Diplomatic and military preparations for war, 1933-40 Role in World War II & ultimate failure,1940-43 Essay writing/quality of communication focus: practising paragraphs – Why was Mussolini so determined to increase the prestige of Italian foreign policy in the years 1925-43?

Diplomacy 1922-25 Aug 1923 Italian general and four staff assassinated in Greece What did Mussolini demand and how did the Greeks respond? What action did Italy take and what was the response to this? Was the attack on Greece a success for fascism? What success did Mussolini have in Yugoslavia and Albania( in detail) How did Yugoslavia respond? In what ways did Mussolini begin to look more powerful in relations with Britain and France (Kellog-Briand Pact 1928, Locarno Treaty 1926)? How far were Mussolini’s actions little more than a publicity stunt? Mussolini appeared a good neighbour to GB and FR how did his actions suggest he was not a good neighbour (pro-fascist funding, German air force, KB Pact Aftermath

German Italian relations Mussolini saw resurgent Germany as an opportunity to manipulate GB and Fr. Early relations between the two were strained Why was Mussolini wary of Hitler? What happened in Austria and how did it strain relations? Stresa Front 1935- GB, Italy, Fr, meet to discuss united front to Hitler’s dismissal of the T of Versailles. Mussolini saw the meeting as the ideal opportunity to push his own imperial aims safe from interference from an occupied GB and Fr.

Ethiopia What were Mussolini’s main aims in invading Ethiopia? Why did Mussolini believe a victory in Ethiopia would improve the domestic situation? Pre-text for war- Italy had sponsored Italy’s League of Nations membership in 1923 and signed a Treaty of Friendship in 1928 What was the spark that triggered the war? Why did Mussolini not wait for a league of nations investigation? Why did Britain and France do very little to oppose Mussolini’s plans for conquest of Dec 1934? Military Victory How did the Italian Mussolini succeed, include key dates and victories? How was Italian public opinion mixed? Why was GB and Fr outraged by the attacks and how did they respond? How did Mussolini perceive the position of GB and Fr?

Alliance with Germany 1936-9 What was the Rome- Berlin axis when was it established? Why did Mussolini not fear war? To what extent did Italy intervene in the Spanish Civil War? How did Italo-German relations become closer in 1937-8? What were Mussolini’s territorial demands and how did he justify these?