Prof.Prof. BrunoBruno PierriPierri HistoryHistory ofof ItalianItalian ForeignForeign PolicyPolicy TheThe KingdomKingdom ofof ItalyItaly’’ss ForeignForeign PolicyPolicy:: WorldWorld WarWar OneOne andand itsits AftermathAftermath AprilApril 9th,9th, 20142014 DefenceDefence ofof MediterraneanMediterranean ►► LibyaLibya asas ItalyItaly’’ss fourthfourth shoreshore 1)1) FrenchFrench fleetfleet strengthenedstrengthened 2)2) BalkanBalkan LeagueLeague’’ss victoryvictory overover TurkeyTurkey:: A)A) AlbaniaAlbania independentindependent ,, butbut subjectsubject toto threathsthreaths byby winnerswinners B)B) PossiblePossible collapsecollapse ofof OttomanOttoman Empire:Empire: ItalyItaly hadhad nono accordsaccords withwith greatgreat powerspowers toto partitionpartition OttomanOttoman territoriesterritories C)C) RenewalRenewal ofof TripleTriple AllianceAlliance andand ItaloItalo-- AustrianAustrian--GermanGerman ententeentente onon ItalianItalian zonezone ofof influenceinfluence inin AsiaAsia MinorMinor NavalNaval EntenteEntente ►►JuneJune 1913:1913: conventionconvention withwith alliesallies forfor useuse ofof navalnaval forcesforces inin casecase ofof warwar ►►ItaloItalo--AustrianAustrian tensiontension duedue toto ViennaVienna’’ss ambitionambition onon Serbia,Serbia, protectedprotected byby RussiaRussia ►►GiolittiGiolitti PrimePrime MinisterMinister :: inin casecase ofof EuropeanEuropean warwar duedue toto AustrianAustrian aggressionaggression,, TripleTriple AllianceAlliance casuscasus foederisfoederis notnot validvalid SecondSecond BalkanBalkan WarWar ► After first Balkan war, Turkey had committed to cede to winners all disputed territories except Albania, whose borders and Govt had been protected by European powers ► Bulgaria, which did now want to recognise annexation of most of Macedonia to Serbia, attacked former allies on Jun 29, 1913 ► Ottomans took advantage by attacking Bulgaria on Jul 20 and reconquering Adrianoples . Romania waged war on Bulgaria ► Aug 10 Bucarest Treaty of Peace ► Greece gained Crete, Tessaloniky , Epirus and part of Macedonia ► Montenegro gained small parts of Northern Albania ► Serbia almost doubled territory , by annexing Macedonia almost completely ► Romania annexed almost the whole of Dobrugia and some Bulgarian coasts RepercussionsRepercussions inin EuropeEurope ►►GreeceGreece wouldwould havehave likedliked toto havehave aa partpart ofof SouthernSouthern AlbaniaAlbania andand fomentfoment irredentismirredentism inin DodecaneseDodecanese ►►SerbiaSerbia diddid notnot hidehide ambitionambition toto uniteunite allall SlavSlav peoplespeoples underunder herher crowncrown FirstFirst WorldWorld WarWar ►►AustrianAustrian UltimatumUltimatum toto SerbiaSerbia andand declarationdeclaration ofof warwar violatedviolated TripleTriple AllianceAlliance accordsaccords:: nono consultationconsultation amongamong alliesallies ►►AggressionAggression waswas notnot casuscasus foederisfoederis,, asas TripleTriple AllianceAlliance waswas defensivedefensive:: ItalyItaly notnot obligedobliged toto interveneintervene ►►GermanyGermany behavedbehaved likelike AustriaAustria withwith FranceFrance,, BelgiumBelgium andand HollandHolland:: ItalyItaly couldcould distancedistance herselfherself fromfrom AllianceAlliance ►►ResumptionResumption ofof nationalitynationality principleprinciple:: LiberalLiberal andand nationalitynationality principlesprinciples preventprevent ItalyItaly fromfrom followingfollowing alliesallies inin warwar ItalianItalian InterestsInterests ► InterpretationInterpretation ofof ArtArt 77 TripleTriple AllianceAlliance :: ItalyItaly wantedwanted territorialterritorial compensationscompensations inin casecase ofof AustrianAustrian enlargementenlargement alsoalso inin nonnon OttomanOttoman landslands ,, suchsuch asas SerbiaSerbia andand MontenegroMontenegro ► ProtocolProtocol ofof TripleTriple AllianceAlliance providedprovided agreementagreement onon BalkansBalkans ► ItalyItaly aimedaimed atat ItalianItalian provincesprovinces ofof AustriaAustria andand partsparts ofof AdriaticAdriatic coastcoast ► AustriaAustria diddid notnot respondrespond toto ItalianItalian pressurespressures ,, thusthus makingmaking ItalianItalian entryentry intointo warwar impossibleimpossible ► 3.8.1914:3.8.1914: statementstatement ofof ItalianItalian neutralityneutrality ► ViennaVienna readyready toto acceptaccept ItalianItalian claimsclaims ,, butbut notnot thosethose relatingrelating toto BalkansBalkans TreatyTreaty ofof LondonLondon ► PM Salandra : sacred sefishness must be guide for Italy ► Occupation of Vlona Christmas 1914: prevent Austrian advance and Entente ’s project to partition Albania between Serbia and Greece in order to woo Athens ► Attempts of negotiaitons with Vienna ► 2.3.1915: beginning of secret negotiations with Entente ► Anglo -French progresses against Turkey decisive for Italian decision to join war effort : in case of Turkish defeat , Asia Minor questions would have involved also Adriatic area ► Telegram to Italian Ambassador to London : «Italian Govt , for reasons of loyalty to Austria and Germany , wish to keep scrict neutrality , but in light of threats which may derive from a changed territorial asset in the Balkans , Adriatic , and in general European and Mediterranean area, as well as the threat coming from German and Austrian resentment due to Italian neutrality , think it possible to join British , French and Russian war effort . However , for economic reasons this option must be necessarily followed by a series of guarantees ... » ► 26.04.1915 Italy to join war within a month with Entente , in exchange of, in case of victory , Trentino, Southern Tirol , Venezia Giulia, Istria except Fiume, part of Dalmatia , several isles in Adriatic , Vlona and Saseno in Albania, coal fields in Turkey . Territorial compensations in Africa to detriment of German colonies . Italian committemnt to fight with Britain , France and Russia aganinst all of their enemies ► May 3 Vienna ready to cede Trentino when war over: too late WarWar DiplomacyDiplomacy ► 24.05.1915 Italy joins war ► Rome never regarded with equal dignity within Entente ► Triple Alliance past and very detailed negotations to join war conditioned new allies ’ confidence ► Different psychological perception of war: for allies real enemy was German militarism. Austria to collapse afterwards ; for Italy historical enemy was Austria ► Declaration of War to Turkey without sending in any troops ► No declaration of war to Germany until Aug 1916 ► No real committment in Balkans ► Allies ’ concessions to Balkan countries in exchange of military aid did not favour Italian positions ► Allies did not inform Italy on cession to Russia of Costantinoples and Straits and partition of Ottoman territories in Middle East WarWar AimsAims ► Entente thought Italy had been already widely compensated in Adriatic ► Rome wanted compensations in Asia Minor and Middle East ► Summit of San Giovanni di Moriana Apr 1917 ► February Revolution in Russia weakened Russian committment: allies obliged to satisfy Italy: 1) Smirne and hinterland in Asia Minor included into Italian sphere of influence, after Russian assent 2) End of projects of any separate peace with Austria UnitedUnited StatesStates atat WarWar ► 19171917 Wilson:Wilson: democraticdemocratic peacepeace andand selfself -- determinationdetermination ofof peoplespeoples ►►KingdomKingdom ofof SerbiaSerbia--CroatiaCroatia--SloveniaSlovenia ((GreaterGreater SerbiaSerbia nono longerlonger possiblepossible duedue toto RussianRussian defeatdefeat )) ►►ItalianItalian programmesprogrammes overcomeovercome byby thesethese twotwo eventsevents ►►BolscevicksBolscevicks publishedpublished texttext ofof TreatyTreaty ofof LondonLondon ►►InterventionistInterventionist leftleft wingwing inin ItalyItaly claimedclaimed agreementsagreements withwith SlavsSlavs,, thusthus respectingrespecting WilsonianWilsonian designdesign TheThe fourteenfourteen pointspoints ► Wilson 8 Jan 1918 ► Peace without winners , since peace imposed through force would include elements of another war ► Peace based on equality of nations , self -determination of peoples , freedom of seas , general reduction of armaments ► Secret Diplomacy had to be abandoned ► Permanent league of all peace loving and independent nations ► Nationality Principle - “self -determination of peoples " -: implemented above all in Eastern Europe and Middle East , in order to fill the vacuum left by simultaneous collapse of multi -ethnic empires ► Point 9. Change of Italian frontiers according to clearly recognizable demarcation lines among nationalities ► Italian diplomats completely alien from this kind of foreign policy PeacePeace ConferenceConference ► V.E. Orlando – Three obstacles for Italy : allies , Wilson and Jugoslavs ► Italian Delegation without any precise mandate ► Possible flexibility , as long as Fiume and Alto Adige annexed ► Allies recognised Brennero border ► No concession on Fiume and more than half Istria ► Wilson thought Italian safety could be assured by League of Nations ► Fiume to become harbour of development for all Danube area, stronghold against Bolscevick internationalism ► Italians appealed to sanctity of pacts to legitimise claims on Slav lands and to nationality principle to claim Fiume ► Wilson believed Italian public opinion was with him and directly appealed to people on Apr 23: 1) Treaty of London only a private agreement 2) Austro -Hungarian Empire no longer existed 3) Extension to Dalmatia not necessary 4) Hope for Italy not to ask for any compensations contrary to