Study of the relationship between the military and foreign policies of Fascist Italy, 1922 to 1940.

John Gooch is Professor of International History at the University of Leeds. His previous publications include Army, State and Society in Italy, 1870-1915 (1989) and, with Eliot A. Cohen, Military Misfortunes: The Anatomy of Failure in War (1990, 2006).

Introduction; 1. The beginning of the Fascist era, 1922¿1925; 2. Domestic checks and international balances,1925¿1929; 3. Military constraints and diplomatic restraint, 1929-1932; 4. Moving towards aggression, 1932¿1934; 5. The trial of force: Abyssinian 1935; 6. War, arms and the Axis, 1936¿1937; 7. The year of true 'realism', 1938; 8. 'Speak of peace and prepare for war', 1939¿1940; Conclusion; Appendices.