Italian Expansion Vocab

Autarky

An economic system aimed at self-sufficiency, where a nation seeks to eliminate dependence on imports by producing all necessary goods domestically.

Four Power Treaty

An agreement signed in 1933 between the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Italy to promote peace and stability in Europe by regulating naval armaments and preventing an arms race.

Stressa Front

A short political alliance established in 1935 between Italy, France, and the United Kingdom aimed at addressing Italian aggression in the Mediterranean and maintaining collective security among the powers.

Anschluss

The political union of Austria with Germany.

Englebert Dolfuss

Austrian politician/dictator who served as Chancellor of Austria, he opposed Nazi German influence and established a one-party state.

Anglo-German Naval Agreement

A 1935 treaty between the United Kingdom and Germany that limited the size of the German navy in relation to the British Royal Navy, promoting naval disarmament.

Abyssinia

An ancient name for Ethiopia, Abyssinia was invaded by Italy in 1935, marking a significant expansion of Italian colonial ambitions.

Wal Wal Incident

A border clash in 1934 between Italian forces and Ethiopian troops near the town of Wal Wal. This incident heightened tensions between Italy and Ethiopia, contributing to the Italian invasion that began in 1935.

Haile Selassie

Emperor of Ethiopia during WW2 when Ethiopia was invaded by Italy, he was forced into exile.

Adowa (Adwa)

Town in Ethiopia, where a the battle of Adwa occcured, which stopped Italian colonization.

Hoare-Laval Pact

a secret December 1935 proposal by British Foreign Secretary Sir Samuel Hoare and French Prime Minister Pierre Laval to end the Second Italo-Ethiopian War by partitioning Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and giving roughly two-thirds of the country to Italy

Collective Security

System in international relations where states agree to attack together.

Spanish Civil War

Conflict in Spain fought from 1936-1939. Republicans (Loyalists) vs Nationalists (Rebels). Ended with Republican defeat and established a long term dictatorship.

Fransisco Franco

Spanish military general and dictator until 1974.

Nationalists

Advocate or believer in nationalism, an ideology and political movement asserting that a nation should be congruent with a sovereign state

Republicans

Loyal to the left leaning Spanish front, believed in a unified and Democratic republic.

Rome-Berlin Axis

Coalition formed by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany that laid the groundwork for World War II

Comintern

Communist-International: a global Marxist organization that advocated for world communism

Axis Powers

a military coalition that fought against the Allied powers during World War II

Sudetenland

Part of Czechoslovakia that had a lot of ethnic Germans within it’s borders.

Munich Crisis

European diplomatic crisis and political standoff that followed after Hitler annexed the Sudetenland.

Albanian Invasion

Italian invasion of Albania (1939) led by Mussolini to expand Italian influence in the Balkans to match German territorial expansion.

Pact of Steel

Military political alliance signed in 1939 in Berlin by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.

Non-Belligerent

a person, state, or organization that does not engage in direct combat or military operations during a conflict

Anti-Comintern pact

an anti-communist treaty concluded between Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan on November 25, 1936

Il Duce

Name for Benito Mussolini as the Fascist leader of Italy. Translated to “the leader.”

Rhineland

a loosely defined region in western Germany along both banks of the middle Rhine River