John Gooch
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199693627
- eISBN:
- 9780191741258
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199693627.003.0023
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
In 1943, with the war demonstrably turning against Italy, her political and military leaders faced three unpalatable alternatives: a bloody and destructive military defeat, the spectre of bolshevism, ...
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In 1943, with the war demonstrably turning against Italy, her political and military leaders faced three unpalatable alternatives: a bloody and destructive military defeat, the spectre of bolshevism, or subordination to Germany and enslavement. In an attempt to avoid all three scenarios, conservative soldiers and politicians sought to change sides and enter into a collaborative partnership with the Allies. In seeking a way out of the cul-de-sac into which they had followed Mussolini, their cardinal motive was one of domestic politics :to preserve the crown and the system of parliamentary monarchy created in 1861, and to avoid a democratic constitutional referendumat all costs. Mussolini fell on 25 July 1943 and for the next forty-three days a self-serving administration led by Marshal Badoglio tried to negotiate secretly while preserving the fiction that Italy was still loyal to the Axis. Cynical and secretive, Badoglio kept his manoeuvres hidden even from senior military officials. When his hand was forced by Eisenhower's announcement of the armistice terms, he and the king fled Rome, leaving the population and Italian forces in Greece and the Balkans at the mercy of the Germans.John Gooch shows thepowergames in the Italian leadership as an example of how a state tried to get out of a catastrophic defeat.Less
In 1943, with the war demonstrably turning against Italy, her political and military leaders faced three unpalatable alternatives: a bloody and destructive military defeat, the spectre of bolshevism, or subordination to Germany and enslavement. In an attempt to avoid all three scenarios, conservative soldiers and politicians sought to change sides and enter into a collaborative partnership with the Allies. In seeking a way out of the cul-de-sac into which they had followed Mussolini, their cardinal motive was one of domestic politics :to preserve the crown and the system of parliamentary monarchy created in 1861, and to avoid a democratic constitutional referendumat all costs. Mussolini fell on 25 July 1943 and for the next forty-three days a self-serving administration led by Marshal Badoglio tried to negotiate secretly while preserving the fiction that Italy was still loyal to the Axis. Cynical and secretive, Badoglio kept his manoeuvres hidden even from senior military officials. When his hand was forced by Eisenhower's announcement of the armistice terms, he and the king fled Rome, leaving the population and Italian forces in Greece and the Balkans at the mercy of the Germans.John Gooch shows thepowergames in the Italian leadership as an example of how a state tried to get out of a catastrophic defeat.
Alessandro Pes
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781784993153
- eISBN:
- 9781526115096
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781784993153.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
The chapter analyses the power the Italian Kingdom and Fascism wielded over the colonies. Beginning with the diarchic relationship between the King and the Duce in Italy, the chapter considers how ...
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The chapter analyses the power the Italian Kingdom and Fascism wielded over the colonies. Beginning with the diarchic relationship between the King and the Duce in Italy, the chapter considers how this relationship affected the administration of Italian colonies. The establishment of the Empire of Italian East Africa in 1936, after the conquest of Ethiopia, is shown to be a turning point in Fascist colonial policy; the new imperial role of King Vittorio Emanuele III was effectively reshaped by the fascist character the regime gave to the empire. The proclamation of Amedeo d’Aosta, a member of the royal family, as Viceroy of the Empire and Governor-General of the Empire of Italian East Africa, demonstrates how the diarchic relation between Italian Monarchy and the Fascist regime emerged.Less
The chapter analyses the power the Italian Kingdom and Fascism wielded over the colonies. Beginning with the diarchic relationship between the King and the Duce in Italy, the chapter considers how this relationship affected the administration of Italian colonies. The establishment of the Empire of Italian East Africa in 1936, after the conquest of Ethiopia, is shown to be a turning point in Fascist colonial policy; the new imperial role of King Vittorio Emanuele III was effectively reshaped by the fascist character the regime gave to the empire. The proclamation of Amedeo d’Aosta, a member of the royal family, as Viceroy of the Empire and Governor-General of the Empire of Italian East Africa, demonstrates how the diarchic relation between Italian Monarchy and the Fascist regime emerged.
