1. Extent of success – were economic & political aims achieved?
Essay: How far was
Mussolini’s control of Italy in the years dependent on the use of terror?

2. How far was Mussolini’s control of Italy in the years 1925-43 dependent on the use of terror?
Intro- Define the key words ‘terror’ and ‘control’. How had Mussolini put himself in a position to control Italy in 1945?
Para 1- to what extent was the relative absence of opposition the result of Mussolini’s use of terror
Para 2- to what extent was the relative absence of opposition the rsult of propaganda and censorhsip
Para 3- to what extent was the relative absence of oppoisition the result of successful domestic policies such as the Lateran Treaties?
Para 4- to what extent was the relative absence of opposition due to successful economic policies- were living standards improving
Conclusion- Draw together your argument, do you think Mussolini could have continued without the use of terror? Do you think Mussolini had genuine support regarding his domestic policies?

3. Mussolini’s foreign policy aims
1922 No clear aim
In youth anti-imperialist as a socialist
Supported WWI and appalled by ‘mutilated victory’
In first few months in power, general aim was to make Italy great again
Wanted Italy to be dominant in the Mediterranean, expand to Africa, have the Balkans as its own sphere of influence
A more energetic and aggressive Italian people would help with this aim
Had vision but little strategy
Decided he would take over all issues of foreign affairs as offered the perfect stage for him
As with Liberal Italy, wanted to make Italy a great power, however, Mussolini did so with reckless abandon that eventually led to his death and the end of Fascist Italy

4. Foreign Policy 4. Ethiopia Military Victory
3. Ehtiopia Build up
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?
1.Diplomacy
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
4. Ethiopia 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?
Foreign Policy
2. 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 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.
5. Alliance with Germany
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 ?
What were Mussolini’s territorial demands and how did he justify these?

5. Research task
Create a booklet detailing a timeline of Mussolini’s foreign policy
Ensure you include detailed sections on the invasion of Albania 1939, the Pact of Steel 1939,non-belligerence the entry into the second world war.

6. Italy and World War 2
How did Italian forces fare in WW2, where did they experience victories and where defeats?
How did the German’s ‘support’ Italy?
How did Mussolini eventually fall?

7. Foreign policy Overview
In foreign policy, Mussolini soon shifted from the pacifist anti-imperialism of his lead-up to power to an extreme form of aggressive nationalism.
He dreamt of making Italy a nation that was "great, respected and feared" throughout Europe, and indeed the world. An early example was his bombardment of Corfu in 1923.
Soon after he succeeded in setting up a puppet regime in Albania and in ruthlessly consolidating Italian power in Libya, which had been loosely a colony since 1912.
It was his dream to make the Mediterranean mare nostrum ("our sea" in Latin), and he established a large naval base on the Greek island of Leros to enforce a strategic hold on the eastern Mediterranean.
However, his first 'baby steps' into foreign policy seemed to portray him as a 'statesman', for he participated in the Locarno Treaties of 1925
Following the Stresa Front against Germany in 1935, however, Mussolini's policy took a dramatic turning point and revealed itself once again to be that of an aggressive nature. This domino-effect of war began with the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.

8. Impact of foreign relations on domestic (internal political) politics including the annexation of Fiume, the bombardment of Corfu