Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Foreign Policy
1870-1933
Aims
• Evaluate and analyze historical sources
• Compare and contrast historical sources
• Elaborate an essay answer with based on historical
sources
Challenges following Italian unification and Liberal Italy
Work in groups to create a mindmap to show the difficulties faced by the liberal
govern m e nts after 1870 .
Impact of WWI
● i. Despite being a member of the Triple Alliance since 1882, Italy remained
neutral at the outset of WWI with Italian politicians divided as to what to do.
● I. A strong push from nationalists encouraged Italy to join the Entente powers
in hopes of conquering Italian speaking regions from Austria-Hungary
● II. April 1915, with support from the king Victor Emmanuel III-Italy signed the
Treaty of London with Britain, France and Russia and joined the war. a.
Trentino and South Tyrol b. Trieste c. Aegean Coast Land
● III. Political division remained with the powerful socialist party in opposition to
what they called an 'imperialist war' a. Socialist Party member Benito
Mussolini originally opposed intervention buy ultimately argued in favor of
joining the war i. Ousted from the party.
Impact of WWI
WWI for Italy
● Promotion of nationalism
○ a. The nation state as a unifying force and
superior to others
○ b. Removal of foreign influence
● Strong leader or dictator in a One-party
government
○ a. Totalitarian state
○ b. Citizens are subservient to the state
● War a. War revitalizes society b.
Creation of empire
● Anti-Communist
● Anti-internationalist
Post-WWI
● Post-War political challenges continued in
Italy with the ruling liberals losing control of
the state.
● No one party gained a majority of the seats
in the government and there was frequent
turnover of the political system
● Frustration with the outcome of the Treaty of
St. Germain and Italy's failure to obtain all
the territory they originally hoped for. Prime Minister Vittorio
○ I. Prime Minister Orlando was forced to resign Emanuele Orlando
○ II. Popular anger grew following the devastating war
where over 600,000 Italians were killed
Look at the
characteristics
of Fascism.
Discuss what kind
.
of foreign policy
you would expect
to see from a state
following this
ideology.
Growth of the Fascist movement
● Italian Fascism
○ From 1922 to 1945
○ Mussolini thought it was an ideology
that was constantly changing
○ Moved from being anti-monarchic to
working with the monarchy
○ Liberal to highly protectionist
○ Acting from an 'honest broker' to like a
'mad dog'
Expansionist Foreign Policy
● Saw it as a right and necessity
● Right
○ Mussolini saw the need to revise the postwar treaties in order to revert to the
'mutilated peace' of 1919
○ Mussolini believed in Italy's imperial destiny
■ Had a right to the Mediterranean region
○ Mussolini defended Italy's right to claim more territories with racial arguments
● Necessity
○ Propaganda was an important characteristic of fascism, territorial expansion was
used to increase Italy's prestige and to enhance the cult of the leader
○ Italy needed colonies to provide arable land in order to expand the economy as
weel as new territories to resettle a growing Italian population
○ Mussolini's regime met increasing challenge at home, a successful foreign policy
was sought as an opportunity to move attention away from his domestic policy
Source
Thomas, J., & Rogers, K. (2015). Oxford IB Diploma Programme: The Move to
Global War Course Companion. Oxford University Press-Children.