Chapter 1699 Taking Turns
The impact of the rise of East Africa and Germany on British interests goes far beyond these, and this is even with the two countries separated. If the two countries were to unite, other countries would feel panicked.
Chamberlain was deeply concerned about the current relationship between Germany and East Africa, and therefore he hoped to see a complete breakdown in relations between the two countries.
"Your Excellency Adolf, this should be all of Germany's interests in the Middle East, right?" Chamberlain asked.
Adolf thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "These are indeed our main demands in Germany."
Adolf's answer relieved Chamberlain and Bonnet, who were afraid that Adolf would be greedy. They felt it was worth it if it only meant sacrificing some of their interests in the Middle East.
However, Chamberlain and Bonnet were clearly celebrating too soon.
It's clear from their previous conversations that Chamberlain and Adolf were constantly negotiating about which regions and interests Germany could gain in the Middle East.
Germany is indeed reaping great rewards now, but Adolf still has Italy next door!
Italy has gained nothing yet, and Benito is clearly dissatisfied. Although Italy is weaker, it is still one of the leaders of the Axis powers.
“Prime Minister Chamberlain, Foreign Minister Bonne, now that you have finished discussing the issues concerning the Middle East, we should also discuss how Italy’s interests should be distributed,” Benito said.
Chamberlain and Bonnet's smiles froze for a moment; they hadn't expected Italy to want a piece of the pie, just like Germany.
Chamberlain had previously believed that as long as Germany was dealt with, the Axis problem would be solved naturally. But who knew that Benito would also jump out and demand benefits from both countries.
He then turned to look at Adolf, who was naturally on Benito's side and remained completely unmoved.
This infuriated Chamberlain, but he had no choice but to ask Benito for an explanation.
“Prime Minister Benito, what demands does Italy have this time? I warn you not to go too far.”
Benito was very dissatisfied with Chamberlain's tone. What did he mean by "don't go too far"? He hadn't seen them being this tough in front of Germany just now!
He felt he was being discriminated against, or rather, that Italy had been humiliated.
This is reality. Britain and France naturally couldn't stand up to Germany, but their attitude towards Italy, this clown, was completely different.
What was Germany's strength, and what was Italy's strength? Although both were members of the Axis powers, they were clearly two completely different concepts.
Even France looks down on Italy. Although Italy's population is now almost the same as France's, Italy is no match for France in any other field.
Even if it weren't for Germany's existence, France itself could have given Italy a taste of what it meant to be dominated by imperialism again.
In recent years, it is precisely because of the rise of Germany that Germany has been unable to attend to the threat posed by Italy to the southeast of France.
But in reality, in the 19th century, Italy was essentially a "blood bag" that both Austria-Hungary and France could easily trample on.
If France held Italy in such a low regard, Britain looked down on it even more, and its attitude toward Italy was even more hostile.
This is related to the historical ties between the two countries. As is well known, in the 19th century, Italy, especially the Kingdom of Sardinia at that time, was the main supporter of Italy.
Until World War I, Italy was a key target of British support.
However, since Benito came to power, the relationship between Italy and Britain has taken a sharp turn, which undoubtedly makes Britain feel betrayed.
Before Benito, Italy's main enemy was the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and since Italy had not yet achieved unification, it needed the support of Britain and France.
However, after Benito came to power, Italy completely embarked on the path of extreme nationalism and joined forces with extreme nationalists in Germany. Moreover, Germany's desire to annex Austria-Hungary and strengthen its own power coincided with Italy's desire to reclaim Venice and Lombardy and complete national unification.
Therefore, it can be said that the two countries together dismantled the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but Germany got the biggest slice of the pie, while Italy only got a relatively small piece.
Aside from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy's cooperation with Germany was also due to the strategic complementarity between the two countries in reality.
After the unification of Italy, it became a new great power in Europe. Benito's ambitions were no longer limited to Italy itself, but he attempted to reshape the entire Mediterranean region, so that Italy would eventually become a new Roman Empire.
Looking at the Mediterranean region today, it can be seen that Britain and France still exist in this region as the beneficiaries.
Britain is the dominant power in the Mediterranean, controlling most of the strategic locations and islands, including the Suez Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, and many others.
Britain controlled the Mediterranean's east-west passageways and had a wide sphere of influence. Coupled with its powerful Mediterranean fleet, any country that wanted to expand in the Mediterranean and along its coast would have to confront Britain.
Secondly, there is France. France itself is a powerful country on the Mediterranean coast, with its southern territory bordering the Mediterranean Sea, and it also has a vast colony in North Africa.
Furthermore, France's sphere of influence largely overlapped with the areas Italy coveted. Leaving aside France's colonies in North Africa, the very island of Corsica itself was destined to create conflict between France and Italy.
Corsica is the birthplace of Napoleon, but in the eyes of Italy, this island should rightfully belong to Italy. Corsica is 180 kilometers from France, but only 80 kilometers from mainland Italy, and a mere 12 kilometers from Sardinia.
Even the name Corsica comes from Italian.
Therefore, Italy's attitude towards Corsica is similar to its attitude towards places like Dalmatia across the Adriatic Sea. These places, which were once Roman territories and bear the deep imprint of Italian culture, should rightfully belong to Italy.
Moreover, Corsica's people and culture are more Italian in origin, while Dalmatia has become completely Germanized in recent years.
At least in the eyes of Benito, this Italian nationalist, Corsica was "unrecovered Italian territory."
He consistently emphasized the "Italianness" of Corsica, pointing out the similarity between the Corsican language and the Tuscan dialect, as well as the connections between many historical figures from Corsica and Italy.
Benito not only thought this way, but he also acted on it. For years, Italy had been secretly supporting pro-Italian groups on Corsica, advocating for "Corsica's return to Italy," and encouraging local nationalist movements.
Italian intelligence agencies were also infiltrating Corsica in an attempt to weaken French rule.
At the same time, Italy is also promoting Italian language teaching through cultural institutions, emphasizing the historical and cultural ties between Corsica and Italy.
However, these activities by Benito and Italy had little effect. Although the people of Corsica were not very friendly towards France, many of them supported breaking away from French rule.
However, this does not mean that they identify with Italy. They advocate for the independence and autonomy of Corsica, rather than for it to become part of France and Italy.
If forced to choose between the two, Corsicans would prefer France, which is undoubtedly an awkward situation for Italy.
During World War II, Italy briefly ruled this area and adopted relatively moderate policies, attempting to win the support of the locals through appeasement. However, the majority of Corsicans still leaned towards France or supported the local resistance movement.
This fully illustrates the attitude of the Corsicans, and it also confirms the saying that in medieval Europe, Italy was merely a geographical and cultural concept.
Italians, wanting to trace their glorious history and the basis for their external expansion, can only rely on the splendor of the ancient Roman Empire.
Benito was like that, which is why he regarded the entire Mediterranean as Italy's most important interest, which undoubtedly put him at odds with Britain, the current dominant power in the Mediterranean.
At the same time, France, which had vast colonies in North Africa, was no exception. Moreover, France had always been a major foreign enemy that invaded Italy. The two countries had both old and new grudges, especially after the disappearance of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Benito was very dissatisfied with Chamberlain's attitude, but at this moment, he could only put his emotions aside.
Benito said without any hesitation, "Prime Minister Chamberlain, Italy is also a rising power in Europe. We naturally have our own interests and are entitled to make our voice heard in the interests of Europe."
"Admittedly, Italy is the weakest of the four major European powers and is certainly not up to the task in all matters of Europe. However, we Italians still have some influence in the Mediterranean."
Benito had every reason to say this: the competition between the Axis powers and Britain, France, and Germany could cover the whole of Europe, and in the Mediterranean, Italy's military strength and influence should not be underestimated.
Firstly, it is an objective fact that the Italian army can tie down the French in the northwest, thus making it difficult for the French to fight against multiple opponents.
Secondly, the Italian Navy was undoubtedly a new naval power with decisive strength in the Mediterranean. Although the German Navy was stronger, its home ground was the Baltic Sea, while the naval forces of the Axis powers, Spain and the Ottoman Empire, were very weak.
Therefore, among the Axis powers in the Mediterranean, Italy was the most important dominant force, at least on the surface.
Chamberlain and Bonnet also had to admit that Italy was indeed the biggest threat to their interests in the Mediterranean.
He continued, "We have Italy and Germany as our closest allies, and we also have important regional partners such as Spain and the Ottoman Empire."
"Therefore, Italy should be a decision-maker at the negotiating table, not an ignored party, and our demands and interests should be respected accordingly."
Ultimately, Benito had to raise the banner of the Axis powers to force Britain and France to compromise with Italy, which is why Italy had been so actively involved in the Spanish Civil War.
Looking at it now, among the major powers along the Mediterranean coast, there were four Axis powers: Italy, Germany, Spain, and the Ottoman Empire.
Therefore, waving the banner of the Axis powers to put pressure on Britain and France would naturally have a better effect.
Chamberlain's expression also darkened. In his view, Benito was using this as a pretext to extort money from Britain and France without any restraint.
However, he had to admit that Benito's actions had indeed put him in a new predicament. Suppressing his discomfort, Chamberlain spoke up.
"What is Italy's own perspective?"
Seeing Chamberlain's distressed expression, Benito smiled and said, "Our demands in Italy are not many. As an emerging power in the Mediterranean, Italy naturally wants to receive the share of the Mediterranean interests that rightfully belong to us."
"Therefore, France should make some compromises with Italy regarding Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia, which were originally disputed between Italy and France. In particular, parts of Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria should be brought under Italy's sphere of influence."
After Benito finished speaking, Chamberlain's expression became somewhat strange. After all, the aforementioned areas were all within France's sphere of influence, so he remained silent.
French Foreign Minister Bonne was clearly particularly angry about Italy's exorbitant demands.
He said with a cold expression, "Italy is too greedy! These North African regions have never belonged to Italy; they have always been within the French sphere of influence. Does Your Excellency Benito intend to directly provoke a war between the two countries?"
Faced with Bonne's threat of war, Benito remained calm and confidently stated, "If that is France's intention, then we Italians are willing to fight France to the end."
Benito himself was clearly not afraid of war; he was an ambitious politician, just not as extreme as Adolf.
Adolf was fanatical about war, while Benito, given the circumstances, was willing to negotiate to gain benefits.
He continued, “We in Italy also have 40 million people and are not afraid of the French threat of war. Moreover, Italy’s demands regarding its interests in North Africa are not excessive. In ancient Roman times, North Africa was part of Italy.”
“Especially regions like Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria, which are separated from Italy by the sea.”
Bonet naturally could not accept his explanation.
"Ancient Rome and Italy have absolutely no connection. This ancient empire was just that its capital was in Rome. Therefore, Italy absolutely does not represent Rome, and the so-called North African territory is utter nonsense."
In contrast to Foreign Secretary Bonne's agitated emotions, Chamberlain, listening to the argument between the two, believed there was room for maneuver.
After all, North Africa, with the exception of a very few areas, is mostly desert with little value and no prominent strategic location.
Therefore, it's not impossible to negotiate if it can be used to get concessions from the Axis powers.
Of course, what was more important to Chamberlain was that Italy was clearly targeting France this time, and he obviously cared less about France's interests than about Britain's own.
Therefore, sacrificing the interests of its French allies in order to maintain peace in Europe was feasible in Chamberlain's view, especially since Britain itself had made considerable sacrifices to get Germany to compromise.
Now, in order to gain Italy's compromise, isn't it reasonable for France to make some sacrifices?
(End of this chapter)
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