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Italy's relations with Germany - Coggle Diagram
Italy's relations with Germany
Push + Pull factors
Pull:
Germany useful to Mussolini as a source of economic assistance for rearmament and as a power to divert the attention of Britain + France from It adventures in the Med
bedazzled by Germany's military strength
Ger support during Abyssinia - coal
Great Power
Push:
during 1936 as direct result of Ethiopia + Spain, Italy moved out of the W camp + closer to Hitler's Ger
British policy of appeasing Hitler (ignores conscription + Anschluss) + opposing Mussolini (stops Corfu invade + condemns Abyssinia)
relationship w/ Br + Fr-would stop Italians dominating Med
both dissatisfied w/ WW1 treaties
Br didn't recognise Abyssinia as Italian
Rome Berlin Axis
Oct 1936
Ciano (Foreign Minister + M's son in law) visited Berlin Oct 1936-not fan of Nazis
public declaration of friendship
confidential understanding of distinct spheres of interest - It Med + Ger East EU + Baltic
war in 3 yrs for Hitler
Consequences:
pro-Western sympathy within influential figures in It politics
pressure exerted by King to avoid full commitment to Ger
ongoing open diplomatic channels w/ West
M's desire not to abandon "makeweight diplomacy"-manoeuvre between Br + Fr + Ger for best foreign policy for It
wasn't until most of main EU had fallen to Wehrmacht that M committed to Ger
Anti Comintern Pac
t
Nov 1937
Nov 1936 Ger + Japan signed to co-operate against Communism - Italy joined following year-> M moving further away from Western powers
Dec 1937 Italy withdraws from League of Nations
Anschluss
Ger w/ Austria in March 1938
Hitler paid little attention to Italian interests
Hitler sent a personal letter asking for M's approval
Austria was "inmaterial" to M-angered that wishes were ignored + asked Pope to excommunicate Hitler
Czechoslovakia
M's support lacked enthusiasm
M didn't want to be seen as failing Ger friends
didn't want to bring war
Munich Crisis-M mediator-enjoyed being in spotlight (Architect of Peace in EU)
Munich settlement left Italy weaker-Ger undisputed master of central EU
Pact of Steel
May 1939
Br + Fr responded to M's success in Albania by offering guarantees to Greece + Turkey if they were attacked
M angered by interference in Italian sphere of influence-finally convinced him to conclude military alliance w/ Ger
M's army wasn't ready for war against major powers
6th May 1939 Ribbentrop met Ciano in Milan-Italy wished to delay war for 3 yrs-Ribbentrop agreed
formal agreement of military alliance signed at Reich Chancellery in Berlin 22 May
committed each nation to join the other in war even if the other country had caused the war by act of aggression