This had serious consequences for not only Abyssinia but also the survival of the League itself and its principle of “collective security” In April 1935 the Stresa Front was formed, it was triggered by Germany's declaration of its intention to build up an air force, to increase the size of its army. It did not last long, However, falling apart when the Italians broke the peace with their attack on Abyssinia in October 1935.There a number of reasons why Italy’s fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, targeted Abyssinia for annexation in the mid-1930s, one was a retry of their failure attempt in 1896. Italy had previously been at war with Abyssinia but failed miserably, losing a huge amount of men and an enormous amount of casualties. The casualty rate suffered by Italian forces at the Battle of Adowa alone was greater than any other major European battle of the 19th century, beyond even the Napoleonic Era's infamous Waterloo and Eylau. The well-trained modern Italian forces had been defeated by backward, poorly equipped Abyssinian tribesmen.
(Robson, 1992)” However, reviewing the economical, social and political issues this was not to be. After the Unification of Italy in 1870, despite some modernisation occurring, the country still fell behind the other major powers of Europe. The state of the Italian economy was a major problem facing the new Kingdom. It was in huge debt that it had inherited from the states that had been unified to make Italy. The Liberal’s did nothing to make it look like they would attempt to transform the economy, which remained backward and unprepared for World War 1.
“To what extent was the unification of Italy due to the weakness of Austria?” Throughout Europe between 1815 and 1848 swept feelings of nationalism and a desire for unification, including the states collectively known as Italy. This lack of identity was underlined when Count Metternich said “Italy is just a geographical expression.” Nationalism promoted the belief in one language, one culture and the pride in one’s identity. Before unification, life in Italy was frustrating for those who wanted unification. The North and the South states were economically different; the pope influenced the central states. Nevertheless, the process began from 1861 and by 1871 boundaries had been settled.
How did authoritarian governments emerge in the different countries of Spain, Germany, and Italy? Since the countries were in a state of depression, the government became weak, and this gave political parties a chance to rise to power. Mussolini increased military powers in Italy, and gained the favor of the people. He rose to dictatorship, and Hitler also increased military power. Later, Franco rose to power and ruled Spain.
Summarise and discuss the economic policies of Fascist Italy? When Benito Mussolini came to power as Prime Minister in 1922, Italy’s economy was comparatively weak, having failed to recover sufficiently from the financial demands of the First World War. Mussolini realised that strengthening the economy was essential if Italy was to become a key player in Europe. A number of economic policies were implemented in an attempt to achieve this end. This essay will seek to examine these policies and their varying successes or failures.
Out of all the wars that the world has gone through, none has been more devastating as World War II. Although the definite origin or cause of this World War II can be argued over, some of the most popular reason till today remains the Appeasement, anger over Treaty of Versailles, the failure of peace efforts after World War I, the rise of Fascism, the goals of Hitler. Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Almost immediately he began secretly building up Germany's army and weapons. In 1934 he increased the size of the army, began building warships and created a German air force.
The weaknesses of the Italian liberal regime 1870-1914 The creation of liberal Italy in 1870 after the merging of each separate state lead to many political, social and economic issues which lasted and were subsequently added to until the breakdown of liberalism itself. By focusing on issues created by unification itself as well as problems that existed before the creation of the liberal government this essay will outline the main weaknesses of the Italian liberal regime 1870-1914. Firstly, economic problems were one of the main weaknesses of the Italian liberal regime 1870-1914. The state of Italy’s economy pre 1870 was poor; this only proceeded to worsen after unification itself, as the cost of this large scale project brought with it huge debts as well as little or no solutions to pre existing problems. The fact that Italy had a very limited industry and lack of an efficient infrastructure also meant that hardly any money was being created to pump into the economy to keep it running or pay for these debts.
It was, appropriately, Germany who was most affected by the war. It is only right that Germany receive the majority of post-war affliction, since were the driving force behind it. They did not, however, officially start the war. This was done by Italy and then Japan, but they were the main instigators which fueled the wars beginning. The Kingdom of Italy first attacked Ethiopia (The Second Italo–Abyssinian War) while Japan invaded China (The Second Sino-Japanese War); this was before war broke out in Europe.
Cavour did many things and has many contributions to Italy. But the main aim was not unified Italy. He hoped that Piedmont would be strong enough to assume the leadership of Italy in the event of another wars with Austria, France and the House of Hapsburg of Austria. Many facts and evidence could see that Cavour did not want a unified Italy. He tried to prevent it and the "unification" was only Piedmontization (tried to extent the influence of Piedmont).
Benito Mussolini was an extremely influential figure in Europe in the 1930s. Many argue that Mussolini was responsible for the downfall and eventual failure of the League of Nations. Mussolini wanted to regain the Roman Empire to it's former glory, and initiated his nationalistic plan with the invasion of Abyssinia in 1935. Both Italy and Abyssinia were members of the League, meaning that it fell to them to deal with this, and could possibly help the League regain respect and credibility which it had recently lost. Instead, the situation in Abyssinia seemed to spark the end of the League.