Storia delle relazioni internazionali

Adolf's Hitler Rise to Power

There were some similarities between the Japanese military government and Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (regarding the organization of the party). Japan was expanding in South-East Asia, just like Germany wanted to do in Europe and Italy in Africa. All these 3 regimes were racist and polemic against democracies. Mussolini feared Hitler's revisionism because he wanted to annex Austria. Britain was ready to support some principles of Hitler's policy (as a form of appeasement towards it) and to revise Versailles (which granted France too many possibilities) Confused scenario of accepting some principles of the German position, while contending the right of Germany to enlarge its sphere of influence in Europe.

30 January 1933, Adolf Hitler becomes German Chancellor (January 30, 1933 - April 30, 1945) 14

Between 1933 and 1934, Hitler's political action focused on the internal front. He had to assert his undisputed hegemony in the Germanic State.

and on the Nazi party. After becoming the Chancellor of Germany, he called new elections which gave a triumphant result for the Nazi party. In March 1933 a law passed which granted him full power and which practically depleted the powers of parliament. In 1934, after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg, he obtained the title of Führer and Chancellor of the Reich by law, centralizing the powers of the State in his hands and establishing a dictatorial regime (Mussolini took 6 years to transform Italy in a fascist state).

Within the Nazi party, he got rid of competitors by radical methods, eliminating the most dangerous rivals.

Internal Scenario → His Mein Kampf's project was real, described in a very direct way Hitler's revisionism; when he entered into office he immediately started to change the structure of Germany. His method of consolidating internal power was economic recovery: thanks to public infrastructure investment programs (highways, power lines, industrial).

investments) unemployment fell rapidly. A four-year rearmament plan was set up as another way to reabsorb unemployment.

Hitler wanted more and more, he wanted to subvert the Versailles system: to have again an army, a navy, to apply the territorial rights and become again a great power in Europe.

The international judgment towards Hitler is not what we think about him now (with the perspective of the future): He gained a certain amount of sympathy from GB (had an interest in maintaining the international situation stable, regardless of Hitler's antisemitism, racism, internal policies), fear from France, and a mix of both from Italy. In the 30s the British considered Hitler only as a business partner and, in some ways, they supported him in his revisionism.

International scenario:

Two fundamental concepts to his world view: RACE and SPACE: human history a struggle between races (Jews the most dangerous racial enemy)

First stage: rearmament and territorial expansion in Central and Eastern

Problem in Stresa, but the acceptance of France:

• Pierre Laval agreed with Mussolini to limit the French interests in Ethiopia to the control of a railway from Addis Adeba to Gibuti (he will later deny this agreement).
• GB rejected any possibility of Italian presence in Ethiopia (not just for humanitarian reasons, or for its presence in the League of Nations). Reality is that on the north of Ethiopia there is the lake Tana, connected to a river, the Blue Nile, on which the British did not want to lose control. They reacted more strongly to Mussolini in Africa rather than to Hitler's revisionism in Europe.

Mussolini wanted to get control over a rich territory; Somalia and Eritrea are not that rich, while, in the internal side, Ethiopia is very rich (in water, in agriculture, in clime etc.). His intention was to create an empire (for the public "We have to revenge Adua") but his main aim was to gain control over the Corn of Africa, contending with GB the control over Sudan.

(arriving to Libya and enlargingItalian colonial empire).The USA decided to pass a law, the neutrality act, that stated that the USA would have avoided anyinvolvement or support to all the parties involved in a possible future war. With the Ethiopian attack, USAhad the problem of developing a position towards Italy, particularly for what regarded the economicsituation. They decided to continue trading as usual (- armament) with both the parties involved.

At the end of September 1935, Hailé Selassié (Nagus of Ethiopia) fearing the Italian attack was near, lookedfor a way to avoid it. He accepted the offer by the British Walter Rickett (working for Americans with theAmerican firm Exxon Standard Oil) for oil and mine large concession (involving all Ethiopian territory,except north), allowing this American firm to search, work and explore richness in Ethiopian territory. 16This was considered an act of war by Italy towardsthe British govt (which he summoned), but

itsambassador said to know nothing about the decision to enter in this business with Ethiopia (Rickett was not working for the British govt but for the American firm). Mussolini summoned the American govt (which also knew nothing about this business) asking for it to stop this private company. It was the first time that the American govt stopped a private company actions outside its territory, imposing to it to completely cancel the concession. This is of paramount importance to understand the fear of the USA govt of being involved in this conflict and its desire of being detached from London govt very strict application of the neutrality act. Mr. Rickett completely lost his commission (only victim of this crisis) + the Negus, who did not expect such a reaction from America and complained about the American govt with this move. With this other Ethiopian failure, two weeks later, Mussolini attacked advancing in the Ethiopian territory from the East and from the South 6 May 1936 Italy annexed Ethiopia.

thenew friend, who did everything that was possible to prolong this war, from which he could profit). Hitler sold secretly to Hailé Selassié aircraft and gave him aid against the Italians. As long as Mussolini was involved in Ethiopia, he was not paying attention in the European situation (an in particular the Austrian one, not opposing Hitler’s project of Anschluss). 17 After its former conquest Italy remained completely isolated. The “iniquitous sanctions” created the myth of a country surrounded by enemies in Europe, Mussolini used it as a strong propaganda mean (“We need a union sacrè”). The war in Ethiopia changed everything beginning of the end of European stability; Italy got closer to Germany: support of Franco (1936) + acceptance of the Anschluss in 1938.

THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR (JULY 1936 – APRIL 1939) th8 July 1936 Spanish civil war began as an attempted right-wing military coup led by Franco’s Nat