International response to Italian aggression

• Impact on IR
  • 1931 – dead LON, no point with collective security
  • Mussolini ignored the League = Britain + France undermined in HL proposal
  • Sanctions = encouraged IT to trade with GM
    • Weak league = remilitarize the Rhineland!
  • Britain + France = no longer trust + isolation of Italy
    • Isolation = GM relationship

• October 1936: Rome-Berlin AXIS
  • Mussolini abandons EQUIDISTANCE 
  • Joins Hitler’s side
  • Both sides intervened in Spanish Civil War
  • Division of Europe
  • UK pushed M away because of the leaked Hoare Laval pact

• 1936: Hitler into Rhineland – broke TOV (emboldened Hitler)
  • Britain reluctant to fight against Italy in 1930s
  • 1936: Spain civil war = many generals were right wing in a left wing government, so military = waged war
    • Fascism vs socialism
    • So Mussolini supported a General Franco, who won
    • Mussolini wanted to prevent GB + FN control of mediterranean
  • 1937 = ANTI-COMINTERN PACT Mussolini with Germany
  • Gentlemen’s Agreement of Jan 1935 = IT + GB pledged to maintain status quo of Mediterranean
  • Europe’s failure
    • Britain and Germany signed the Anglo-German Naval agreement in June 1935 and wanted to contain Germany expansion, but it allowed Germany to build a NAVY LARGER THAN TOV (breaking the TOV!)
      • Miscalculation = post war order based on TOV = now it can undermine everything else
  • Changing diplomatic alliances
• HOWEVER…
  • Mussolini threatened colonies of British/French/Spanish in Africa
    • Announced that he would not withdraw from Spain
    • Anti-comintern pact with Germany
    • Left league of nations 1937
    • Yugoslavia cooperation of neutrality (threatened France, who was supposed to be the great power of Little Entente)