M4- Democracy restored 1943-46 Flashcards
(81 cards)
why did the allies want to invade Italy?
would give them access to Italian airfields from which bombing of Germany could be done easily
would allow the allies to set up a second front in the Balkans against the Germans which would divert German troops from the Western front
when did Badoglio sign the Italian surrender?
3 September 1943
what was PROMISED as a part of the surrender?
that all Italian airfields and ports would be handed over to the Allies
60,000 Italian troops would assist the allies
how did the Italian soldiers react to the surrender?
many were confused as they had just been fighting ALONGSIDE the Germans
many decided to surrender
many continued to fight alongside the Germans
when did Germany invade Italy?
9 September 1943
why was there little defence against the Germans in Rome?
there was no order given to Italian troops to resist the Germans
was done to prevent German retribution attacks on Italian civillians
when did the allies manage to take Rome?
4 June 1944
why did it take so long for the allies to push the Germans out of Rome?
the terrain was mountainous which made fighting difficult
the October weather initially made conditions wet
German troops would destroy bridges and mountain passes to prevent the Allies from progressing
when was Mussolini freed from prison?
12 September 1943
who had free Mussolini?
a group of German paratroopers on the order of Hitler
Otto Skorzeny
what ultimatum did Hitler give Mussolini?
the Nazis would set up a new fascist government in Northern Italy which Mussolini had to lead
if he refused, German troops would destroy Milan, Turin and Genoa
when was the RSI set up?
23 September 1943
how was the RSI heavily controlled by Germany?
control of government office
appointment of officials
forcing payments
control of government office
the Germans ensured that government offices were spread over 100 miles to prevent the running of an effective government
appointment of officials
the Germans appointed RSI officials without consulting Mussolini
forcing payments
the Germans forced the RSI to pay 7 billion lire a month to Germany
what was significant about the RSI territory?
it was the richest land in Italy
it also controlled the industrial heartland of the North with Milan, Genoa and Turin
who made up Mussolini’s RSI cabinet?
radical fascists who had been important during the fascist violence and blackshirt action in the 1920s
when was the Verona Manifesto proclaimed by the RSI?
14 November 1943
what did the Verona Manifesto outline?
it attempted to take fascism back to its violent origins
anticlerical
nationalisation of industry
a true corporate state
what changes did Mussolini make to the running of private companies?
all private companies with more than 100 employees would be managed equally by workers and employees
why was Mussolini never able to fully carry out his policies for the RSI?
the Germans never gave any support for his policies
he also had very little time as the Germans were too busy fighting against the Allies and they were now being pushed back
in what ways was the RSI a brutal regime?
dealing with disloyal fascists
anti-Semitism
which prominent fascists were executed by the RSI?
De Bono
Ciano
for their involvement in Mussolini’s deposition
