy and Germany
2.1 Impact of fascism on Italian foreign policy (1870-1933)

 Was not unified until 1861
o North was wealthy, south was poor more agricultural
o General strikes
o No labour union for a breif period
 Rise in nationalism
 Unstable government
 Liberal Italy
o Democratice state, individual rights are protected by law
 Mussolini’s rise to power
 Lack of national identity
o North (Piedmont) was wealth and dominant
o South, backwards
o Last unified in ancient times
o Italian Nationalist Party (larger italian empire) (great powers of europe)
 Catholic Church
o Seperation of Church and State
 Working class protest
o Liberal work force
o Working class movemnts (labour movements) (socialist movements)
 Takes part of the carving up of Africa
o Italy has the horn of africa (Somalia and Eritrea)
o Abyssinia between Somalia and Eritrea
o Late 19th century went to war to get Abyssinia, lost (1896)
o Want to avenge the defeat
 Nationalists want a war with the Ottoman empire
o 1911-12
o Gain terrotory
o Win- gain Libya
 WW1
o Two alliances
o Italy was with the tripple alliance (Germany and AustroHungary)
(defensive alliance)
o Did not need to join
o Was encouraged to join on the Entente side (France, GB, Russia)
 Can then take italian speaking areas in austria (South tirol)
o April 1915 Italy joins with the Treaty of London
 Italy was promised some territory
 Some of Austro-Hungary and coastal areas (Dalmatia)
 Deep political division in Italy
o Socialst believe it was a capitalist war
 Should not be taking part in it
 Benito Mussolini- leader of Italian Socialist Party (PNF)
 Believes that Italy should fight and win the war to create an empire
o WW1 was a political and demographic disaster

,  600,000 died
 Trench warfare
 many 100,000s more injured
 Further divide italy
 Greater industrial workers, larger trade union
 Mussolini: Fascist Party

1. Strong supporter of Nationalism
2. Militarism (Violence) (War can revialize the state)
3. Social Unity (Emergent properties Biology)
4. Superior to other nations (Social Darwinism)
5. Authoritariansim (obedience) (Collectivistic society)
 Post WW1: liberals loose control of the state (Muliparty state)

o Coalistion parties
o Treaty of Versailles (ended WW1)
o Treaty of St Germain 1919 (Ended war with Austria)
 Only gets 3/5 of the promised areas in the Treaty of London 1915
 Does not get Dalmatia and Colonies
 PM Orlando resigns in shame
 Leads to growth of Fascism
 Unemployment
 Poor people are stuck in Italy due to immigaration acts in US
o Bolshevik revolution: Russia
 Makes people fear Communism
 Fascists are against Communism
o Conservatives start to support Fascists
o Roman Catholic Church
 Church hoped to have more of a say in the gov.
 October 1922, March on Roman
o 40, 000 Fascist black shirts
o Take over Gov.
o Victor Emanuelle III (King) sides with Mussolini
o Offers him Prime Minister
 Mussolini consolidating his Power
o Nov 1922: Vote of confidence, emergency power
o Feb 1932: Nationalist party joins Fascists
o July 1932: Acerbo Law is passed, any party getting the majority votes will
have 2/3 of parlament seats
o April 1924: Intimidation, from 7% to 66% of the seats
o May 1924: Matteotti is murdered after a speech against Fascists
o Jan 1925: Mussolini Il Duce, personality cult, more power in Italy
o Dec 1925: Law passes to give Mussolini supreme executive power
o Nov 1926- Jan 1927: Secret police (OVRA), judgment withought trail
 Totalitarian State?
o Political parties are banned
o Trade unions are banned
o No free press
o Apointed officials, Fascists