Question

Describe Benito Mussolini's revival of European Imperialism in North Africa and how he came to be Adolf Hitler's ally.

Answer 1

Mussolini had planned to acquire for his Imperial Italy which was the full island of Crete that was mostly German occupied and the surrounding southern Greek islands in relation with North Africa, connecting the Italian Dodecanese possessions to the already Italian Ionian islands. Mussolini established the first fascist regime, followed soon after by others, including Nazi Germany. Fascism, however, differed somewhat from one nation to another. By 1943, British, American, and other Allies had defeated Mussolini’s army in North Africa, taken Sicily, and bombed Rome. Mussolini returned to Italy and established a new fascist regime in the north near Milan, an area that the Germans had occupied. But he was merely a puppet of the Nazis.  In danger of losing the control of all Italian possessions in North Africa, Germany finally sent the Afrika Korps to support Italy. Mussolini inspired far-right totalitarian rulers such as Adolf Hitler, Francisco Franco, etc. After Adolf Hitler came into power, threatening Italian interests in Austria and the Danube basin.  Mussolini even threatened Germany with war in the event of a German invasion of Austria.  As a result, Mussolini's relationship with Adolf Hitler became closer, and he chose to accept the German annexation of Austria in 1938. The relationship between Mussolini and Adolf Hitler was a contentious one early on. While Hitler cited Mussolini as an influence and privately expressed great admiration for him, Mussolini had little regard for Hitler, especially after the Nazis had assassinated his friend and ally, Engelbert Dollfuss, the Austrofascist dictator of Austria in 1934.