IB History Pact of Steel, Nazi-soviet Pact and the Outbreak of War Notes

The Pact of Steel (May 1939)

1. The Pact of Steel (22 May 1939), officially the "Pact of Friendship and Alliance," transformed the Rome-Berlin Axis into a full military alliance. Unlike the 1936 Axis (a diplomatic understanding), this committed both powers to fight together in war.
2. The Pact had two components: a public declaration of mutual trust and cooperation, and a secret protocol pledging to align military and economic policies. If either country went to war, the other was obligated to join.
3. The Pact was originally intended to include Japan, but Japan wanted it directed against the USSR, while Italy and Germany aimed it against Britain and France. Japan withdrew from negotiations.

Motivations and Contradictions

1. For Hitler, the Pact secured Italy's commitment before his planned invasion of Poland. It would force Britain and France to consider fighting on two fronts: against Germany in the north and Italy in the Mediterranean.
2. For Mussolini, the Pact aimed to restore Italian prestige after the invasion of Albania (April 1939). Despite opposition from Italian generals and the public, Mussolini wanted to solidify Italy's status as a great power alongside Germany.
3. However, Mussolini had told Hitler that Italy would not be ready for war until 1943. Hitler had promised there would be no war before then. This assurance proved worthless within months when Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939.
4. Italian Foreign Minister Ciano was deeply sceptical of the alliance. He wrote in his diary that Italy was being dragged into a war it was unprepared for, and that Germany treated Italy as a junior partner rather than an equal.

The Nazi-Soviet Pact (23 August 1939)