Question 4

How far did the aims of Mussolini’s foreign policy change from 1922 to 1940?

• You may argue that Mussolini’s foreign policy had no clear aims or direction until the mid 1930s beyond some grand aim of restoring Italian prestige.
• Discussion in relation to the 1920s may refer to the Corfu Incident, the acquisition of Fiume and the Locarno Treaties.
• Mussolini in this period and up to the early 1930s, whilst seeking to cut a figure on the international stage, sought acceptance by Britain and France and valued a good relationship with them in the hope that they would support his Mediterranean ambitions.
• 1930s Mussolini’s foreign policy became more assertive and defined, looking for concessions from Britain and France, supporting Austrian independence, and a drive for Empire (Abyssinia).
• The Abyssinian crisis was a turning point – ‘success’ was qualified by the costs and the loss of British and French friendship.
• After 1935, increased cooperation (e.g. over involvement in the Spanish Civil War) and alliance with Germany undermined Italy’s international prestige and led Italy into a war for which it was unprepared.
• Whilst general aims may have remained the same the means to achieve them and the detail of them did change.