IB History Italy Unit 2

You should be able to explain the social unrest that existed in Italy in the years immediately following World War I. Why was Italy in such bad shape, and why did many people feel that democracy was not the best political path for Italy.

You should be able to explain the social unrest that existed in Italy in the years immediately following World War I. Why was Italy in such bad shape, and why did many people feel that democracy was not the best political path for Italy.

In WWI, Italy entered the war on Allies side (Britain, France, Russia) to gain territories but did not gain much. The peace settlement gave Italy limited territory in south Tyrol, Istria, Trieste, part of Albania. Romantic poet D'Annunzio considered it a 'mutilated victory.'

After the war, over 500,000 troops killed and 1 million wounded. There were sharp differences between prosperous north and poverty-stricken, agricultural south. Italy experienced high inflation, high unemployment, severe agricultural depression, severe decline in standard of living, saw collapse in value of lira and had large unpaid war debts.

There were strikes between socialists and right wing nationalists (Fascists) and worker occupations of factories. Italy on verge of revolution or civil war. Mussolini offered the promise of stability which had a powerful appeal in period of deep crisis.

Explain why the Catholic Church, the Italian army, major businesses, and the middle class supported Mussolini.

They supported Mussolini because they saw him as vital anti-communist weapon. The middle class longed for a return to stability. Fascist Party found sympathy from within Italian army.
They viewed him as guarantor of law and order. They wanted Mussolini to weaken power of organized labour and communism.

Why did the king of Italy make Mussolini prime minister in 1922? How did Mussolini gain near total control of Italian politics in the next few years?

Italian government relied on Fascist squads to put down strikes. M wanted leading role in the coalition government as a reward for helping to quell unrest. In Oct 1922, Mussolini's Fascist Party marched to Rome to protest against continual disruption and industrial unrest in Italian society. King Victor Emmanuel III could have used the army & police to attack the black shirts but didn't.

He didn't want to create further division that would provoke civil war. The Catholic Church and big businesses were willing to allow Mussolini to take over to weaken communism. He also felt that Mussolini might be able to bring stability as he was a better alternative to the tired and unstable coalitions.

In 1925, M gained agreement from king that enabled him to enact law w/out agreement of parliament. Thus, he banned all political parties, introduced strict censorship to press, banned trade unions and arrested political opponents and prevented rebellion. Italy became 1 party state.

Who were the Black Shirts and why were they important to Mussolini's rise to power?

The Black Shirts were squads of ex-soldiers who engaged in violence against socialists. They helped Mussolini gain favor from King Victor Emmanuel III and Italians who wanted a stop to the chaos in Italian politics and society caused by the strikes carried out by workers occupying factories and peasants seizing land from landlords.

How did Mussolini gain the support of Catholics and the Church in the late 1920s?

He was considered an anti-Communist weapon. Mussolini signed a concordat with the pope which established Catholicism as the sole religion of the Italian people and made the Vatican City independent. The concordat healed over 50 years of hostility between church and state, and increased popularity of the Fascist regime with many Catholics.

How did the Hoare-Laval Pact of 1935 discredit the League of Nations?

The League of Nations was outraged when Italy invaded Abyssinia. Economic sanctions were imposed on Italy through the League of Nations. However, the British and French governments sought a secret compromise with Italy because they were worried that if they take strong measures to force Italy to leave Abyssinia, Italy might join Germany, especially since Hitler had not criticised the Italian invasion.

In December 1935, Samuel Hoare (British foreign secretary) signed The Hoare-Laval Pact a secret pact that agreed that Mussolini should be allowed to retain 75% of Abyssinia. When the news leaked out, the League of Nation was discredited and was no longer considered an effective peace keeper.

What role did the Spanish Civil War play in creating a bond between Italy and Germany?

The two nations collaborated together in aiding General Franco's nationalists in the Spanish Civil war. It brought the two nations closer together.

What role did Mussolini play in the 1938 Munich Conference?

He helped to persuade Hitler to sign the Munich agreement, which was intended to prevent a European war breaking out over the issue of minority rights for German-speakers in the Sudeten region of Czechoslovakia.

Why did Mussolini seize control of Abyssinia? How did he think this would help Italy?

Mussolini was a fascist, and wanted to revive the glories of Rome. In October 1935 Italy invaded Abyssinia (located in Ethiopia) because Mussolini believed doing so would increase the popularity of his regime, and display his military strength. He thought that the British and French were too preoccupied with the growth of Nazy Germany. He didn't think they would take any action against Italian aggression towards a small African power since they didn't want Mussolini to become partners with Hitler.

Describe reasons why Mussolini was initially an ally of France and Britain. Explain reasons why Mussolini gradually moved away from this alliance towards one with Germany.

Mussolini believed Italy could act as a mediator between the growth of German power on the one hand and the aims of British and French diplomacy on the other. In July 1934, Hitler ordered the assassination of Austrian leader and angered Italy. Mussolini joined the leader of Britain and France at Stresa 1883 to denounce German actions when Hitler announced German rearmament.


In the aftermath of the Abyssinian affair, Mussolini drew closer to Hitler because Hitler had not criticised the Italian invasion and even sought to develop close relations with Italy afterwards.

The Pact of Steel was signed by A. Hitler and B. Mussolini on May 22, 1939, formalizing the 1936 Rome-Berlin Axis agreement, linking the two countries politically and militarily. The pact committed each country to come to the aid of the other in war.

Why did Mussolini attack Albania in 1939? Why did he want control of this small country?

Mussolini did not attack Albania necessarily for resources, rather he wanted a foothold to the Balkans. He also really wanted Greece, and taking over Albania will give him a convenient military base of which he can use to take over Greece. Also, He wanted the port of Vlore, in Albani, because it grants him control to the entire Adriatic sea.

Because Italy was landlocked and had no free connection to the ocean, It had no place to conduct business or trade. It only had access to the ocean through Mediterranean sea but this route was inconvenient for Italy. Since, if Italy wanted to reach the Atlantic ocean, it had to go pass a lot of potential enemies.

If Italy wanted to go to Asia, it could either sail out to Atlantic, sail around Africa, or go through 2 major man-made canals (suez canal & panama canal) Italy realized that it if wants to be a major power, it needs easy access to the ocean. It also wanted control of Suez Canal (which was controlled by the British) .

Besides Ethiopia, what other parts of Africa did Italy control?

Italy also controlled Libya and Somalia.

How did the United States try to keep Italy neutral after WWII began? Why did President Roosevelt call Italy's decision to side with Germany a "stab in the back"?

United States, Britain and France agreed that if Italy stayed neutral until when the war ended, Italy would be treated as a participant on the winning side and when the distribution of the spoils of war occurs, Italy will get its share. The Decision was a "stab in the back" because despite all the generous offers by the U.S, Britain and France, Italy still decided to join in the war on Germany's side, in the hopes of getting even more out of Germany, thus the lack of loyalty from Mussolini caused him to be deemed a political chameleon.

Describe when and why Italy joined Germany in World War II. How successful were Italy's efforts in the war? What were the places it attacked?

In June 1940, Mussolini joined world War 2 on the side of Adolph Hitler. Italy decided to join at this moment because after France was defeated Italy believed that Hitler would become the ultimate victor. Italy's efforts in the war were abysmal. They did not have the military prowess to fight against the British empire. Italy attacked: Malta, British Somaliland, Egypt, Greece.

Stresa Front

An agreement between Italy, France and Britain. Aimed to reaffirm the Locarno Treaty, which declares independence for Austria and resist Germany's attempt to revise the Treaty of Versailles. Mussolini supported this agreement because he wanted to be viewed as a "keeper of peace". Stresa Front was widely considered a failure because of its failure to specify clear and specific terms.

Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie is the emperor of Ethiopia of the time. Both Ethiopia and Italy were both members of the league of nations, yet still Italy decided to attack Ethiopia. No major sanctions were placed on Italy, for the other members feared that Italy may fight back. Britain and France fearing that Italy may be provoked into aggression, creating a war that Britain and France did not want to fight, decided to secretly negotiate with Italy wherein Italy would be offered some of Ethiopia's territory. Ethiopia was only told of this after. This was leaked to the press and Britain and France were humiliated.

King Zog

Zog is an Albanian dictator. His opponents were murdered and he ruled by force. He decided to ally with Italy to give him political support. However, Mussolini ousted him in 1939 and declared Albania an Italian protectorate.

Pact of Steel

The Pact of Steel was signed by A. Hitler and B. Mussolini on May 22, 1939, formalizing the 1936 Rome-Berlin Axis agreement, linking the two countries politically and militarily. The pact committed each country to come to the aid of the other in war.

Suez Canal

On September 13 1940, keen to emulate the successes that Hitler was enjoying, Mussolini sent Italian forces stationed in Libya to launch an invasion into British-held Egypt in hope of capturing the Suez Canal and gain access to oil from the Middle East as well as raw materials from Asia. Oil became a critical strategic commodity due to the increased mechanization of modern armies.

Rank

1. League of nation established
2. Attack of Abyssinia
3. Hoare - Laval pact
4. Abyssinia defeated
5. Attack of Albania
6. Pact of Steel
7. Attack of Egypt
8. Attack on Greece