Question
“Italian foreign policy was inconsistent in the period between 1922 and 1940.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
The question requires that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the statement. They are required to cover the whole period of Mussolini’s regime. Candidates may argue that Mussolini had consistent goals and used consistent methods to achieve them. Alternatively, they may argue that he had clear goals—restoring Italian prestige, revising the post-war settlement and expanding Italian influence and territory in the Mediterranean—but was inconsistent in terms of the methods used. Some may choose to examine Mussolini’s policies chronologically, arguing that in the 1920s and early 1930s he was, overall, pursuing consistent policies diplomatically (Locarno), but with some exceptions (Corfu). From the mid-1930s his policies became more aggressive (Abyssinia and Spain, signing the Rome Berlin-Axis), but that again there were inconsistencies (helping to preserve peace at Munich or attempting to reach an Anglo-Italian agreement in 1939). He joined the war in 1940 to expand into the Balkans.
Question
Evaluate the reasons for the defeat of the Axis powers in Europe in the Second World War.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the significance of a number of reasons why, by 1945, the Axis powers had been defeated. Candidates may wish to adopt a chronological approach that deals with key issues as they occurred—particularly key military battles (Stalingrad, El Alamein, the battle of the Atlantic or D-Day). They may take a thematic approach, or they may deal with Italy and Germany separately. Factors may include the issue of effective military leadership (both Hitler and Mussolini interfered with key military decisions) and their relative strength (Italy was weak economically and militarily and Germany was obliged to support her, thus overstretching her own resources). Neither could sustain a long war whereas the Allies had the economic resources of the US and the numerical resources of the US and the Soviet Union. The Allies were also able to rely more on the willingness of the civilian population to make sacrifices for the war effort.