December 2020 – Issue 4(2)

Mésentente Cordiale: Italian policy and the failure of the Easter Accords, 1937-1938 By Bruce Strang, Ph.D. What you need to know British and Italian representatives signed 8 agreements, commonly called the Easter Accords, on 16 April 1938. The various agreements aimed to settle all outstanding disputes between the two Why this research is important governments, and, on the surface, it appeared that both Powers had committed to observe the This research shows the difficulty for government territorial status quo in the Mediterranean basin. leaders as they seek to reach durable international Two years later, however, fascist and Britain agreements. In this case, , the Italian were at war. dictator, and , the British Prime Minister, both believed that an agreement would accomplish important goals. Chamberlain hoped that divergent views of the world meant that the Easter it could restore previous Anglo-Italian friendship, Accords had little chance of creating a durable secure British control of the Mediterranean, create a entente between the two powers. lasting basis for peace, and lessen the dreadful strain How the research was conducted that rearmament placed on the British recovery from the Great Depression. For his part, Mussolini had Research in the Archivio Storico Diplomatico del very different aims. He wanted to secure official Ministero degli Affari Esteri, the Archivio Centrale dello British recognition of Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia, to Stato, and the Archivio Ufficio Storico dello Stato split Britain from its potential French ally, and to Maggiore Esercito provided evidence of Italian foreign cause a break within the British Cabinet. Mussolini and domestic policy. Research in the British National had little interest in perpetual peace, and the accords Archives in Kew and in collections of Neville represented the ’s manoeuvres to establish the Chamberlain’s and Anthony Eden’s papers at the best possible conditions for a war to restore much of Cadbury Research Library at the University of the territory of the old Roman empire. These vastly Birmingham provided evidence of debates about policy

in the British Cabinet. The digital revolution has made the vast intellectual gulf between those in the 1930s some British Cabinet and military planning documents who pursued peace through conciliation and those available online, and diverse published works ranging who sought to expand their territory and resources from the diaries of Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo through threats and violence. Ciano to published historical monographs and articles About the researcher rounded out the sources of research. Bruce Strang is a Professor of History at Brandon What the researcher found University. He is currently writing a monograph on The Italian government pursued limited tactical aims Italian political and economic reconstruction during in pursuing these agreements. It wanted to make as the De Gasperi era, 1948 to 1953. He writes on Italian few concessions as possible while securing official and British foreign policy in the 1930s, including the British recognition of the Italian defeat of Ethiopia’s use of economic sanctions as a collective security military in 1936. It rejected any French participation mechanism to coerce aggressors. He is a Fellow of the in these accords, as the fascist government aimed to Royal Historical Society and President of the prepare the ground for a war to seize Tunisia, Brandon University Faculty Association. He lives in Corsica, Nice (Nizza), and parts of Savoy from Brandon with Nancy Hennen and their two sons, France. Italy also targeted Anthony Eden, the British Sean and Marc. Foreign Secretary, as Italian diplomats feared that he [email protected] sought to block Italy’s expansion in the Keywords Mediterranean, even at the risk of war in 1938. The International relations, Easter Accords, Benito Italian government did eventually secure British Mussolini, Neville Chamberlain, Galeazzo Ciano, recognition of its victory in Ethiopia and did conspire Anthony Eden, origins of World War Two with Chamberlain to orchestrate Anthony Eden’s resignation from the Cabinet in February 1938. Both Publication based on this research sides in these negotiations practiced wishful thinking, Strang, B. (in press). Mésentente Cordiale: Italian however, and neither was able to gain tremendous policy and the failure of the Easter Accords, 1937– advantage from the accords. Their views of the world 1938. Diplomacy & Statecraft. diverged too dramatically; they could not reach a Acknowledgements genuine meeting of the minds. Research Connection is a periodical publication How this research can be used intended to provide information about the impact of This research will inform debates in history and Brandon University’s academic research and political science about the failures to prevent war in expertise on public policy, social programming, and the 1930s. It shows the dangers of wishful thinking professional practice. This summary is supported by among government leaders. It provides evidence that the Office of Research Services and by the Centre for seemingly comprehensive accords or peace treaties Aboriginal and Rural Education Studies, Faculty of can have such divergent interpretations by the Education. various parties that the tightest pacts can Editor: Christiane Ramsey [email protected] nevertheless be doomed to fail. This research shows http://www.brandonu.ca/research-connection