Italian Foreign Policy Under Mussolini

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This is Volume VIII of eleven in a collection of works on Foreign Policies of the Great Powers. Originally published in 1975, and looks at the polices of Italy from 1870 to 1940 including topics from independence to alliance, Mancini, Robilant, the Crispi period, the Prinetti-Barrere agreement, War during 1914 and 15, Mussolini, Italo-French relations, The Rome-berlin Axis, and the war in 1940.

In October 1922 Mussolini became the constitutional head of the Italian government; by late 1926 he had imposed a Fascist dictatorship on Italy. Professor Cassels, who argues that Mussolini's policies in the 1930s, the era of the Rome- Berlin axis, were foreshadowed by those of the 1920s, traces the stages by which Mussolini took control of Italy's foreign relations. Within the period 1922-1927, Mussolini, biased against democratic states, moved away from Italy's wartime alliance with Britain and France to a policy in favor of authoritarian force. France became the "moral rival"; and the Anglo-Italian entente, calculated to insure British good will, soon cooled as Mussolini sought to realize an Italian empire in the Mediterranean basin. Italy's career diplomats, who at first had tried to restrain Mussolini's adventurism, by 1927 were totally in the background. Mussolini emerges, therefore, as a more radical and far less conventional Italian statesman than he is usually depicted in other historical studies. Originally published in 1970. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Politics - Region: USA, grade: 2 (B), University of Bonn (Political Science), course: Proseminar, language: English, abstract: The view of the United States of America concerning Italy after Benito Mussolini’s “March on Rome” was important for the whole of Europe. The political course of the fascist country also affected the surrounding European states. In the primary phase of the fascist regime, the U.S. government was in the position to alter parts of Italy’s policy course, by applying political pressure. Thus America’s foreign policy towards Italy did not only concern this one country. It also had consequences for the rest of Europe, and the start of the Second World War. This work is concerned with the view of the successive American administrations towards Italy after Mussolini’s ascension to power. Questions being answered are: How did the U.S. government react after the fascist ruler took over Italy? Did the administration valuate Mussolini as a positive or a negative change for the European country? Was a thread visible in the U.S. attitude concerning Italy? What were the government’s reactions to Italy’s cooperation with Hitler? And: Could a different American political strategy concerning Italy have hindered Hitler’s war efforts? To answer those questions, the work is structured along three main parts. The first part is addressed with the U.S. government’s position after Benito Mussolini’s soaring to power. This part is divided into a description of America’s characterization of the new leader and an account of the first times the U.S. questioned their view on Italy. Following this evaluation, the second part deals with the American view in the times of The Great Depression. The third part is concerned with the administrations view after Hitler’s rise to power. Finally the conclusion marks the end of this work. Mainly four books were used: David F Schmitz’ “The United States and fascist Italy, 1922 – 1940” gives a well structured and informative overview of the American – Italian relations from Mussolini’s ascension to power, until the begin of The Second World War. Another useful book, in the first parts handling this topic, is H. Stuart Hughes’ “The United States and Italy”1. John P. Diggins’ work “ Mussolini and Fascism: The view from America”2 is mainly concerned with the public opinion in the U.S. toward Italy and very informative. Another well written and informative book dealing with America’s foreign policy is William L. Langer’s and S. Everett Gleason’s book “The challenge to isolation: The world crisis of 1937 – 1940 and American foreign policy”.

This book aims to provide an overview of Italian foreign policy from the moment of unification to the establishment of the European Union. Three turning points are crucial in order to clarify Italy’s foreign policy: 1861, the proclamation of the Italian Kingdom; 1943, when Italy surrendered in World War II; 1992, the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. The international position of Italy continues to be an enigma for many observers and this fuels misinterpretations and prejudices. This book argues that Italy is different but not divergent from other European countries. Italian elites have traditionally seen foreign policy as an instrument to secure the state and import models for development. Italy can still contribute to international security and the strengthening of the EU. At the same time, Italy is not a pure adaptive country and has always maintained a critical attitude towards the international system in which it is incorporated.

Study of the relationship between the military and foreign policies of Fascist Italy, 1922 to 1940.