Russia and Italy Against Hitler uncovers the complex web of ideology, economics, military cooperation, and diplomacy binding Italy and the USSR together prior to 1935. This previously untouched part of pre-World War II historiography makes sense of the seemingly contradictory cooperation between Stalin and Mussolini. J. Calvitt Clarke's study takes on even greater significance when placed against the larger world canvas. It becomes a valuable addition to the understanding of interwar diplomacy and the Soviet Union. The bulk of Clarke's research comes from the Italian Foreign Ministry Archives and covers the period from 1924 to 1941, a perspective that sheds new light on Stalin's Russia and Mussolini's Italy.
This volume deals comprehensively with Italo-Soviet relations and their diplomatic roles in interwar world politics. Part I provides the background leading to their serious cooperation in 1933 and 1934: tripartite Italo-Soviet-German cooperation against France (1929 and 1930); Italian/Soviet responses to Hitler's rise; and the impact of Mussolini's Four Power Pact (1933). Part II covers Moscow's attempt to break out of its isolation and describes ideological, economic, and political rapprochements, as well as the Pact of Friendship, Neutrality, and Nonaggression (1933). Clarke then covers military contacts and and looks beyond bilateral Italo-Soviet relations to collective security. His epilogue explains why Italy joined with Germany two years later against the Soviet Union.
