James Holland

And one of the reasons Mussolini signs it is because he fears that Germany has designs on Italy.

Yeah, it's not because he thinks, oh, these guys are great.

You know, there are natural bedfellows.

It's so that he can what it's a mutually convenient pact whereby Germany gets on with whatever it wants to do up in northern Europe and eastern Europe.

Italy is given a free hand to do whatever it wants to do.

Italy is given a free hand to do whatever it wants to do. They'll just kind of watch each other's backs. They have borders, you know, Austria and Italy border one another and they'll just do their own thing and they'll kind of help each other out with supplies and stuff. But basically they won't, they'll be their own It's a kind of marriage of convenience.

Italy is given a free hand to do whatever it wants to do. They'll just kind of watch each other's backs. They have borders, you know, Austria and Italy border one another and they'll just do their own thing and they'll kind of help each other out with supplies and stuff. But basically they won't, they'll be their own It's a kind of marriage of convenience.

Italy is given a free hand to do whatever it wants to do. They'll just kind of watch each other's backs. They have borders, you know, Austria and Italy border one another and they'll just do their own thing and they'll kind of help each other out with supplies and stuff. But basically they won't, they'll be their own It's a kind of marriage of convenience.

They'll just kind of watch each other's backs.

They have borders, you know, Austria and Italy border one another.

And they'll just do their own thing.

And they'll kind of help each other out with supplies and stuff.

But basically, they won't, they'll be their own

It's a kind of marriage of convenience.

You know, they're never expected to be fighting alongside each other on the battlefield. Not really. There is a kind of obligation to do so, but it's an obligation with no expectation of ever actually happening. And so from Mussolini's point of view, the Pact of Steel is kind of, you know, it's just sailing your flag to one particular mast and kind of trying to cover your back. And so long as he

You know, they're never expected to be fighting alongside each other on the battlefield. Not really. There is a kind of obligation to do so, but it's an obligation with no expectation of ever actually happening. And so from Mussolini's point of view, the Pact of Steel is kind of, you know, it's just sailing your flag to one particular mast and kind of trying to cover your back. And so long as he

You know, they're never expected to be fighting alongside each other on the battlefield. Not really. There is a kind of obligation to do so, but it's an obligation with no expectation of ever actually happening. And so from Mussolini's point of view, the Pact of Steel is kind of, you know, it's just sailing your flag to one particular mast and kind of trying to cover your back. And so long as he

They're never expected to be fighting alongside each other on the battlefield.

Not really.

There is a kind of obligation to do so, but it's an obligation with no expectation of ever actually happening.