Friday, 26 October 2012

World War I: The Italian Participation

There are a lot of great stories about World War I, like how it started to how it ended. Here is the story of how the Italians got involved.

Map of countries in the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance

  • Italy had been allied with the Austro-Hungarian empires since 1882 as part of the triple alliance.


  • However the nation had it's own designs on Austrian territory in Trentino, Istria and Dalmatia.


  • The Austro-Hungarian government began negotiations to secure Italian neutrality, offering the French colony of Tunisia in return.


  • The allies made a counter-offer in which Italy would receive the Southern Tyrol, Julian March and territory on the Dalmatian coast.


  • Rome had a secret pact in 1902 with France effectively nullifying it's alliance. At the start of the hostilities, Italy refused to commit it's troops arguing that the triple alliance was defensive and that Austro-Hungarian empire was an aggresor.


  • Italy joined the triple Entente in 1915, and declared war on Austria-Hungary on 23 May. Fifteen months later Italy declared war on Germany.


  • By the end of hostilities in November 1918, the Italian military had seized control of the entire portion of Dalmatia that had been guaranteed to Italy by the London Pact.

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