Studied by 0 peopleThe rise of fascism 1896-1946 OCR A level history
When did Mussolini expect WW2 to be over?
September 1940
From 1935-8, how much of its national income had Italy spend on rearmament?
11.8%
What had Italy spent its rearmament money on from 1935-8?
Inadequate weaponry and luxurious living quarters for officers
How many effective planes did the air force have?
1000
What were the weaknesses of the main fighter aircraft (the Fiat CR42 biplane)?
Slow, underarmed, unequipped with sand filters
How many men were ready to fight in June 1940?
800,000
What was the weakness with Italian weaponry?
All outdated - rifles and artillery were from WW1.
How many armoured cars and light tanks did Italy have?
1500
Why were the generals underprepared for the war?
They believed in the defensive traditions of WW1 and were sceptical of armoured warfare and air support.
Why was the Italian navy weak?
Admirals were reluctant to risk their new battleships against the British fleet - remained defensive throughout the war.
Out of the airforce, military and navy, which was the best equipped?
The navy (but it was still inadequate)
Why were the leaders of the armed forces ill prepared?
Mussolini promoted officers for flattery and obedience rather than military skill.
Was Italy an autarkic economy by 1940?
No. Coal and iron ore had to be imported from Germany
Why did steel production begin to fall during the war?
Germany became reluctant to divert scarce resources.
How much did Italian steel production fall by from 1940-2?
20%
Was Italy able to replace tanks and aircraft?
No
Why did wheat production fall?
Peasant farmers were drafted into the army
How much did the wheat production fall by?
1.5 million tonnes
When did Mussolini decide to invade British controlled Egypt to expand his empire?
September 1940
When did Mussolini decide to invade Greece via Albania?
October 1940
Why was the Italian army pushed out of Greece and Egypt? When did this happen?
It did not have the resources to fight a war on two fronts.
November 1940
When Mussolini accept Hitler appointing a German general as commander in North Africa?
February 1941
How long did it take for the German armies to defeat the Greeks? When?
Just over a week.
April 1941
When did Britain capture Ethiopia?
April 1941
When was Libya abandoned to the British?
January 1943
When did the Axis army in North Africa surrender?
May 1943
Where and when was a catastrophic German defeat?
Stalingrad, February 1943
What happened as a result of the government initially refusing to introduce rations?
Food prices rose dramatically.
Who could afford coffee, petrol and soap? Where did they buy these items?
The super rich.
The black market.
When was rationing introduced?
1941
What was the bread ration for one Italian per day?
150 grams. The second lowest of any combatant country.
When did the Italian public begin to hate the war?
The end of 1940
When did strikes begin to re-emerge?
Early 1943
When did industrialists and prominent fascists begin to call for peace?
late 1942
What did conservatives and generals begin to fear in 1942?
A communist revolution and collapse of social order.
When was the Allied conquest of Sicily?
July 1943
When did the Grand Council of Fascism sit to discuss the war?
24-25th July 1943
How many members of the Grand Council of Fascism voted to ask the king to restore all the powers of parliament and ministers?
19 to 7
When did the King have Mussolini arrested and declare that the war was lost?
25th July 1943
What happened as a result of the arrest of Mussolini?
The fascist regime collapsed and there was wide public relief.
When were there demonstrations in favour of peace?
Summer of 1943
When was the armistice with Britain and the USA signed?
8th September 1943
How did Hitler react to the armistice?
Ordered nazis to occupy northern and central Italy
When did Mussolini announce the creation of the Italian Social Republic?
15th September 1943
What made the Italian Social Republic weak?
It was heavily reliant on German arms and lacked public support
How many soldiers did the Italian Social Republic have?
50,000
How many men fought against the Italian Social Republic’s militia?
30,000 communists, 20,000 Catholics and 25,000 men from the Action Party
How did the fascists respond to the partisan attacks?
Murdered 335 civilian hostages in the Ardeatine Caves.
How many German soldiers did the partisans kill?
5000
How effective were the partisans?
Tied down significant numbers of German troops but not strong enough to defeat the Germans or overthrow Mussolini’s fascist regime.
When did the Allies liberate Italy from fascism?
early 1945
When was Mussolini executed by the partisans?
28th April 1945
Who formed the coalition government in June 1945?
Action party, socialists, communists and christian democrats.
When were elections for a Constituent Assembly held?
June 1946
When did Italian women get the vote?
1946
Who won a majority in the Constituent Assembly elections?
35% - Christian Democrats.
What did the new constitution set up?
Italian democracy and confirm the relationship between church and state as the same as the 1929 Lateran Agreements
How much of the population voted for a republic instead of monarchy?
54%
What was set out in the post-war settlement?
Italy lost its empire in Africa.
Fiume was given back to Yugoslavia.
Had to pay $360 million in reparations to Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece and Abyssinia.
In 1948, how much did the USA give Italy to help recover the economy?
$2 billion
What was the USA determined to ensure?
Italy would remain a democracy and become an ally against the emerging Cold War with Communist Russia
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