Italy's involvement in the Spanish Civil War

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Italy

CausesGetting Started

  • Civil War between Left/Right Wing forces broke out in Spain - July 1936, two months after Italy's victory in Ethiopia
  • Warlike nature of Italian fascism and Mussolini's dreams of domination the medeterranean
  • Sought further military victory for Ethiopian victory
  • Rejoiced at the thought of exansion of facism
  • Saw nationalist Spain as an ally for Italy's pretensions in the Mediterranean, possible including Italan naval bases in mainland Spain
  • Italian volunteers were the first foreign troops to arrive in Spain to support Franco's right-wing nationalist forces
  • Italy eventually sent 70,000 men to Spain as well as 700 aircraft and almost 1000 tanks
  • Foreign help has been described as fundemental to the nationalist victory and if so, Italy's was by far the largets single contribution

Effects

  • Extremely violent and bloody conflict, prolonged by the intervention of foreign powers
  • It was inevitable that there would be Italian intervention
  • Crippled Italian public finances and, added to the burden of the Ethiopian war, imposed a strain on the Italian economy that seriously reduced its ability to maintain a foreign policy in other areas. This at a tine when Nazi Germany's power was growing rapidly
  • Relations with France and, to a less important extent, Britain, were made even more complicated and provided yet another obstacle ti these countries co-operating in other areas of interest.
  • Intervening alongside Germany materially helped drarwtaly closer with that power.
  • Mussolini's dream of a Mediterranean ally to offset the power of France and Britain proved to be short-lived.

Overall summary

In July 1936, Mussolini responded to a request from right-wing rebels fighting the Spanish Republican government. Italy's contribution was the single largest contribution and helped the nationalists win the war.

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