Italy’s WWII Story-Benito Mussolini-Il Duce1919-1945

Italy after WWI

•Italy was very displeased with the Treaty of Versailles•Wanted to get more land than they got•See map on next slide

•Italy joined the League of Nations and was a member from 1919 until they withdrew in 1937

Washington Naval Conference-1921

5 Power Pact•Signed by Great Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy•Designed to prevent an arm’s race • It limited the construction of battleships, battle cruisers and aircraft carriers •Did not restrict cruisers, destroyers or submarines

9 Power Pact•Guaranteed Chinese independence and upheld the Open Door Policy•Signed by the United States, Japan, China, France, Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Portugal

Kellogg-Briand Pact-Countries pledged not to use war as a way to settle disputes

March on Rome-October 1922• A march by Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party •Mussolini and the Fascists won and took over Italy

King Victor Emmanuel•Did not fight Mussolini’s take over in

Italy •Wanted to avoid a civil war and also

wanted to keep communists out of Italy• Saw Mussolini as the person that

could do these things

Mussolini and the Catholic Church• In 1929, the Lateran Accords were signed• Gave the Vatican specific territories in Rome • Catholicism became the state religion – • Separation of church and state was stopped • Recognition of religious marriages for the first time since 1870• Catholic church was given a lot of money

•What did Mussolini get?• Official support from the Catholic Church

Established Fascism in Italy•A government led by a strong dictator• Stresses strong nationalism, militarism and imperialism•Uses intimidation to get what they want

“All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.” Benito Mussolini

Ethiopia invaded by Mussolini 1935

• Italy lost it’s Ethiopia colony in Africa at the 1896 Battle of Adwa •One of the worst colonial disasters of modern history• In 1935, Italy sends large forces into Ethiopia

Italy/Ethiopia Invasion• Nov. 18 , 1935, League of Nations sanctions begin

-Arms embargo, financial embargo, non-importation of Italian goods

• Feb. 29, 1936, FDR signed the 1936 Neutrality Act 1. Mandatory arms embargo with warring nations 2. Mandatory ban on loans to warring nations

•May 5 – Italy 1936 occupied Addis Ababa - annexed all Ethiopia on May 9

Generalissimo Francisco Franco and the Spanish Civil War-1936

•Hitler and Mussolini send troops and weapons to help Franco win the civil war against the communists• This war served as an

important training ground for Hitler’s and Mussolini’s troops

Rome-Berlin Axis-1936

Tripartite Pact is signed forming the Axis Powers-1940Germany, Italy and Japan

Axis Powers•Main Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan•Other Powers: Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Thailand, Hungary

Italy’s Goals in WWII•Make a new Roman Empire•Make the Mediterranean an

“Italian Lake”• Take over north African colonies

of Britain and France-especially Egypt• Take over southeastern Europe-

Greece and Albania• Take over parts of the Middle

East

• Old Roman Empire-96 AD

Italy Invasion of Albania-1940

Italy’s Invasion of Greece-1940

Operation Avalanche

Italy’s Defeat-1943

Mussolini & his Mistress, Claretta Petacci, are hanged in Milan, 1945

Italy and the Holocaust• In 1938, Mussolini instituted laws discriminating the Jews• 46,000 Jews in Italy at the time

• After the Fascist government fell when the US invaded(1943), the Germans moved in and took control and started shipping Jews to camps outside of Italy

Why did Italy Lose?• Italy was not prepared militarily to fight a

prolonged war• Germany had to constantly bail Italy out

• Italian troops were spread too thin-Africa, Mediterranean, Albania, Greece, Soviet Union, France, Battle of Britain• The people of Italy were not prepared to

fight or motivated to fight. They were forced to fight.• Overall, Italy was just a weak country

Impact WWII Had on Italy• 410,000 dead--330,000 Military deaths• Spent $94 Billion• Italy had joined the Allies by 1943 so the big concern for the US was

making sure Italy became a democracy after the war and not fall to communism• US gave millions of dollars to Italy(Marshall Plan) to help rebuild after

the war• Became a member of NATO in 1949• Became a member of the United Nations in 1955