Impact of fascism and Nazism on the foreign policies of Italy and Germany Notes

Impact of Fascism and Nazism on the Foreign Policies of Italy and Germany

The Impact of Fascism on Italy’s Foreign Policy

1. In 1922 Benito Mussolini was appointed Prime Minister in Italy. By 1926 had already consolidated power under the ideology of Fascism.
2. Fascist ideology was one of the causes for Italy's expansion, as it involved the glorification of violence to dynamize and unify Italy.
3. Some of the characteristics of the ideology of Italian Fascism are:
   1. Authoritarian Nationalism: absolute loyalty to the state, the individual exists only to serve the state.
   2. Anti-Democratic and Anti-Communist: liberal democracy and socialism mean weakness. Strength and unity are shown through one-party dictatorship and a strong leader (Mussolini).
   3. Militarism and Expansionism: war and conquest are tools to revive Italy’s greatness, seeking to build a new Roman Empire through aggressive expansion.
4. Another cause for expansion came from the political and economic situation Italy was in after WW1:
   1. They hadn't been granted some of the promised territories after the end of the fighting
   2. Still had domestic tensions derived from the unification in the late 19th C.
   3. Its economy depended on the US, Britain and France in the early 1920s.
5. This means that even though Mussolini had the will and the need to expand since he got to power, he had to be careful
   1. Angering neighbouring powerful countries could prove disastrous for the fragile domestic stability of Italy.

Mussolini

1. During the 1920s, Mussolini generally followed the conventions of international diplomacy and maintained Italy’s active participation in the League of Nations.
2. Even though he did try for some expansion, he was abiding to the demands of the international community.

The Impact of Nazism on Germany’s Foreign Policy

1. The impact of the First World War and the Versailles Treaty was significantly heavy for German domestic and foreign policy.
2. Part of the Treaty of Versailles made Germany pay money reparations, took German colonies away and imposed a democratic political regime for Germany.
3. Even before Hitler, many German leaders aimed to reclaim eastern territories lost to Poland after World War I.
4. Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann and his “fulfillment policy” supported diplomatic cooperation with Britain and France but avoided confirming Germany’s eastern borders, unlike in the west, which he accepted in the 1925 Locarno Pact.

Nazi Ideology

1. The basics of Nazi ideology regarding foreign policy are as follows:
   1. Racial Hierarchy: Nazi foreign policy was driven by racial ideology, promoting Aryan supremacy and subjugating or eliminating groups deemed inferior/‘untermenschen’ (sub-human),especially Slavs and Jews.
   2. Lebensraum (Living Space): Nazis aimed to expand German territory, especially eastward into Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, to provide land and resources for the Aryan race.
   3. Anti-Communism and Anti-Western Powers: They opposed communism (Soviet Union) and aimed to challenge Britain, France, and other Western democracies seen as obstacles to German dominance.
2. As you can see, the expansion of Germany needed the overturning of the Treaty of Versailles in order to reclaim lost territories, and restore Germany’s military strength and national pride.