The Sociological Climate of Italy

8/12/2019 The Sociological Climate of Italy

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The sociological climate of

Italy

-during World War II-


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It almost seems that the Italianmilitary was doomed to failure fromthe start and was thrown into a warthat they were not equipped for, nor

willing to fight for Mussolini's cronies.The very fact that Italy became anaggressor during the war was solelyto appease the arrogance ofMussolini, without a thought to thepreparation of the country. Themilitary lacked leadership andmodern weapons yet were still thrustinto battle. When his ill-equippedforces of disheartened men weredefeated, he could not see his ownmistakes and simply labeled his menas cowards. However, it has been

shown that while under command ofcompetent German leadership,Italian troops fought very well -contributing to the final defeat ofGreece and acts of great bravery onthe Russian front.


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Poor Weaponry

When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Italy was in noway ready for an offensive war. However Mussolinidesperately wanted to participate in the redrawing of themap of Europe and so overlooked the state of Italy's

military-industrial complex in order to feed his ego. Italianindustrial power was a mere fraction of that of Britain,France or Germany and was not ready to produce theguns, ammunition, artillery, tanks, and trucks on thescale that was needed. At the beginning of the Italian

entry into the war, its forces were equipped more in linewith the First World War rather than the Second.


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Cassino after bombing


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Poor Leadership

Of all the major military forces involved at the start of World War II,Italy had the by far the least competent high command. Mussolinifilled the officer positions with men whose only "qualification" wasloyalty to Il Duce. Before the start of hostilities Italy did have somecapable generals - especially those who experienced the mistakesmade during the First World War. However things would change

once Mussolini attempted to militarize Italy as he would purge thecountry of anyone whose allegiance was questioned.

The Italian navy, with a limited number of fighting ships washandcuffed by extremely conservative approach by its admiralty.Conversely, men like Rodolfo Graziani, the "Butcher of Ethiopia"were loyal to Mussolini even till the end and would throw his men

into fights he knew that they could not win. It would not take long toprove how poorly the high command would lead Italy's troops, andunfairly put into question their bravery.


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Poor Willingness to Fight

The country of Italy seemed uninterested in war from thestart. The announcement of Italy's entrance into whatwould be World War II was not met with enthusiasm butdespair. It seemed that only Mussolini and his fascistcronies were the ones interested in war and so in 1940

Italy started out on the attempt to conquer theMediterranean with troops that had no faith in theircommanders or a desire to fight. The botched attempt totake over Greece was met with a fierce resistance frommen fighting for their lives and homeland, which had only

decades before been ruled by the Ottoman Turks forcenturies. The Greek forces were ready to die for theirfreedom; the Italian forces had no such passion drivingthem to fight their best.


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After the defeat of the Axis forces in North Africa, the stage is set forthe Allies to re-enter the occupied European mainland. Americanand British forces agree that an invasion should take place in Italy,hoping that a defeat would lead to the fall of Italian dictator Benito

Mussolini. Forces of the British Armylanded in the 'toe' of Italy on 3 September

1943 in Operation Baytown, the day the Italian government agreedto an armisticewith the Allies. Although the German forces preparedto defend without Italian assistance, only two of their divisions

opposite the Army and one at Salernowere not tied up disarmingthe Italian Army.

Allied invasion of Italy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Army_%28United_Kingdom%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Baytownhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_between_Italy_and_Allied_armed_forceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salernohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salernohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_between_Italy_and_Allied_armed_forceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Baytownhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Army_%28United_Kingdom%29


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Hitler and Mussolini


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On 9 September, forces of the US Army, expecting little resistance,landed against heavy German resistance at Salerno in OperationAvalanche; in addition, British forces landed at Tarantoin OperationSlapstick, which was almost unopposed. There had been a hopethat, with the surrender of the Italian government, the Germanswould withdraw to the north, since at the timeAdolf Hitlerhad beenpersuaded that Southern Italywas strategically unimportant.However, this was not to be; although, for a while, the Army wasable to make relatively easy progress up the eastern coast. Themain Allied effort in the west initially centered on the port of Naples:

that city was selected because it was the northernmost port thatcould receive Allied air support by fighter aircraft operating fromSicily.

As the Allies advanced, they encountered increasingly difficultterrain: theApennine Mountainsform a spine along the Italianpeninsula offset somewhat to the east. In the most mountainousareas ofAbruzzoare relatively easy to defend; and the spurs andre-entrants to the spine confronted the Allies with a succession ofridges and rivers across their line of advance. The rivers weresubject to sudden and unexpected flooding, which constantlythwarted the Allied commanders' plans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Fifth_Armyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Avalanchehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Slapstickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitlerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apennine_Mountainshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abruzzohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abruzzohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apennine_Mountainshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitlerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Slapstickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarantohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Avalanchehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Fifth_Army


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Mussolini addressing to Avant-Gardists


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At the conclusion of the war,communism gains in popularity,

as Italy's experience withdemocracy/capitalism in post-WWI years was unpleasant.The U.S. conducts a massivePR campaign to prevent thecommunist party from taking

power in Italy, helping to tiltItaly toward the democraticside. Consequently, ademocratic republic isestablished in 1948 after apopular election, bringing Italy

under influence of the Westrather than the USSR.

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The Sociological Climate of Italy