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Case Study 2: German and Italian expansion, Subtopic 2.1 Causes of German…
Case Study 2: German and Italian expansion
Subtopic 2.1
Causes of German and Italian Expansion
2.1.1 The impact of Nazism on Nazi foreign policy
German ‘world politics’
By
1900s
, German posed the largest economy in Europe. It was the 2nd in the world after USA.
Wilhelm II (kaiser) insisted that Germany embark on a policy of ‘Weltpolitik’ (or ‘World politics’), which called for the creation of a German Empire to rival those of Britain and France.
World War I was caused by much more than German nationalism, militarism and imperialism.
Conditions in Germany
1914
A british Naval blockade avoided Germany to have food/resources
There was a lot of starvation and malnutrion
Gemany killed 1/3 of their pigs in order to save some grains for them to eat.
The Ludendorff Offensive
March
1918
It was a tactic against the Allied Front.
It did work, but they couldn't maintain the advance because they didn't have enough supplies for its front lines.
They knew that it was only a matter of time before Germany was decisively defeated.
The armistice
There was a naval mutiny
Soldiers deserted, left the army
A revolution was beginning
Just as in Russia
1917
Nazi ideology
It had authoritarian views and behaviour and extreme racism
It aimed to:
Unificate the German Volk
Hitler wanted to reunite the Volk (German-speaking peoples) in order to create a ‘Greater Germany’
Nazis believed that Aryans of Nordic origin were the most superior of all racial groups.
Create Lebensraum
He wanted to create a living space, upon which Germans could settle.
Ethnic cleansing involves the mass expulsion or killing of a particular cultural or racial group in an area by members of another group.
Destroy the Treaty of Versailles
They considered it a national humiliation
The application of harsh reparations, the confiscation of territory and the drastic reductions in the scope and size of the German military became a source of huge resentment.
Destroy Communism
Hitler was a sworn enemy of Communism and vowed to destroy it.
Hitler also used the fear of Communism to appeal to industrialists and businessmen
2.1.2 The impact of German domestic issues on Nazi foreign policy
The Great Depression
Hit Germany the hardest
vulnerable for a global crisis
cultural (as well as economic) resentment
increasingly morally degenerate
Wandervogel
traditional German society
justification for the Nazis to have an expansionist foreign policy
secure resources to fuel economic growth
The German military
source of employment
national pride
engine for economic growth
mid-1920s onwards
reliant on loans from American Banks
later on took off
stock market crash of October 1929
worldwide economic downturn
longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialised world
drastic declines in manufacturing output
severe unemployment
reductions in trade
financial and social hardships
Autarky
Hjalmar Schacht
Minister of Economics
supporter of public works schemes
balance of payments deficit
mean
being economically self-sufficient
independent
Hossbach memorandum
increase the pace of radicalisation of German foreign policy.
Hitler outlined his plans to go to war
Key meeting
November
1917
staited aim
German economic policy
general process of the radicalisation of German foreign policy
between 1936 and 1940
The Ruhr Crisis
overwhelmed with the Treaty of Versalles' debt
failed maintaing its reparations obligations
France and Belgium occupied the industrially-rich Ruhr region
Wanted to take reparations (in the form of raw materials and machinery) by force.
The German government was powerless to prevent this
caused an
hyperinflation crisis
accelerating and high inflation that destroys the real value of a currency.
The Dawes Plan
1914
USA
lends money to Germany
spent on building up the Germany economy
Germany uses increased tax revenues to pay reparation to
France
France pays back war loans to the USA and imports US goods to held rebuild France
Impact on European trade and prosperity
Paris Peace treaties
just elevated German resentment and humiliation
Major reason of Hitler wanting to rip up the Treaty of Versailles
use territorial conquest as a means to fuel
2.1.3 The impact of Fascism on Italian foreign policy
Emergence of Italian Facism
19th century
authoritarian ideology
reaction to marxism and anarchisim
Risorgimento --> Italian unification
Italia Irridenta --> Unredeemed Italy
sense that Italy was incomplete
Should have possesion of region of South Tyrol, the Dalmatian coast and the port of Fiume
Benito Mussolini
biggest chearleader to join the war
expelled from Italian Socialist Party
denounce socialism
created Facist movement in Italy
During WW1
Italy poorly managed by liberal government
high number of military and civilian casuaties
Peace treaties after the WW1
Italy expected to complete Risotgimento claiming the territories
Prime minister Vittorio Orlando and liberal colleages
secured South of Tyrol
blamed for national humiliation and traitors
mutilated victory --> dissapointing territorial gains
Gabriel D’Annunzio's occupation of Fiume
1919
= sent a group to occupy part of Fiume
applaud by members of Facist Movement
made a national hero
encouraged facism movement
more pressure on the liberal government
opposed italian government
Italy signed treaty of Rapallo in
1920
--> Fiume independent
D’Annunzio declared war on Italy
by the end of the year D’Annunzio's forces were chased out by Italian forces
The Romanità movement and spazio vitale
Romanità movement --> members of Italian Facist Movement wanted to return Italy to the greatness of the Roman Empire
Facists and Mussolini
dominate central and east mediterranean
secure spazio vitale (land centered around the mediterranean) for the country to survive and then thrive.
Corfu incident 1923 = dispute between Italy and Greece regarding the assasination of an Italian general
Mussolini blame the Greeks
invading the Corfu Island in retaliation
Conference of Ambassadors forced Italy to withdraw
Greece paid Italy to withdraw
Victory = Mussolini national hero
control of Fiume --> treaty of Rome
destabilise Yugoslavs by encouraging Croats to independence
favoured candidate in Albania becaeme president
treaty of Tirana
1 more item...
established himself as a leading statesman 1920s
played a key role in negotiations in negotiations behind the Locarno treaties in
1925
secured borders of Western Europe
2.1.4 The impact of Italian domestic issues on Italian foreign policy
Liberal Italy
1870 - 1922
Favored liberal policies
To modernise Italy
Industrial reforms.
Internationalist approach to foreign policy.
Consequences
More division between the north and south.
Disparities of economic development and wealth distribution.
Corruption.
Exclusion of workers.
The economic effects of World War I
Increased unemployment.
High levels of debts.
Inflation.
Demand for union membership and socialist parties.
Industrial strikes.
People was ready for change.
The effects of Mussolini’s economic policies
Mussolini
Didn't understand how the economy worked.
He did know that a strong economy was neccesary.
Wasn't interest in economics.
Obsessed with achieving autarky / self-sufficiency.
Four initiatives launched
The Battle for Grain
1925
Growth production of grains and cereals.
By reducing other resources.
like fruit, olive oil.
The Battle for Land
1926
Drainning swamps and marshes to create more agricultural land.
successful in Pontine Marshes.
The Battle for Lira
1926
Pushing up the value of the lira: Italian currency.
Lira became overvalued.
The Battle for Births
1927
Increasing the population.
To build a larger army.
The Great Depression
Corporatism
Promotes the interests of business groups or corporations.
Mussolini
Favored a larger corporatist economic policy.
Experimented with economic nationalism.
By accelerating his pursuit for autarky and imposing tariffs on foreign goods.
"While some problems were solved, new problems were created or more pronounced"
2.1.5 Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe
Weaknesses of the League of Nations
To create collective security.
An agreement between several countries to strengthen the security of each.
USA
Failed to become a member, and without it:
Future economic sanctions would be ineffective.
Leadership left to Britain and France.
Britain and France
Different visions.
A means to mantain their empires.
France, especially, to limit German agression.
Failures
Confront instances of aggression from more powerful and established countries.
Examples
Italy: Corfu Incident and Invasion of Abyssinia
Japan: Invasion of Manchuria
Mussolini and Hitler
Multilateral and bilateral agreements.
Agressive actions
An agressive foreing policy.
A sign of contempt for the League and the notion of collective security.
The impact of the Great Depression
International trade was massively reduced.
Britain and France
Focused on their domestic problems.
Reluctant to impose economic sanctions.
Concerned of their independence and security.
Harm to internationalism and collective security.
The end of collective security
1933
Japan and Germany left the League of Nations.
Britain and France had significant diplomatic disagreements.
by
1936
They worked outside the League to ensure European stability by appeasing Nazi Germany.
Italian foreign policy became radicalised
When witnessing the lack of consequences for Japan and Germany.
Appeasement
To provide another opportunity for Hitler.
A deliberate strategy to buy time and prepare for a future war.
